September always feels more like an annual “reset” than even New Year’s Day itself. 

If January is the start of a new calendar year, September is the start of new routines. Those lovely lazy summer days are slipping behind us, the sun sets earlier and there’s a chill in the air. 

While some are sad for the end of summer, many of us look forward to new routines and a change.  Perhaps it’s a little bittersweet this time around.  Many students will continue with e-learning while others finally return to a school setting.

September has always been a time for new beginnings.  It’s the perfect time for reflection and even for transformation.  A time to think back to those intentions laid out way back at the beginning of the year.  A time to figure out what’s worked, and what has to happen to make good on those goals as you head into the last quarter.

As the seasons change, our moods tend to shift, as well.  With all we’ve been through this year, it’s especially important to give yourself extra grace as you shift into the next season.

Use these quick tips to ease from summer into fall in the most positive way.

Reflect On Spring and Summer

September is the perfect time to look back over the months you’ve come through.

While these months may not have been what you’d planned or hoped for with CV19, acknowledge all you’ve come through, how tough it’s been, everything you’ve overcome as well as all you have to be thankful for.

If you keep a personal journal, use this time to record your thoughts and feelings about it.  Add in how you’d like things to be different in the upcoming months ahead and to the end of 2020.

• What do you hope to shift?
• How do you want to feel?
• What will you do to help make that happen — even if current circumstances continue?

If you have a meditation practice, reflect on the answers to these questions.

Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

If the change of seasons is getting you down, think about all the things you can be grateful for.

Practicing gratitude positively rewires the brain. This simple strategy is a powerful one and has the potential to make a significant difference in your life.

Here’s how it works:  

• Make a list of the positive things in your life that you’re grateful for
• Keep your with you and pull it out to read when you’re having a tough day and need a quick pick-me-up.
• Add to your list
• Pick 5-10 things each morning and write them in your journal
• Start the day off by reflecting on what you have to be grateful for each morning

Making this a daily practice helps you see your daily life from a perspective of gratitude and immediately improves your thoughts about it. 

Find Balance

It’s easy to become more outwardly focused on the energetic vibe of the summer.  As the summer comes to an end and the weather turns crisp, we naturally focus inward through autumn.

• 

When you feel this shift happening, try to ease into it and bring balance from those extroverted seasons into these more introverted ones.

Consider what you LOVE to do and do more of that.  What lights you up?  What feeds your soul?  

Take some time each week to pursue something that makes you feel fully alive.

Release  Negativity

In nature, autumn is when crops are harvested, trees share their brilliance and then begin to lose their leaves and the cycle continues. 

There’s a reason seasons follow a cycle.  It clears the way for new growth.

Autumn is the perfect time to clear away negativity and old habits or patterns that aren’t serving you. Now’s the time to replace them with new, healthy ones that support the life you want for yourself.

Use this seasonal change as inspiration to free up your positivity. Instead of dreading the colder weather, look forward to the beauty of this season and take it as an opportunity for your own personal growth.

If your health, well-being, or relationships need attention, make it a priority to find time to nurture these areas.  If you set out lofty goals back in January, now’s the time to double down on your commitment and make good on it.

This year has certainly come with its share of challenges, but our future is still ours to create. Take time to appreciate the beauty of nature, and acknowledge, with gratitude, all the changes you see in your own life.

Be excited for a new reset, for new energy, and for renewal as you head into this fall season.

The ladies in my private Facebook group, The Energized Healthy Women’s Club, will be talking about renewed energy, new habits, health, and well-being. If you’re a woman maneuvering your way through midlife and you’re not already part of my free community, I’d be delighted if you’d join us.

Let’s support and encourage one another, and go into the fall season with a renewed sense of being. Click the picture below to join us.