6 Ways To Find Your Harmonious Fall Flow This Autumn
Learn how to create and sustain your Fall Flow.
There's this moment — not necessarily on the equinox — in which you can feel the arrival of the autumn season. It might be that brief, crisp chill in the earlier evening or the fall of a leaf from your favorite tree.
For some, this moment may bring a nostalgic wonder, a somber sadness, or the thrill of the glowing hearth.
Regardless of what this brings for you, the great gift of autumn is that you have the opportunity to find your "fall flow."
What is your fall flow this autumn season?
After the erratic encounters of summer visits and travel, night flights, and the like, you can find your rhythm in autumn again.
The kids go back to school (yes, mostly all are back now), you're back to work, and new seasons of T.V. shows also arrive.
Deciding on and welcoming these returning routines allows you to find the flow of what your days will look like, week-to-week.
This is your fall flow, but how do you find it? And how do you make it all feel like it’s actually flowing well?
Here are 6 ways to create, sustain, and enjoy your fall flow this autumn season.
1. First the transition and then the flow.
When fall first hits, it's not at all a rhythm. There's hard work involved in this transition. The new routines must be set up before they can be depended on and enjoyed.
There are registrations for classes, times set to leave and pick up the kids from school, there's traffic to be navigated, and there are snacks prepared for unanticipated hunger times.
Remind yourself that getting into your flow requires these realizations as you get into them for the season. Once you figure out what's needed, it will become part of the preparations for your recurring rituals and routines.
2. Don’t overbook.
When creating your fall schedules for yourself and your family, resist the temptation to say "yes" to everything. For every commitment, there's a cost and time dedicated not only to the commitment itself but the preparing for driving to and driving from.
There are also greater costs to every commitment — what other quality time is being erased by planning yet another activity?
Is it time with family? The time needed to prepare a nice dinner? Or simply play, free time, or solitude? Be sure to book plenty of "not booked" time throughout the week.
3. Big dreams, small tasks.
When building your fall schedule, make time for activities and projects that are meaningful and are helping you to grow towards the person or career you are dreaming of.
Make a part of each day one small step towards these goals. This will help you to flow between what needs to be done today, while still building towards your dream future.
4. What is your ideal day… realistically?
This week I was able to live my ideal day. I woke up by 7:00 and embarked upon my favorite writing ritual to get my work done in a loving, supportive atmosphere.
At 8:15 I showered and styled my hair the best it could be. While it dried, I tackled work emails for an hour. Then, I did an online yoga class.
After commuting into work, I worked in-person for several hours and then came home to family — ate homemade nachos, played with the cat, celebrated my step-child’s recent successes at school, and watched "Genius" with my husband on the couch.
I may not even live this ideal day every day, but if I get one in a week, I'm happy with that!
Your ideal day is going to look different and for the ideal to become real, it must also be doable.
5. "I’m a virtual girl in a virtual world."
The pandemic changed our world. Though we've found that in-person is still preferred over virtual in many contexts, there are many ways in which the virtual world is here to stay and benefit our well-being.
During the pandemic, I moved far away from my favorite yoga studio. However, my favorite teacher still teaches online. In many ways, this has benefited my schedule since I no longer have to factor in the time it would normally take to travel to the yoga studio, check-in, etc.
There are many ways now to enhance learning, life, and connection with virtual opportunities that can be found with the click of a button.
6. Remember that hiccups happen.
Remember that bumps in the road and rocks in the river will happen. Mercury Retrograde rears its head.
The problem is not that these hiccups happen but how you react to them. It is, after all, the anomalies that become our opportunities to building resilience, creativity, compassion and even new ideas.
Did you know that each of the above can be questions for card readings?
If Tarot or Oracle cards are in your possession, you can draw a card for each of the following:
"How can I best transition into my fall flow?"
"What in my schedule is not necessary at this time? What can I release?"
"What small tasks can I accomplish each day that will bring me towards my big dream?"
"What does an ideal day, where I am truly in my fall flow, look like?"
"What activities might I join easily that will expand my learning (a.k.a. online)?"
"In what ways can I release attachment to specific results?"
Draw a card for each of these questions and journal with the imagery that arises. This activity will help you to get a bird' eye view of your life this autumn and the fall flow you would like to cultivate.
Here's to a harmonious and happy autumn season for you and the family — may you find it before the holidays!
Cyndera Quackenbush, MA, is an Intuitive Storyteller based in the Bay Area, who helps humans uncover their inherent wisdom as they face life's biggest questions. Interested in a card reading to find your Fall Flow? Visit her website and submit a question for a free 15-minute consultation.