Autumn: A Season of Letting Go

by Becky Riley Olin, LCPC

peering from some high window; at the gold of november sunset (and feeling: that if day has to become night, this is a beautiful way) ~e.e. cummings

Autumn is a time of slowing down and turning inward, of honoring and letting go, of reflecting and remembering, a season of soft release. Here are some questions to consider this month to support and enrich your process of turning inward, reflecting, and remembering. Please consider each question an invitation. May these prompts resonate in your body and in your heart. 

What leaps, losses, and victories have you been through that you want to pause and acknowledge, that you are integrating and honoring? Are there any endings that you want to bow to and acknowledge?

What do you feel ready to set down, to retire, to let rest? Without pushing and without force, like how autumn leaves slide from trees, what could you offer up, unravel from, or disentangle? Are there habits, energy sucks, relationships, fears and doubts, patterns that you are ready to retire for your greater wellbeing? By letting go, you open to what is ready and new to flow in, a doorway to positive energy and growth.

What positive habits are you longing to put in place to see you through the colder, darker part of the year? What daily or weekly activities or habits help you turn inward, feel more grounded, and replenish your energy as the season shifts? Take note of the inner felt sense of what draws you toward these habits and activities. Martha Beck encourages turtle steps when making changes to behaviors and forming positive habits. She writes, “A turtle step is the least I can do, divided in half. It’s also the only way I have ever achieved anything. Take smaller steps—and be proud of every single one.”

May we give ourselves grace no matter where we are in our lives this season.