The fall season is my favorite time of year. The changing colors of the leaves. The cooler weather. The gradual lengthening of the nights. It’s a time for slowing down, reflecting, and recovering from the frenetic activity of summer. And let’s not forget about the start of school, football games, and new cold-weather clothing.
The transition from summer into fall, though, is always challenging for me. My sleep gets disrupted. My skin dries out. And I have a harder time showing up on my yoga or exercise mat. And there’s always the urge to curl up on the floor with my cats and binge watch Star Trek or some other mentally unchallenging sci-fi TV show.
So when summer starts to wind down in early September, I make sure to wind down with it. This makes it easier to transition into fall, but it also helps me make the most of a season that can have wildly fluctuating weather from day to day, as well as less daylight to get outside in nature.
If this sounds like you, here are a few things that might help you make the transition into fall. If you have other fall rituals or routines, feel free to share them in the comments below.
Transition into fall with routines
I find navigating the summer-fall transition much easier if I stick with my routines — sleep, exercise, yoga, meditation, work, not-work. So when the weather turns cooler and the mornings darker, I commit to exercising at six o’clock in the morning, the same as during the summer.
This is not always easy, because going out into a cold garage — or to an even colder outside — to exercise is not always enticing. But I always feel better after working out, even if I have to force myself to get out of bed and step into the pre-dawn chill.
It’s the same with my other routines. In the fall, I try to go to bed at the same time each night, eat dinner at a regular time, work during my usual hours, and practice yoga and meditation each day. These are like cairns placed at regular intervals on a treeless mountain top, guiding me in my journey toward winter.
Surround yourself with warming spices
It’s hard to go anywhere in the fall without running into a pumpkin spice latte, muffin, donut, candle, etc. This may be the true sign of the transition into fall. While the over-marketing of pumpkin spice products is enough to cause sleepless nights all by itself, there’s some calming truth behind this madness.
Spices like allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg exemplify fall. And for good reason, says Sarah Kucera in her book, The Ayurvedic Self-Care Handbook: Holistic Healing Rituals for Every Day and Season. These spices pair well with in-season fall foods like potatoes and squash (including the esteemed pumpkin). They also create warmth in the body, calm the nervous system, and create a whole-body cozy feeling, she says.
So try adding these spices to your meals. And they are not just for sweet desserts like pumpkin pie. These spices go well with hearty stews and soups, as well as stir fries. And one of my favorites: spiced hot apple cider.
Embrace seasonal fall foods
If you have a backyard garden, shop at a local farmer’s market, or receive a food box from a local grower, your diet probably already makes the transition into fall — shifting to foods like nuts, seeds, fall and winter squash, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and beets.
Many of these are root vegetables, which by their very nature are grounding. The rest are hearty, earthy, and nutrient dense, which can help you find stability as you move into the slower days of fall. So when the weather turns cold, incorporate these foods into soups, stews, and porridge for a body-warming and house-warming treat.
I grew up in New Hampshire, so many of the foods I associate with fall are the same ones you’ll find in television specials like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (or the more recent Sleepy Hollow) and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. However, which foods are seasonal for you depends on where you live. So embrace your own local fall cuisine.
Shift how you exercise in the fall
Having a regular exercise routine can help you transition smoothly from summer into fall. If you have trouble sleeping, exercising at the same time each day can also keep your body’s internal clock in sync. What time of day you exercise depends on what works for you. Some people find that exercising before bed helps them sleep more soundly, but for others, late-night exercise can be too activating.
One thing that Kucera recommends for exercise in the fall is that you focus more on strength training and endurance, rather than on intensity, intervals, or speed. So try doing three days a week of weightlifting or bodyweight resistance exercise. Or go for a longer, slower bike ride or run, rather than trying to top your summer peak speed.
Reflect on past year as you transition into fall
The new year doesn’t start until January, but before you make new resolutions, it’s helpful to reflect on the year that has just passed. Fall is a perfect time to do this, because the cooler weather and shorter days give you more time to rest and reflect.
“We can reflect back on the fruits of our year-long laboring,” writes Kucera, “the same way we harvest in the fall after a year of planting and growing.”
In her book, she suggests the following fall and winter meditation:
In a journal, write for 10 to 15 minutes about your accomplishments during the past year and how you will find closure for the things you’ve been working on in your personal and work lives.
Fall is a time for letting go, so ask yourself: What you will let go of? What are you making room for? What has to end in order to make space for something new?
Close your journal and sit quietly with your eyes closed. Feel the closure that comes with the end of the summer cycle and the start of the deepening fall cycle.
The transition into fall can be challenging for many people. As with most things, it’s important to find rituals that work for you, ones that help you make the transition more smoothly. So give these a try. Maybe you’ll find a new appreciation for autumn.
