How seasons affect you: Fall

As a human being, you’re part of a natural ecosystem—a fact that can be easy to forget when you’re moving through life.

The seasons are here to remind you of your wildness!

Seasons—and particularly the transitional periods, when we move from from one season to the next—can factor significantly into how you feel.

This perspective is a foundational teaching in Chinese medicine. In that system, each season is associated with one of five elements:

While all seasons have distinct characteristics that shift the energy in and around you, fall is especially noteworthy.

Fall brings a big shift

The switch to fall is probably the most significant seasonal change.

It’s a transition from the more active seasons (spring and summer) to the more passive (fall and winter).

The energetic change that happens in September is palpable. We’re back to school, home from vacation, and ready to settle in.

Fall hits, and a collective sense of buckling down takes hold.

Fall is the season of refinement. It’s about letting go of excess and distraction so you can focus on what really matters to you.

This sensibility is reflected in the element of fall, Metal, a strong, enduring substance that signifies discernment and firmness.

Fall is the season to embrace essentialism, to get clear on what you want and take decisive action in that direction.

If you’re someone who struggles with saying “no,” fall more than any other season supports you in identifying your priorities and putting them first.

Grief is natural

Just as each season has an associated element, it also has an associated emotion.

The emotion of fall is grief.

Nature’s move toward shorter days is often reflected inside humans as a period of increased darkness.

You may notice an unexpected presence of grief. This can show up as increased feelings of sadness, a desire to pull inward, or a longing for something you miss or crave in your life.

The arrival of grief can be jarring after the surge of energy and activity many of us feel during summer. Know it’s natural.

Follow fall’s lead

I invite you to embrace the quiet strength of the fall season and ride the momentum it provides.

In fall, nature offers a perfect blueprint for intentional living.

Like a tree losing its leaves, you can drop any responsibilities, activities, or thoughts that don’t serve you.

If this gets challenging, remind yourself of your place in the natural world.

To not be discerning this time of year—to allow obligations and expectations to rule your life—is to work against nature.

Don’t swim upstream.

Go with the flow, and let the fall season support you in becoming the person you want to be.