Fall is here, and with a new season comes new resolutions!
Hello, fall! Autumn just happens to be my favorite season – crazy, I know, since I hate the cold – but, with a new season comes a new perspective. And while everyone seems to be rushing to maximize their seasonal joy and squeezing in a few more things before the year ends – the pumpkin spice, the perfect boots, the apple orchard trips – I feel a little… uninspired. Sometimes, the shift in seasons brings a need to slow down, and that’s okay.
Instead of adding to my to-do list this fall, I’m choosing subtraction. I’m taking a page out of nature’s book and focusing on letting things go this fall. Here are five things that are officially off my list for the season:
1. The Obsession with Overexercising and Perfect Eating
The pressure to maintain a “summer body” is over, and I’m choosing peace. This is especially true when TTC, where the pressure to “do everything right” can often lead to more stress than health. I’m letting go of punishing workouts and overthinking every bite of food I eat. Movement will be for joy. Less intense 6 AM workouts, and more long, slow walks in the cool air. Food will be for nourishment and comfort. I’m surrendering to just doing what feels good, and it feels so right.
2. The Clutter
There is a deep, internal need to nest when the temperature drops, and I’m leaning into it. Clutter is mental noise, and I’m giving up the need to keep things I don’t love or use. This season is about making my home a sanctuary, not a storage unit. Really, every donation pile is an exhale for my mind – you should have seen the joy that reorganizing my kitchen brought me this weekend!
3. The Guilt
Guilt is the weight we carry for choices that were necessary. And I’m very guilty of feeling constantly guilty! The third thing I’m letting go is this fall is the guilt over rest I needed, friends I couldn’t see, boundaries I had to enforce, and work I didn’t finish. I’m trading the feeling of “should have” for the peace of “I did my best.”
4. The Pressure to Be “Pinterest-Worthy Cozy”
I’m also officially giving up the idea that my life needs to be a cinematic montage of perfect sweaters, sourdough baking, and reading classics by a roaring fireplace. It’s totally okay if my version of “cozy” looks like mismatched sweats, a pile of delivery pizza boxes, and watching the silliest thing I can find on Netflix. Sometimes simple is better.
5. Pretending to Love Pumpkin Spice Everything
I’m confessing it: I’m giving up the social obligation to pretend that every food item needs to be pumpkin-spiced. I’ve actually never had a PSL, but pumpkin is everywhere! If it’s not a slice of actual pumpkin pie (even though apple is superior), I’m sticking to my regular, perfectly delicious coffee order. I will not sacrifice my taste buds at the altar of autumn aesthetics. My seasonal drink of choice is still a chai latte, and I’m totally okay with that.
So this fall, I invite you to join me in the gentle art of subtraction. Whether you’re letting go of serious guilt or just a terrible seasonal flavor, every single thing you release makes room for more peace. Remember, the goal isn’t to be a perfect person; it’s just to be a lighter one. You’ve got this.
Shar what you’re letting go of this fall with me, I’d love to hear!