Embracing Change
Do you have those friends? The ones who are counting down the days until October in July? I have them too. And truthfully, I’m a secret ‘I love the Fall’ person.
Of course, living close to the ocean, we often get our best weather in September and October, so some of the things I love about Autumn may need to wait.
The beginning of September had always been like a new year for me. Even when my kids had outgrown the ‘back to school’ mania, I worked at a university. All the students would come back, and the place would be buzzing with energy.
New beginnings. Routine. Even though it may feel a little chaotic in the moment, there is a rhythm to this time of the year.
Shifting Seasons
The school year may be starting soon and vacations winding down, but summer isn’t over just yet.
These last few weeks can feel like bonus time with sunsets that linger, warm evenings that invite us to pause, small moments of rest that stretch the season a little longer.
At the same time, September brings its own energy. A sense of rhythm returning. For me, it has always felt like another New Year. A natural moment to reflect, reset, and prepare.
That’s where the idea of pacing comes in.
Small steps. Small sips of self-care. They help us ease from one season to the next without losing the restoration summer offers.
Macro-Planning
Little sips of self-care are a form of micro-planning. Taking a minute or two a couple of times a day to breathe, stretch, hydrate, or complete a small task.
Macro-planning is the opposite end of the spectrum.
For me, it is a weekly check-in to see if there are deadlines coming up: Bills outstanding, emails with timelines, or tasks that require a little longer time commitment, like writing my monthly blog.
Then, I schedule those into my calendar so they’re not missed and I don’t have to think about them anymore. They’re parked in the schedule.
My goal is to bookend my life, to some extent.
Macro-planning is the big picture. Micro-planning is the day-to-day.
Each day I use little sips of self-care, I am strengthening my resilience muscles. It gives me the strength I need to take action on my macro-planning.
Balancing the Seasons
When we give attention to these small rhythms (checklists, calendars, routines), we create steadiness in ourselves and our families, making the transition into Autumn feel less overwhelming.
Checklists
My favourite for macro-planning. I take the biggest things I need to do, especially those with deadlines, and put them in a list. Checking things off feels great!
I transfer anything with a date to a calendar because parking it takes it out of my brain and puts it somewhere safe, so I don’t forget.
Family Calendar
If it’s just you, then it’s a personal calendar, but more than one person in your household could benefit from a common or central calendar.
That way, it’s easier to coordinate.
We have always had one car, so knowing when people need to move around is helpful. Need to coordinate a ride for someone? Put it on the list and then put coordinating a ride in your calendar.
It’s a small task, putting all the dates on the calendar, that may help you move into September feeling more organized and in control.
Routines
Rather than feeling restrictive, routines can help maintain order in an otherwise chaotic world. I often joke that chaos is physics; everything moves to a state of disorder, says the second law of thermodynamics.
Routines can be the scaffolding around that instability in the system.
That helps with executive functioning and makes things easier because they are predictable.
There may be some values you hold that can be part of planning a good routing like walking or reading in the morning, getting things ready in the evening for an easy morning.
Routines can also be things you talk about as a family, so the responsibility for everything is shared rather than falling to the most organized person in the group.
Fall Cleaning
There are two seasons that hold the ‘Spring Cleaning’ energy. Spring (obviously) and Fall.
Spring is an awakening, when everything feels as if it is coming back to life. It’s a great time to reorder and organize.
Fall is more about getting ready for a season of hibernation.
Of course, we don’t go completely into isolation in Winter; however, there can be a restoration component to the season.
Fall can help us prepare.
Right now, it just may be a list of things you’d like to do after Labour Day. (It’s still Summer, afterall!)
Rest & Recovery
There may still be vacation time to experience in August and early September, so be sure to capitalize on those warm summer nights or hot days when they come.
You may have the flexibility to take a day or two to just be. No plans or people. Just some time to be home or in nature.
There may be classes and organized commitments you are signing up for, but there may also be the opportunity for some unorganized, random, unexpected moments where you can read in a hammock, walk on the beach, or enjoy a drink with a friend on a patio.
Anytime you’re offered a taste of restoration, take it. It’s a gift.
So, go ahead. Lean into those last few lazy days of Summer and dream about the upcoming cozy sweaters, warm drinks, and beautiful colours of Autumn.