Autumn, approaching darkness

We just had the autumnal equinox and you are probably noticing the increasing darkness. For many people this is not pleasant.

I’d like to suggest that you consider the gift of darkness. It’s a time of quieting down, focusing inside, pulling in, spending time with family and friends.

The spring and summer light sends us out into life with energy and activity. The world is growing and flourishing.

Fall and winter darkness call us in with quiet and reflection. Find some comfort, nurture yourself, and think about what’s important to you and what’s going on for you in your life.

If you are, or have a tendency to be depressed or discouraged, please consider taking this opportunity to get some help to understand this response better and to find ways of shifting it for yourself. I’d be happy to meet with you. I’d like to know your experience and to offer my assistance.

You may experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) due to the reduced amount of light. If this is true for you, be sure to get outside during the day. Take a walk, drink in the light and the sun.

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Rejoicing

I shared my disappointment last week about the continued heat. This week it’s wonderfully cool. The sky is bright clear blue and the air feels fresh. I’m getting what I wanted!!

What is it like for you when you get what you want? Do you feel satisfied and happy? Certainly the situation and circumstances make a difference. Some hoped for things have more impact on us (such as winning the lottery, having a healthy child, or being free of an addiction) than other things (having cool weather, eating favorite foods, or seeing a friend). Still there are similarities. We get a rush of positive chemicals in our bodies that give a feeling of ease and well being. This might happen more often than you think throughout the day. Count the times and let yourself notice and try lingering on those moments for awhile.  

Perhaps what you get is not all you hoped for. What then? Somehow there’s some disappointment mixed in with the satisfaction. These feelings are important clues to understanding yourself more deeply. How did the hoped for thing fall short? What do you really want or need? Treasure these moments of self discovery and adjust what you hope for.

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Disappointments

We’ve continued to have hot weather here and I’m disappointed the cool weather of fall hasn’t arrived.

How do you handle disappointments? Certainly there are a range of situations and some are much more meaningful and upsetting (disappointing) than others.

Some ideas might be: comfort yourself, acknowledge your feelings, feel the loss, think about ways to take care of yourself, identify all the ramifications, look for possibilities of positive developments in the future, notice the pleasant and/or nurturing things in your life despite the disappointment.

What disappointments do you face in your life at the moment? What strategies work best for you for dealing with it? What will work best in this situation?

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Transitions

On this Labor Day weekend, I wonder how you are doing with the transition from summer to fall, swimming pools closing, schools back in session, and a shift in our outlooks and schedules. A friend recently returned from retreat and said it was hard to go back to work. Most of us have had similar feelings at the end of time off.

How do you transition from time off to time back on task and focused? How does your body feel? What sorts of thoughts and expectations do you have?

Sometimes we feel sluggish when we are not looking forward to something. Sometimes our thoughts tend toward the negative “this isn’t going to be fun” or “I can’t do this”. What would it feel like if we thought “this is a different kind of fun” or “I don’t really want to do this right now, but I can do it. I have done it before and I’m good at it.”

We can do various things to help ourselves with transitions, especially the transition from time off to time “on”. Try checking your thoughts and shifting to something accurate and hopeful. Remember and draw strength from the nourishment you got when you were off. Rather than grieving the loss of it, hold onto and treasure the benefits it gave you.

Welcome back to being “on”. Even as the seasons change and our focus shifts, we can make a commitment to enjoy the brief time off that we get (breaks, evenings, weekends). Focus on the nourishment provided and savor it when you’re “on” again.

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