Finding Your Rhythm As Autumn Begins
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
As we come to the end of the first week of September, how are you feeling about finding your way back into your usual routine?
There is something about September that naturally brings us back to routine. The summer holidays begin to come to an end, children and young people return to school, college or university and many adults find themselves settling back into work after annual leave, or a slightly different summer pace.
Even when our lives have continued much as usual, September can still feel like a point of transition.
At the same time, the season around us is beginning to change. The mornings may feel a little cooler, daylight gradually becomes shorter and the first signs of Autumn begin to appear.
For me, this time of year is less about creating a completely new routine and more about remembering what helps us feel settled, organised and connected to ourselves.
Finding Your Rhythm Again - Returning Rather Than Starting Again
Summer can naturally disrupt our usual patterns - holidays, children being at home, travelling, socialising and longer evenings can all change how our days are structured and going back to work or education, can bring structure back into our days but that does not always mean we immediately feel ready for it.
Alarm clocks return. Journeys become busier. Diaries fill up again. School uniforms need to be bought/recycled. Grocery shopping for packed lunches, deadlines, meetings and morning routines, suddenly become part of everyday life again - It can take a little time to adjust.
Rather than expecting everything to fall neatly into place, I think it can be helpful to notice which parts of your routine make the day easier and rather than asking What new routine should I start? It might be worth asking...
"What was I doing before that actually worked for me"?
There may already be something worth returning to - Perhaps you used to...
prepare your lunch the evening before work
go for a walk after the school run
keep a regular bedtime
or give yourself ten quiet minutes in the morning before everyone else needed something from you.
Autumn Changes Things Too
Our routines do not exist separately from the seasons, as autumn already brings enough change of its own - for as autumn arrives, there is less daylight, temperatures begin to drop and we may naturally spend more time indoors.
The things that felt easy during bright summer evenings may become less appealing when it is dark, cold or raining outside. Therefore, Autumn can be a useful opportunity to notice whether your existing routine still fits your life as it is now.
That does not necessarily mean giving them up.
There can be something useful about adapting our routines alongside the season rather than expecting ourselves to function exactly as we did during summer.
Making Room for Real Life
A healthy routine is simply about finding your way back to the things that help you feel a little more grounded. But of course, we know that routines will not always go according to plan, as there may be mornings when everyone is running late, evenings when you are too tired to do what you intended, weeks when work, family or unexpected circumstances take priority. Missing your usual walk, buying lunch instead of preparing it, or going to bed later than planned (this is my Kryptonite). These examples do not mean the routine has failed.
Perhaps that is one of the more helpful ways to think about routines: not as rules we have to follow perfectly but as a familiar, supportive place, we can return to.
A healthy routine needs enough flexibility to accommodate real life.
A Few Things to Consider
Returning to familiar routines does not mean there is no room for something new.
Something I seasonally ask myself is...
"Does my current routine genuinely support me?"
Perhaps mornings have become too rushed and you need ten minutes more.
Maybe working from home means you need a clearer end to your working day.
Perhaps your children are becoming more independent and the family routine needs to shift with them.
If the answer is no...
"Do I need to adjust or adapt to my routine?"
REMEMBER! - As autumn begins, you do not necessarily need a new routine, a new planner or a long list of new habits. Consider the need to not make dramatic changes, but changes that are best for your wellbeing and can make everyday life feel more manageable .
For example...
Getting clothes ready the night before
Checking your diary before bed
Having breakfast rather than rushing out of the door
Creating a little breathing space between arriving home and beginning the next thing
Getting outside during daylight when you can
Creating a regular time to move your body
Protecting a little space during the week that is not filled with work, studying or responsibilities
An evening walk might become a lunchtime walk
Sitting outside with your morning coffee might become sitting beside a window
Meeting friends spontaneously during the lighter evenings, might become making plans in advance
And if there is something new you would like to introduce, perhaps start small.
A Final Thought
As we settle into September, perhaps we can give ourselves permission to find our rhythm at our own pace. Some routines will return naturally, some may need a little adjusting and others may no longer have a place in our lives.
The routine that worked for you then does not have to be the routine that works for you now.
At Athena Mentors CIC, we offer holistic counselling and psychotherapy services, for women, children and young people.
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