Hi everyone! It’s Michael Gortenburg here in Kansas City, and every fall I make a point of getting back into a few fall self-care habits before the days get shorter and everyone’s calendar fills up. The change in season always sneaks up on me, and if I don’t build in a little intention early, my mood tends to dip right along with the temperature.
Get Outside While the Color Is Still Here
Kansas City does fall well, and I try to take advantage of it before winter shows up. A walk around the neighborhood or a weekend drive somewhere with a little color does more for my head than I expect it to every single year. I wrote a while back about some of the spots I still go back to this time of year in The Most Beautiful Destinations to Visit This Time of Year, and it holds up as a good list every September.
Move Your Body, Even a Little
Once the weather turns, it’s easy to trade outdoor workouts for the couch, and I try not to let that happen. A short walk, a quick lift, even ten minutes on the bike in the garage keeps my energy and my mood in a better place than skipping it entirely. If you need a nudge to get back into a routine, I put together some thoughts on that in How to Exercise More Often, and most of it still holds up for me.
Eat Something That Actually Makes You Feel Better
Fall makes comfort food sound better than it usually is, and I’m not against a good bowl of chili or something warm off the stove. But I try to balance that with real food too, because what I eat has a direct line to how I feel by the afternoon. Nothing fancy, just paying attention to it.
Protect a Little Quiet Time in the Evenings
The stretch from fall into the holidays gets busy fast, so I try to hold onto some quiet time in the evenings before that hits. Even twenty minutes without a phone in my hand, whether that’s reading or just sitting outside for a bit, resets me for the next day.
None of these fall self-care habits are complicated, and that’s kind of the point. Small, steady things add up more than one big overhaul ever does, and a little intention now saves me from feeling run down once the holidays arrive. I wrote about a similar idea in Tips for Staying Organized, since simplifying your space tends to go hand in hand with simplifying how you take care of yourself.
That’s really what these fall self-care habits come down to for me every year.
Michael Gortenburg, Founding Principal of Eighteen Capital Group (18CG) in Kansas City, Missouri.
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