An intentional autumn
I’ve made the most of every moment of summer, but here we are in autumn. I know for a lot of people autumn is their favourite season. The heat of summer has gone but there are often blue skies and beautiful autumn colour. As I’ve mentioned before I have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and that can make the autumn and winter and even the early parts of spring quite challenging for me. In fact, very challenging some years. I don’t know what each season will bring so I try to approach them as positively as possible. This wasn’t always the way. For many years I had no idea what was the matter. In fact, even when my doctor told me that he thought I had SAD I really thought it was an illness invented by women’s magazines. That is until I started to do some research and as I read, again and again, I kept saying, “This is me!”. It was actually a relief. A relief to know that I wasn’t some weird broken person who dreaded September every year. That my problems sleeping, over-eating and generally feeling really blue had a reason. And, not only a reason but that there are things that can help. I bought my first light box. Got a light that mimics the dawn and wakes me up gently on dark mornings and I took the medication offered by the doctor. Yes, I said it, I took the medication. Having experienced debilitating depression in the past I knew I needed help and I accepted it.
It’s about ten years since my diagnosis now and that first wake up light has just given up and been replaced. I’d never be without one now. Some winters have been fine, some have been dreadful. What I’ve learnt over the last three years or so is that I’m much more likely to have an easier time of autumn and winter if I set myself up for success as much as humanly possible.
As those of you who have been following me for a few months now will know, I had an intentional summer. I wrote a list of simple pleasures that I didn’t want to miss to ensure that I was present and mindful throughout the summer. Focusing on the here and now rather than beginning to worry about how soon it would be over and how quickly autumn would be here. Last week I wrote my list for an intentional autumn. A list of all the things that I look forward to and enjoy doing at this time of year. Every time I look at my list it’s a reminder to me that I can and will enjoy the autumn months. There are things that will happen without any effort on my part – the trees will produce spectacular colour, there will be blue skies and frosty mornings. All I have to do is be present in the moment and enjoy them. There are things that will require planning on my part. Learning to cook a new seasonal recipe and sharing it with a friend or member of my family. Wrapping up warm and having a walk on the beach. Putting out the autumnal decorations that I’ve built up over the last few years to welcome autumn into my home. Cutting posies of autumnal flowers from my garden for the house. None of it is very time consuming, none of it is expensive, but all of it will bring warmth and mindfulness to my autumn.
I’ve also made a list of the things I want to achieve between now and the end of November. I want to ensure that I’m still making progress on my personal and business goals. I want to ensure that I’m honouring my values and serving my community. So, a question. How can I help? What would you like from me? Are there any topics you’d like me to explore? Send me an email to let me know - clare@clarewalshcoaching.com .
