Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love all of the seasons, but when the trees start to do their glorious thing, and I trade my flip flops for a cute pair of booties… I just love it. 🍁

There is something specific I do during this time of year that really helps me stay out of overwhelm and all the instant gratification behaviors that come with feeling being stretched too thin for too long without any relief in sight.

(You might be familiar with this feeling… 😉)

Here is what I do: I create the space in my calendar to pause, feel, breathe, and listen.

I like to write down everything I’ve accomplished or made progress on in the various areas of my life – especially in the realms of work, home, relationships and my health. It feels good to be able to see my progress written down like this.

Our to-do lists are never ending. Sometimes it can feel like we’re just treading water. Making this list changes all of that.

It shows you what you’ve been spending your precious time and energy on all year, and how what you’ve been doing has and is making a difference.

Once I’ve made my list, I sit with it. I take it in. I let myself really acknowledge all that’s taken place up until now. It’s always more than I’ve been giving myself credit for.

Then I do something you might not expect – I celebrate! I turn on some dance music, I make myself a pretty mocktail and drink it from a pretty glass. I revel in what I’ve done.

Celebrating is something most of us never do. I was taught it was frivolous and a waste of time. The model for productivity in our culture is to take a project to completion, and then immediately move right on to the next one.

But when I do that, I start to feel like a machine. I feel a bit dead inside, like I’m only here to get things done. I’m clear that’s not how I want to live or work. Not at all.

Where in your schedule can you take some time to pause, breathe, feel and listen? Block the time off, and don’t fill it with anything else if you can help it.

What might be on your list?

What have you accomplished or made progress on this year?

What do you get to celebrate?

Too many women are feeling like they’re “behind”, or that there are too many things on their plates, and that there’s no joy in their lives.

The way that work and productivity have been modeled to us all, it’s no wonder we feel so disconnected as we go through our days, weeks, months and years.

You better believe there are significant health consequences to living like this. Over time, the chemistry of exhaustion, disconnection, stress and  overwhelm accumulates in our tissues. Our human bodies were not meant to operate in a toxic chemistry like that.

We have to find ways of regularly and rhythmically incorporating meaning and joy into our everyday lives. Otherwise, we’ll question what the point of it all really is.

How will you celebrate your wins? Will you dance? Pop some bubbly? Go out to dinner?

Make a point of acknowledging and honoring all that you do. Let it fill you up. When it is time to move on to the next, your cup will be full, and you’ll be ready to keep going.

As you celebrate, notice what happens inside of your body. Notice how your stress levels go down. That feeling of overwhelm dissipates. The pride that comes with recognizing your accomplishments feels good on so many levels.

Let yourself have that.

As the leaves on the trees start to turn and their symphony of colors reminds us that change is in the air, take a moment to pause, breathe, feel, and listen.

Autumn is the perfect time of year to celebrate yourself and all that you do. I promise you it’s far more than you think it is.