5 Ways to Live Slowly This Fall
The cozy fall season is fast approaching and with it comes the hustle and bustle. Fall begins a busy season for so many of us. School starts back, followed by months of holiday gatherings and commitments. What is supposed to be a season of settling in can so easily become a time of busyness.
Admittedly, I am a busy person by nature. For those of you into the Enneagram, I’m a very strong type 3 and it shows. I love to plan celebrations and activities. I want to feel like I’m making the most of my time. As a girl who wants to do all the things, it is difficult for me to slow down.
That being said, when fall rolls around, there is something deep within my soul that craves a cozy, slow season to savor. I’m in my early years of motherhood, and I don’t want to fill this precious time with busyness. Instead, I feel called to slow down and soak in these days. Here are a few ways to slow down and serve your family with intentionality during this cozy season.
Practice Gratitude Daily
A big step to living purposefully, intentionally, and slowly is practicing gratitude! Why is gratitude important? Choosing to be grateful brings our attention to what we have and where we are currently. It shows us the blessings that God has placed in our lives and in turn, helps us focus on those positive things! Gratitude is also an act of praising God!
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
When we are grateful for the goodness in our lives, we are able to focus on the current moment we are living in. Shifting to a mindset of gratitude helps us better tend to what we are given and bloom where we are planted!
Create a Cozy Atmosphere
One of my favorite things about fall is that it starts the season of coziness! That familiar crisp fall breeze returns and with it the smell of freshly fallen leaves. We begin to layer our clothing with warm sweaters and thick wool socks (which I proudly don with my Birkenstocks). A familiar and favorite fall sensation is coming in from the chilly fall air into a warm, cozy home.
What makes a home feel warm and cozy during the fall?
I’ve always felt there is something so enchanting and restful about this season. It really makes a house feel like a home. We spend more time indoors, light our fireplaces when it’s chilly, and transform our kitchens into the heart of the home with stove top cooking. On its own, fall seems to make the home shine, but here are a few simple ways to really amp up the coziness.
- Bust out your favorite cozy blankets and drape them across your couches or a comfy chair. Add some extra cozy throw pillows for good measure! A couch full of overstuffed pillows and soft blankets just begs you to nestle down!
- Find a few relaxing books or some of your children’s favorite seasonal stories and place them out on the coffee table so there is always an open invitation for cuddles and reading!
- Mood lighting with amber colored lamps or your favorite fall candles really help set the cozy mood.
- Decorate for the season. You don’t have to go overboard to add touches of fall to your home.
- Fall fragrances are a great final touch. I love a smell that is a blend of citrus and spice.
- Here are a few of my tried and true favorite fall finds!
Focus on Feeding Your Family
When I was little, I would come in from playing outside and smell my mom’s soup simmering on the stove. I wish I could bottle that feeling of being “home” and knowing you’re loved and cared for because of that big ole pot of soup.. oh and cornbread. There was always cornbread.
Sometimes cooking and meal planning feels like a chore, but it is such a great way to nurture our families. It is a way that we can communicate that we love them. It is a way to welcome our husbands home from work or a way to bring in our babies from playing in the evenings. Maybe we can try together to have a heart of not only gratitude, but also of service to our families. Try out some new comfort food recipes, bake a little something special, or make old favorites that communicate love.
Limit Your Commitments
The fall and winter seasons are busy by nature with all of the holidays mixed in, but they don’t have to feel busy. Choose to participate in only the most meaningful or important gatherings and commitments. Don’t stretch your family too thin and things won’t feel so rushed. You can savor the moments better when you don’t feel hurried to attend the next great thing. I honestly believe that giving your little ones time to soak in the moment they are in will help them enjoy the holidays even more. Plan with intention and minimize the calendar chaos when possible.
Detox from Social Media
Another way that you can slow down this fall, or anytime really, is to detox from social media. It often feels like social media causes us to compare whatever we are doing in our own lives to the lives of others. “This person is doing that so I need to do that too.” Maybe we fill our plates with unnecessary tasks to keep up with the Joneses so to speak. Social media can leave us feeling like we aren’t doing enough or that we aren’t enough ourselves. Try disconnecting from that comparison yo-yo for a while and focus on being present in your own life.
What are the benefits of a social media detox?
Unplugging from social media can help us to stop comparing ourselves with others. It frees up so much wasted time worrying about what’s going on with everyone else and gives us more time to tend to things in our own lives. It also helps us be more present with the people in our lives. We can truly connect on a better level and communicate to our loved ones that they are more important than all the fodder on social media when our eyes aren’t glued to a screen. Try exploring the outdoors with your loved ones. Breathe in that fresh fall air and look for the magic in the world all around you.
You may be asking, “how long does it take to detox from social media?” Some people say that a proper detox is 30 days while others claim a week is plenty of time. Decide for yourself how long you’d like to unplug. Who knows, you may love the feeling of living slowly and intentionally. You may not even miss it!
Above all things, pray for guidance, peace, and clarity this fall season. Seek to have a heart of service and selflessness. Strive for a heart of gratitude in the season of thankfulness. Those things alone are powerful tools to bring our attention to the things that really matter- serving our family and the Lord by extension.
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