Cultivating an Aligned Autumn
Happy Autumn!
Love it or hate it, fall has officially arrived, and I am personally ready to embrace every aspect of it.
I’ve always been a big fan of this season—the cooler weather, the fall attire, the autumn activities, the colors, football, the FOOD, and pretty much everything about it. I also believe that with the season’s change always comes an opportunity to reevaluate what’s working and what’s not in our lives, offering us a chance for a ‘fresh start’ of sorts.
Toward the end of summer, I found myself feeling a bit misaligned. I was burned out—not from having too much on my plate, but from having too many things on it that weren’t aligned with my priorities, needs, or values. I was staying in bed more than I’d like to admit, saying ‘yes’ on autopilot and regretting it later, not listening to my body, and feeling exhausted as a result. With this in mind, and because I like structure and alliteration, I set out on an ‘ALIGNED AUGUST’ at the start of the month.
Here, I’m sharing some strategies for getting started on your own journey of alignment, as well as what I learned over the course of that month (and since). The mission? Fall into a routine that you love, add color & joy back into your life where it may be lacking, change the ways you’re spending your time and energy to align with the life you want, and cozy up with your true, authentic self as much as possible.
Tips for Creating an Aligned Autumn—
1. Reflect: What’s Working? What’s Not?
Take out a piece of paper and make a list of every area of life that’s important to you — work/career, friends, family, romance, hobbies, finances, fun/play, physical health, mental health, etc. Next, go through each area and assess what is and isn’t working. Write down recent wins & challenges in each area and anything you’d like to change.
Reflecting on our recent past provides us with a clear structure for the direction we want to go next, even if we’re not sure exactly how to go about it.
2. Energy Alignment: Tune Into Your Vibes
Next, start to make note of your day-to-day activities and assess which ones GIVE energy to you, like being in nature, making a new recipe or singing in the shower - and which ones are TAKING energy away, like mindlessly scrolling on social media or spending time around negative people.
Knowing what fuels us and what drains us is a crucial part of becoming more aligned.
3. Set Intentions (Not Resolutions!)
Instead of making rigid resolutions that often aren’t sustainable, set some gentle intentions. Write down a few intentions for how you want to feel as the year winds down - or what you’d like to change or accomplish by the end of it. Maybe you want to gossip less, move your body more more or be more present.
Whatever it may be, write your intentions down and keep them visible to serve as little reminders throughout the season.
4. Embrace Seasonal Self-Care
If you’re prone to seasonal depression (or even if you’re not), it’s extra important to find small ways to embrace and lean into this time of year rather than resisting it. With Autumn comes an invitation for us to cozy up, making it the perfect cue to ramp up your self-care routine.
Create a list of self-care activities that you enjoy and that align with the season. Think bubble baths, hot tea, taking a walk in nature or indulging in a good book by the fire. Prioritize these activities—your mind and body will thank you!
5. Create a Schedule
Let’s face it: life can get hectic, especially as the holiday season approaches. Getting organized with a schedule is a way to ‘clean up’ our mental space, making it easier to assess what we can or want to say yes or no to when invitations come our way. Having a routine and some structure also helps ensure we’re spending our time and energy in the ways that truly matter to us.
Block off time for work, relaxation, and the energizing activities you’ve identified. Before adding anything to your schedule, ask yourself: Is this aligned with a need, a desire, a value, or a goal I have? This simple question can help you stay focused and intentional, allowing you to create a more fulfilling and balanced life.
6. Connect with Energy-Giving People
Nurturing the right relationships can elevate our spirits and help us regain alignment. Conversely, spending too much time and energy on the wrong relationships can drain us.
Take a moment to assess the relationships in your life. Identify which ones add value, joy, fun, and positive energy, and which ones do not. Consider who you’ve been spending the most time with or giving your energy to. Does anything need to shift? Reflecting on these connections can provide clarity and guide you toward fostering relationships that truly support your well-being.
7. Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude
Gratitude is an act of being present and accepting our lives as they are, even when things aren’t perfect. It helps us cultivate a more positive mindset and, ultimately, align ourselves with our true selves. By practicing gratitude, we meet ourselves where we are rather than resisting our current reality. This mindset allows us to be in a state of acceptance regarding where we are, rather than where we think we ‘should’ be.
Consider implementing a gratitude practice in your daily routine, whether it’s a quick recap at the end of the day of a few good things that happened or a ritual to start each morning with gratitude. The more specific you are in your reflections, the more impactful this practice will be, helping you to fully appreciate the positive moments in your life.
What I Learned During My Aligned August—
Progress Over Perfection: New Habits Take Time
Go into the challenge realistically and understand that there will be periods of misalignment. Once we accept and expect this, we create room to bounce back from those periods much more easily. It’s when we expect perfection or hold a rigid idea of how things ‘should’ go that we spiral into shame when they don’t, which keeps us stuck and paralyzed in misalignment.
The FOMO Is Never As Bad As We Think It’ll Be
Sometimes, the fear of missing out is worse than the actual experience of missing out. I can’t think of a single thing I said no to in the last two months (and there were many!) that I regret missing. Try to remember that when you’re making decisions from a place of alignment, the FOMO is minimal. Which leads to #3…
Alignment & Authenticity Feel Better Than Anything Else We Might Sacrifice It For
When we sacrifice our alignment and authenticity for anything else—whether it be other people’s needs, the desire to be well-liked, or a difficulty in saying no—there will always be an internal conflict within us. Prioritizing our authentic needs first may bring some discomfort, but it’s not nearly as overwhelming as sacrificing our true selves.
Every Day is a New Opportunity: We Really DON’T Need a Whole New Season to Have a Fresh Start
As mentioned in lesson #1, things will veer off course. That doesn’t mean we have to wait for the next season, week, month, or year to realign. We can wake up to a new day with a fresh perspective and simply try again.
Re-connecting With Ourselves is As Serious & Important As We Treat Charging Our Cell Phones
Most of us would never let our cell phone battery die, yet we often neglect our mental and emotional batteries. Reconnecting with ourselves is essential fuel; the more connected we are to ourselves, the more present we can be for others.
The last three months of the year are often the busiest and typically involve a lot of time spent with others. With this in mind, it’s crucial to enter this season feeling aligned and connected to ourselves so we can show up intentionally, be present, and connect more fully and authentically with the people we care about. By nurturing our own well-being, we create a stronger foundation for meaningful interactions and experiences, allowing us to fully embrace the joy and warmth that this time of year brings.
