It’s an exciting time of year, isn’t it? When people think of new beginnings and new energy, they tend to think of New Year’s. But when summer comes to an end, there are opportunities abound to start over and start anew. After the chaos and busyness of summer, though, it can be tough to find your footing going into fall. Here are my tips for how to find your flow after summer.
Resume Your Normal Routines… Or Create New Ones
The best part of summer is being free, isn’t it? Kids are out of school and you don’t have the school year’s practices, games, rehearsals, and obligations to haul everyone to. At the same time, that freedom can be a little disorienting. I don’t know about you, but I like my routines! And as fun as summer freedom can be, getting back to some structure is nice!
Part of figuring out how to find your flow after summer is figuring out what makes your flow feel right.
Maybe it’s getting back to sitting down as a family for dinner or sticking to a new bedtime routine instead of the more laid-back summer nighttime charades. Finding the flow that feels right to you might be making a family calendar, or getting back to setting up your day in your planner… and sticking to it.
When kids return to school, people come back from vacation, and life returns to “normal,” it’s a chance for you to see what sort of routines and structures are going to help you do what’s important to you and what you’re passionate about.
So, when you know it’s time to say goodbye to summer and welcome fall, consider giving yourself a “get your sh*t together” day… or days. Hey, getting organized and setting up everything you need to get into old or new routines can take some time. Why not dedicate a day or two to it? Get supplies, knock out your cleaning, do whatever you need to do so you can get going on your routines with enthusiasm, clarity, and calm.
Shifting From Slow Summer to Fast-Paced Life
I don’t know too many adults, especially with kids, who can just sleep in any day of the week… even during summer. I wish!
But, summer is definitely the time of year where more of us are taking vacations, grabbing at those PTO days, and setting aside time to do things we enjoy. So when summer’s over, and our busy family and work lives kick into gear, it can be a struggle to figure out how to transition to a new schedule.
As we shift from slower summer days and to a fast-paced life, it’s important to find ways to create calm and peace for ourselves. Even when your days fill up with school drop-offs, work commutes, meetings, pickups, practices, and all of those busy happenings. When you prioritize time for you to create calm and find a new rhythm, the busyness of normal life will be more manageable.
Hey, I have kids, I know how hard it can be to find time for myself… and quiet time at that. But I make it a non-negotiable. The time I create to practice yoga and give myself moments to breathe, clear my head, and move my body are essential to my mental and physical well-being.
I know that when things get busy, it can be tough to find a free moment in the day. But, Investing even a short window of time and attention in yourself is well worth it. You just have to make it happen.
It’s All In the Ayurvedic Seasons
First off, shout out to my yogis who know all about Ayurveda and how it impacts your life. For everyone else, I’ll break this down for you!
Ayurveda, or the science of life, focuses on achieving balance in your life through diet, lifestyle, mindset, seasonal rhythms, as well as herbs. Studying Ayurveda helps us understand how we can accomplish balance in our mind, body, and consciousness.
According to Ayurveda, we each have our own constitution with three types of energy we all have in us: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Though everyone has these three energies present in us, there’s usually one that’s primary or more dominant.
In Ayurvedic philosophy, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are combinations of space, air, fire, water, and earth: Vata is the energy behind movement, Pitta presents as the metabolic system, and Kapha forms our bodies (bones, muscles, etc.).
So, when we’re talking about Ayurveda in relation to lifestyle and flow in the fall (and during the change of seasons), Vata is front and center. Fall is an important time to take good care of your diet and to pay attention to how your lifestyle is impacting your health. Routines are huge at the time of year and play an important role in grounding Vata’s movement energy.
Vata season is the perfect time of year to indulge in warmth, nourishment, and stability. Eat foods that help your body be healthy and strong. Enjoy those hot cups of coffee (in moderation) and tea, take the hot bath, curl up by the fire. And create routines that will help you feel grounded as things get busier in your life.
Ready to make fall a productive and stress-free season of life? Order my Inspired Soul Day Planner. It’s the perfect tool to help you gain clarity on your life vision and goals, and at the same time, manage your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. Use it to track your goals, schedule, and stay on top of your progress!