The In-Between Season: A Gentle Approach to Seasonal Self-Care
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The In-Between Season: A Gentle Approach to Seasonal Self-Care
There is something slightly disorientating about the transition from summer into autumn.
The calendar may tell us that the season is changing, but nature rarely works to such a precise timetable. One day can still feel warm and bright, while the following morning brings a chill in the air and noticeably darker evenings. The leaves may be beginning to change, but there are still flowers blooming. We can find ourselves caught somewhere between summer habits and an instinct to slow down.
Perhaps you have noticed it in yourself too.
You may feel ready for a little more quiet, warmth or comfort, while another part of you is still enjoying the freedom and lightness of summer. Your energy, appetite, sleep or mood may feel slightly different, without there being anything particularly wrong.
This is the in-between season.
You don't have to change everything at once.
Seasonal self-care doesn't have to mean suddenly adopting a completely new routine because autumn has arrived.
In fact, this period of transition can be a useful opportunity to simply notice.
What feels different?
What are you naturally drawn towards?
What still feels good from summer?
What no longer quite fits?
Rather than forcing ourselves into a new seasonal routine, we can allow our self-care to evolve gradually alongside the changing environment around us.
Sometimes the gentlest approach is simply to pay attention and make small adjustments when they feel appropriate.
Five areas to gently check in with
The changing season can be an opportunity to pause and consider some of the basic foundations of wellbeing.
Not as another list of things you should be doing, but simply as five areas to notice.
Nutrition
As the weather and our surroundings change, our relationship with food can change too.
You might notice differences in appetite, preferences or what feels satisfying at different times of day.
Rather than following a prescribed seasonal diet, simply noticing these changes can be enough to begin with.
Movement
Our relationship with movement can shift with the seasons too.
The long, light days of summer may naturally encourage us outdoors, while shorter days and changing weather can alter when and how we want to move.
There is no particular type or amount of movement that autumn demands. It is simply another opportunity to notice what feels right for you.
Rest
The gradual shortening of the days can be a useful reminder that rest is part of wellbeing too.
Sleep, quiet time and periods of doing very little can easily be overlooked when life is busy.
The transition into autumn can offer a gentle prompt to notice whether you are allowing yourself enough opportunity to rest and restore.
Emotional wellbeing
Seasonal transitions can bring emotions with them.
There can be excitement about the changing season, sadness at summer ending, a sense of relief as life becomes quieter, or simply a feeling that things are shifting without quite knowing why.
There is no requirement to feel a particular way about autumn.
Sometimes acknowledging how we actually feel, without judging it or trying to change it, is valuable in itself.
Meditative activities for the mind
As the external environment changes, we may also benefit from creating moments where the mind can become a little quieter.
Meditative activities can take many forms, and they don't have to involve sitting perfectly still or following a particular practice.
The important thing is simply creating some space for the mind to pause, settle or turn its attention inward.
Let the season arrive in its own time.
Perhaps the most useful thing about an in-between season is that you don't have to rush through it.
There can be something lovely about noticing the gradual change rather than treating the end of summer and beginning of autumn as a switch being flicked.
The cooler mornings.
The changing light.
The first leaves are beginning to fall.
The return of darker evenings.
The things we naturally start to seek out.
These small observations can become a way of checking in with ourselves too.
Instead of asking:
“What should I be doing differently now?”
perhaps try:
“What am I noticing, and what do I need?”
There doesn't have to be an immediate answer.
Seasonal self-care is not about perfectly matching yourself to a season. It is about becoming a little more aware of the relationship between you, your environment and the changing rhythm of the year.
So, as summer gradually lets go and autumn begins to make itself known, perhaps allow yourself a little space in between.
You don't have to leap from one season into the next.
You can simply notice, adjust when needed, and let the transition unfold.
Explore Seasonal Living with Revive
If this gentle approach to the changing seasons resonates with you, the Revive Seasonal Living Guides explore seasonal self-care in more depth through the Ayurvedic qualities of Vata, Pitta and Kapha, offering another way to reflect on your wellbeing as the year unfolds.
✨ Click to read the full seasonal ritual guide! ✨
