I was hit with a serious case of the Fall Blahs yesterday. I can’t even “blame” it on the weather, after three days of downpours and gray skies it was, in my mind, the perfect Central Virginia fall day; warm but crisp, bright and colorful.
The change of the seasons can be hard on the body and this time of year often leaves me a little under the weather and at least a little unmotivated. What’s a girl to do to shake off the blahs?
- Get Outside
Rain or shine, cold or hot, night or day, fresh air always shifts my mood and perspective. Yesterday I racked leaves, pulled weeds, and harvested salad greens from my fading fall garden.
- Find a Project
If I’m already feeling a little low and unmotivated the best project for me to dive into is one that’s super easy to follow through on. Yesterday this was pulling out the napa and green cabbages that I bought last week and finally turning them into kimchi and sauerkraut. When I was done I felt accomplished and satisfied.
- Embrace the Blah (or Check Out)
Sometimes a second cup of coffee, breakfast in bed, and an episode (or three) of Top Chef is just what the mood calls for.
- Check In
Once that coffee kicked in and I got my ass outta bed I took a moment to check in with myself and figure out what it was that I needed to make myself feel…better. Two things I came up with was to connect with other people and to dance, which brings me to my next two…
- Exercise
Just like fresh air, exercise, without fail, turns that frown upside down. At 10:30 yesterday morning I found myself in a dark studio with the music blasting and the disco lights flashing. Do y’all know about this BodyJam class? It’s a Les Mills (think BodyPump) class, which I’ve been lukewarm about in the past. It’s great fun! As with any class I’m sure the teacher makes it or breaks it but Brooke was great and about a dozen of us learned a club/hip hop-esque routine.
- Connect with Others
This one happened spontaneously and really made my day, I ran into a good friend who I hadn’t seen in a few months as I was leaving BodyJam. Hearing about her life, work, and adventures made me inspired and even talking to her about my Fall Blahs made them start to fall away.
Do you ever feel this way? If so, what tools do you use to shake yourself out of it?
Lastly, and a pretty damn good solution for any situation;
- Practice Gratitude
Fall is phenomenal and has it’s own unique energy and quality that is pretty awesome, even that blah that it can bring out isn’t all bad. Plus, look at it!
Happy Friday!
This is just what I needed to read today. I love how your blog encourages mindfulness!
Thanks Courtney, I always appreciate knowing that a post resonates with others!
Fall blah treatment — look at the leaves, realize that amazing color shows only occur in a relatively small part of this planet. Smell the autumn, listen to the crunch, watch a leaf fall..
I am a lover of exercise to break out of the blahs. I have yet to try a Body Jam Class. I have done a few Body Step classes and feel as though I am way too uncoordinated to get a successful workout, so I am pretty sure I would feel the same way about the Jam class. I am a lover of Body Pump, through and through 🙂
I was surprised at how much I felt like a fish out of water in BodyJam, even as a lifelong dancer! The coordination definitely gets easier with everything after the initial shock to the system.