Autumn, the brown leaves, the colder weather. Why not get set for Autumn with an Autumn reset? A chance to change with the seasons, take stock of life and get rid of what no longer serves you.

We all, at times, go through life rushing through our to-do lists but quite often when we do that, we forget to give attention to other areas of our lives. An Autumn reset is the chance to take stock of your life, what is working, and which areas need a little more love. But how I hear you cry?!

Well, firstly, grab yourself a pen and a piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle lengthways and again down the middle widthways so that your paper is divided into quarters. Now label each of these quarters; one quarter for ‘Health’, one for ‘Work/Career’, another for ‘Relationships’ and finally ‘Environment’. Now think of each topic and write just one thing in each box that you would like to remove or improve. This can be something big or something small, there are no limitations as long as it’s something that would make things easier for you.

I have listed some ideas below to get you thinking about what could help you.

‘Health’ could be as simple as eating more ‘mood boosting foods’ such as fish, dark chocolate, bananas, berries, oats and so on. Alternatively, it could mean keeping an exercise diary to help you schedule exercise into your day.

Ideas for ‘Work/Career’ may include gaining new skills to give you a confidence boost in your role, networking to increase contacts or even assertiveness training to help you to say no to taking on more than you can handle. This is a good subject to spend some time thinking about as we spend a large amount of our lives at work and feeling overwhelmed here can have significant effects on all areas of our lives.

When thinking about ‘Relationships’ try thinking of what makes you feel good and what you would want more of in your life. Whether that’s time with friends, spending meaningful time with another half or even taking up a hobby with your children. There is so much scope in this section to bring you joy and increase positive relationships with those around you, helping you to feel better, build resilience and even boosting your physical health.

Finally ‘Environment’ or your surroundings. This can mean a number of things, your home, your work or even the people you surround yourself with. You may want to declutter to feel more in control of your life. Maybe have a go-through of your wardrobe and donate to a charity shop. This type of action has two benefits as not only does it tidy up your own wardrobe but donating has been proven to enhance our own wellbeing as well as making a difference to others.

Whatever you decide to do, make it about you, about your needs and make changes that will help you to feel brighter.

PS. If you want some more guidance and to ponder the big questions in life, why not check out the Philosopher-in-Residence series. Out, every fortnight on a Thursday, and written by our Principal Planner, Anna Pascoe. You can take a peek at the latest edition here as Anna ponders about obsession: https://www.makemeaplan.com/news/on-obsession/