Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed now that summer is over? If you are, you are definitely not alone. This is when you head back to work, kids go back to school, and productivity increases.
You might be stressed about changing your schedule, focusing on your routine, or even the holidays which are coming up fast. Luckily, there are some easy ways to reduce stress in the fall season. Keep reading for healthy ways to slow down and enjoy fall this year.
How To Have A Stress Free Fall
Creating a stress free fall will likely involve a little prep work. It’s easy to stress less when we have less to do and less to manage. Being able to truly slow down and enjoy life will be much easier if you’ve done the work to simplify your life, even just a bit.
An Unforgettable Thanksgiving Starts with premium turkey and ham, sides and desserts from Perdue Farms!1. Declutter Everything
Think of the fall season as the second spring of the year, and use this as an opportunity to declutter your home. Take a little time to clean your home and really declutter your workspace, bedrooms, and living areas. Clutter can create a chaotic and stress-induced mindset, which is the last thing you want.
Related: How To Declutter Quickly – 4 Decluttering Tips To Help Conquer The Overwhelm
2. Switch Up Your Daily Routine
If you want less stress during this season, it helps to refocus your daily routine and make some changes appropriate for the time of year. You already have daily routines, whether you realize it or not. This includes the same things you tend to do at certain times of the day.
Be more intentional with your daily routine to ensure you’re staying on track this fall. You can make small adjustments that really reduce your stress, such as waking up 20 minutes early to write in your journal before getting ready for the day, or adding in a little extra reading time with your kids before their bedtime.
3. Add In Gentle Exercise Everyday
While you don’t need to have an intense workout program, regular exercise is an important part of staying healthy. Why not add in some gentle exercise every day? Start something you haven’t done before, like yoga in the morning or hiking over the weekend, or pick up an old activity you haven’t participated in a while.
4. Exercise With The Family
You probably know all the great benefits of exercising, from helping to manage your weight and give you more energy, to boosting your mood and helping you become more fit. But there is no reason to exercise alone; in fact, getting the family involved can help reduce everyone’s stress in the fall.
This can be riding your bikes at a nearby park, spending a Saturday going on a hike, or staying in to have a dance party on a rainy day. I don’t know about you, but those family trips to the pumpkin patch or even zoo during the cooler fall temperatures sure feel like great exercise, amiright?
5. Plan Some Fun Activities
This fall season, you can lower your stress by planning some fun activities for the family or friends, but make sure they focus more on relaxation. We’re aiming for simple, here, remember?
Instead of trying to fill your schedule with as much as possible that requires a lot of effort, think about fun and relaxing activities like going apple picking, enjoying a local fall festival with your family, or having a girl’s night with friends.
6. Start Using a Daily Planner
Now is a great time to look at your goals and tasks, and make a schedule that shows exactly what to do and when. How does this help with your stress? It can keep you from getting too overwhelmed, and actually see that you can get all your tasks completed in a reasonable amount of time, without feeling like you are going non-stop.
Related: Discover 7 Powerful Ways To Gain Clarity and Focus (free e-book)
Being clear about your goals will help you be more productive. You’ll be able to focus more on the tasks that move your life in the direction you are aiming. If you’re new to planning, get a planner that has daily planning pages in it, and write out your goals for fall. Consider using a block schedule as a great way to stay on task everyday.
Related: How to Get More out of Your Day!
Planning doesn’t have to take a ton of time, even just planning out some fall activities on a calendar or tracking your healthy fall habits every day can help you reduce stress. Remember, we’re trying to simplify, so get those thoughts out of your brain and down on paper, or you know, in a digital planner, if that’s your thing.
How do you slow down and enjoy life?
Practicing how to slow down and enjoy fall is going to require consistent effort. Slowing down and enjoying life is a lifestyle change. It’s a different way of living than what society often tells us we should be doing. Whether you practice slowing down for a season, or for life, you’re likely going to need some new habits to reap the most benefits.
Fall Into Healthy Habits
The fall season is a time to reflect on your year so far and focus on finishing it off right, by choosing healthy fall habits. These habits are not just for your physical health, but mental and emotional health, as well. Implementing healthy habits is one of the many great ways to enjoy fall.
Establishing healthy fall habits that help you slow down and enjoy life will also help you stress less this season. Who doesn’t want less stress as we head into the holiday season? Here are some tips for building healthy habits this fall season.
7. Focus on Getting Better Sleep
Sleep is a very underrated healthy habit, and one you should always start with. Getting good sleep can reduce your stress, help with anxiety, and even boost your productivity. Basically, if the only one of these ideas you actually practice is getting better sleep, you’ll still notice a pleasant change, overall.
Try to focus on getting better sleep in healthy, natural ways. Instead of taking meds for sleeping, try melatonin or using an essential oil diffuser at night. Take a bath before bedtime to relax, and read in bed instead of watching TV. Keep your phone turned off if you can, as this will help keep you from being up later than you should.
8. Switch to Warm Drinks in the Morning
With the change in climate in the fall, you can still enjoy your healthy drinks in the morning, but it might be a good time to switch to warmer drinks. If you aren’t a coffee drinker, try some hot tea or even drink a glass of warm lemon water in the morning. These will hydrate you, give you some natural energy, and be a great start to your day in the fall.
9. Try Journaling
To improve your productivity and find more clarity in your life, consider writing in a journal in the morning or evening before bed. You can set your alarm for about 20-30 minutes earlier than normal so that you have enough time to journal in the morning.
Journaling is great with any daily routine, but there are some different benefits between using it in the morning or evening. Kick your day off right when you journal things you’re grateful for, goals you’re working towards, or positive affirmations for your day.
For me, journaling in the evening is a great way to get all my unaccomplished tasks out of my brain. I brain dump the things I didn’t get to that day or new things I need to do. Then, I can take those tasks and add them to my planner. It helps clear the brain clutter so I can be fully present in the evenings.
Related: Discover 7 Powerful Ways To Gain Clarity and Focus (free e-book)
Ever have those nights where your brain is on overdrive with all the things you need to do? Try jotting those thoughts down in a journal before bed.
10. Practice Hygge
Hygge is the Danish practice of being cozy, comfortable, and relaxed. You spend more time just winding down and enjoying your downtime, instead of trying to constantly be running around keeping busy. You can actually use your daily planner to fit hygge in your days, and add it to your daily routine. This can also be considered a great way to practice self-care each day.
Why we should slow down in life?
To slow down and enjoy life is to take on a more mindful and thoughtful approach to life. An outlook that allows us to be fully present in the moment. We can create a more peaceful environment when we’re not always rushing to the next thing.
When we slow down, we allow ourselves to reduce expectations. Where there’s less expectation, there’s likely less stress and burnout. Slowing down and enjoying fall allows us more present moments of calm.
If you choose to slow down and enjoy fall, you’ll find more peace and likely, more time. There’s suddenly more time for meaningful activities with your family. More time for meaningful activities with and for yourself. That hobby you used to love? Go back to it. Those quiet moments that seem to steady your soul? Recreate one today.
Some might say that slowing down is a productivity killer, but that’s not the case at all. Learning how to slow down and enjoy fall just might be the productivity boost you need. After all, what is life if we’re always chasing the next item on our to-do list? Slow down, mama. You deserve it.
What are some creative ways you plan to slow down and enjoy fall? Have you implemented any healthy habits that help you remember to be mindful and present? I’d love to hear all about how you slow down and enjoy life in the comments below!
Until next time,
Stay Courageous!
