5 Ways to prioritize your wellness during a busy fall season
Pumpkin spice is here, and school is back in session! This means adjusting to new routines, busy schedules, and shorter days. With this, self-care tends to rank lower on our list of priorities. This can manifest in many different ways: less motivation to workout, eating fast food for convenience, little to no “me time,” catching a cold, and the list goes on.
Whether you’re headed back to school or a job, the return of shorter days and colder temperatures tends to affect us all, both physically and mentally. By being intentional about integrating wellness practices into your day, you can take a proactive approach to your health rather than a reactive one and ensure you’re keeping on top of your “me time.”
Self-care and wellness don’t have to be intimidating or viewed as a luxury, either. In fact, a couple of small daily routines are enough to make you feel well taken care of and make the best version of yourself feel more attainable.
The transition from summer to fall can often feel chaotic and stressful. Keeping wellness as a priority helps you stay mindful and grounded while you tackle the rest.
We’ve curated a list of five ways to prioritize wellness during the busy back-to-school / back-to-work time of year. These tips will help you stay mentally and physically balanced during this season of change!
#1 Take your health seriously
As temperatures drop and days become shorter, our bodies are exposed to less Vitamin D. On top of that, colder weather brings about more viruses in the environment, so our immune systems are even more at risk of catching something. Staying proactive with your health is critical in the fall. After all, nothing is worse than missing a day of work or school due to a cold or managing childcare when you feel unwell.
To avoid the physiological effects of the fall season, keep your hands clean and away from your face, stay up to date on your vaccinations, and keep your body temperature warm.
Some individuals deal with low moods and feelings of depression that only present themselves in certain seasons of the year. As days become shorter and we get less sunlight, our bodies are strongly affected, some more than others. This is called Seasonal Affective Disorder and is much more common than we think. If you feel yourself having a pattern of intense low moods in the colder months, talk to your family physician. Some imbalances can be addressed with supplements or vitamins. If you want to learn more about supplements and how nutrition can help your body and mind find balance, one of our Nutrition consultants or Chinese Herbal Medicine specialists can help you determine the right course of action to support the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in your body. Taking care of ourselves starts from the inside out, and having a healthy mind and body as we move into the winter season is essential.
#2 Go outside
Although our beach weather days may be few and far between in the Edmonton area, the fall temperatures in our neck of the woods more than accommodate outside activities! Getting fresh air daily is critical in maintaining our wellness, especially as we move into seasons where the majority of our time is likely spent indoors with artificial lighting, stale air, and bright screens. Luckily, there is no shortage of fun outdoor activities in the fall around Sherwood Park and Edmonton, many of which center around Halloween and harvest. These are great options for all ages that can motivate you to get outside before the snow falls. Things like corn mazes and haunted houses are great ways to get your body moving and out of the house.
As the temperature drops, we may begin to resist outside activities, spending extra time with snacks and Netflix. But moving our bodies and getting fresh air is crucial in maintaining our wellness routines, regardless of outdoor temperatures. Time outside boosts our physical and mental health in many ways, so try to get creative — whatever might help keep you motivated! If purchasing tickets to seasonal events or running long distances are not your thing, try starting off small. Scheduling weekly walks with a friend or family member can motivate you and help hold you accountable to the newest addition to your wellness routine.
#3 Make sure you are getting enough sleep
When our schedules get busier, our sleep usually changes, too. It becomes less of a priority and more of a chore, but did you know that a lack of sleep and fatigue can affect your focus and cause irritability? Sleep hygiene is a really important and often overlooked aspect of our wellness routines. According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) we need about 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Which sounds great, but to most of us, it is a lot easier said than done.
To improve your sleep, ensure a comfortable, sleep-inducing environment. Things like a dark and quiet bedroom, a supportive mattress, and less electronics can all contribute to a better night’s sleep. Eating your dinner earlier can also help, as it can be harder to fall asleep on a full stomach. If sleep is a chronic struggle for you, this may be your sign to speak to a healthcare professional. The right allied or allopathic practitioner can provide you with things like supplements; they can look at your diet and lifestyle or mental health and see what other factors may be contributing to your sleeping disturbances.
Despite its importance, getting more hours of sleep can be really difficult to incorporate into our daily schedules. By staying consistent with these small steps, you may be surprised at how much better you feel!
#4 Spruce up your space
Whether it’s a new school year or a new job, the physical space in which we complete our work is shown to impact our productivity. Poor lighting, unorganized papers, and loud noises can distract you from your tasks and learning. To help yourself out this fall, try organizing your work beforehand. You can even use colourful markers and stationery to spruce things up!
If losing motivation is your biggest struggle throughout the day, try hanging up a colourful piece of artwork or a photo of your family near your workspace as a reminder to yourself. If you’re the type to work more efficiently in calm environments, try lighting a candle or incense during your day. Do you often find it hard to stay focused on your work? Try exploring natural remedies like essential oils; they can help calm stress levels and gently remind you to bring your attention back to the present moment. Setting up your environment ahead of time to be clean and organized will save you time and effort in the future and support your productivity.
#5 Take time for yourself
There’s no denying that fall is one of the busiest seasons of the year, and it can be tough to find time for yourself. But your wellness is critical; taking care of yourself first will make taking care of everything and everyone else a little easier. Scheduling “me time” is a great way to ensure you don’t get overlooked. Here are a few appointments that will give you a plethora of wellness benefits while ensuring you get that “me time” in, too.
- Acupuncture
- Massage therapy
- Energetic healing
- Physiotherapy
- Chiropractic care
- Mental health counselling
Incorporating even just one of these wellness practices can help you slow down this fall and regain your focus and composure.
Change Takes Time…
When it comes to prioritizing your wellness this fall, creating realistic expectations is key to setting yourself up for success. Try incorporating these steps into your routine, one at a time, into more manageable steps rather than overwhelming yourself with a complete overhaul. Protecting yourselves and others by staying healthy is the most we can do for one another.
At Park Integrative Health, we offer many different modalities that will complement your wellness routine perfectly this fall. To start kicking off your fall on a healthy note, you can click here to book yourself in with one of our allied health team members.