September's Quiet Invitation
Sweet Friends, do you feel that familiar back-to-school flutter in the air? š
We seem to carry September in our bonesā¦ even those of us long past our school years. Whether we notice the buzz of new fan-dangled school supplies at our local Walmart or are watching our grandchildren and neighbourhood kids prepare for this new season of learning with their new backpacks and school supplies.
There's something about this time of year that whispers fresh startā¦ a second new year of sorts, arriving quietly with the changing leaves.
New routines, new intentions, a sense of settling back into structure after the wide-open and adventurous days of summer.
However š¤
There is a āSeptember trapā I have fallen into more times than I can count. I meet September as though a starting gun is being fired on September 1ā¦
I pile on the goals,
over-fill the calendar, and
white-knuckle my way to getting back-on-track!
Often, by the second week of September, I'm frazzled and wondering why I feel so depleted. Does this sound familiar? (please tell me I am not alone in thisš)
Our nervous systems do NOT love being yanked from summer's ease straight into full-throttle busyā¦ instead they much prefer a much gentler on-ramp.
Think of it the way you'd ease a car into the street as opposed to flooring it from a standstillā¦ our nervous system needs this same easement as it prepares to shift into higher gears (so-to-speak).
Easing my Nervous system into a higher paced flow could look something like this:
CALENDAR
I wonāt fill my calendar all at once.
I will try adding just one new commitment or rhythm at a time.
Allowing each one to settle before I layer on the next.
PAUSES BETWEEN ACTIVITIES
I will tuck small pauses between my activities.
Even three slow breaths with a long, unhurried exhale gently signals to my body that it's safe for her to assume the speed that feels right š
And when a day starts to feel like too much, I will let this be my cue to soften, breathe, and let my nervous system catch upā¦ instead of pushing harder.
Working alongside Marnie and Liesl these past few years, I have learned soo much about my nervous system (and yes, this is why so many of my blogs are about this very thingā¦ our Nervous system š).
So, this year, I invite you to join me in embracing September's invitation of reset and renewal with a healthy dose of grace and ease.
Rather than rushing to become a brand-new, hyper-productive version of ourselves overnight, what if we eased inā¦
adding one small, nourishing rhythm at a time, while
pausing (often) to breathe in between all the doing.
I am realizing that a fresh start doesn't have to be a frantic one ā it can be graceful, easy and fulfilling.
The most lasting changes, in my experience, are the quiet ones we build with gentleness and consistency.
As we step toward this season of Autumn routine, my wish for you is simple:
Meet it with awareness instead of pressure, and
let your breath set the pace š„
There's no starting gun going off, sweet friends, just one season giving way to the next. Let's walk through it slowly while deeply enjoying each momentā¦ one sweet breath at a time. š§”
Love,
