How to embrace autumn, from setting goals to learning a craft

How can we make the most of the changing seasons?

October 8, 2022 7:30 am(Updated 10:19 am)

With the changing of the seasons, resistance can come—mentally and emotionally and practically. Most of us love summer and sometimes the change in temperature and the reduction in daylight and day length can hit us hard.

We as humans have amplified this potential resistance with the back-to-school/work/routine energy that encompasses September.

But again, with any change, our experience of whether it is good or bad is determined by our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors around it. But we can cognitively reshape it – that is, we can change our experience of something – by changing our thoughts about it.

More of lifestyle

What we believe has immense power over how we see something, and our past experiences feed back even more, so it’s all too easy when we were younger when we had “Sunday night blues” or “back to school” September chills didn’t want to experience again now, even as adults – unless we are aware of it and want to change it.

Thought and belief patterns are strong and become habitual. But just like any habit, if we have the motivation, focus, energy, and determination to make that change, we can.

So why bother to cognitively redesign fall? Well, quite simply put, we feel better; we can experience new things and we can experience the amazing feeling of having some control over our inner experience, instead of being blown about like an autumn leaf in the wind. But more relevant is the fact that it happens and we can’t help it, so why waste our energy complaining about it?

How can we make the most of the changing seasons?

Look at the positive sides

Autumn has many positive sides. Nature is changing and we can still get outside and benefit from nature with all its colors and elements. It’s also a great time to start a new hobby, whether it’s crafting or indoor painting.

We know that green and blue expanses are so good for our mental health, and fall is a time to be thankful that temperatures are still moderate enough to get out. With a return to work or school, there is an opportunity to start a new habit like exercise and have confidence and structure in your week and achieve whatever health goals you want.

Check out the possibilities

There are many ways to reset and organize in fall and winter. It’s a great time to reflect on what you have done and what you would like to change and actually put it into action. It is also an opportunity to do the opposite and rest.

We tend to spend more time indoors and at home so we have a chance to snuggle up and settle in; to rest and relax without pressure or feeling that we should be doing things. We also have the opportunity to reorganize our home, tidy it up and make our living space a place of security. Remember those new school supplies we all used to buy? Incorporate that into your adult life now.

See the end

The nice thing about autumn is that the Christmas holidays are not too far away. With every change or challenge, every phase of hard work or routine, it’s so important to have a breakthrough end goal to aim for.

Most of us will be able to have some sort of break and family time during December and January, and it’s important to keep this in your busy schedule as something that can help you persevere when you’re finding things difficult or challenging. Just as fall and winter inevitably come, so too will spring and summer.

Our beliefs and our thoughts dictate how we feel and behave, and ultimately our experience of everything – so why not do a little cognitive reframing in the fall and then extrapolate that to the other challenging areas of your life?