Fall 2023: Resources We Love
The transition from summer to fall is always an abrupt one. Diving into back-to-school routines holds plenty of upsides — it’s an opportunity for fresh starts, predictable schedules, and earlier bedtimes.
Yet there is also an air of reluctance in this seasonal shift. We’re forced to let go of the warm, comfortable freedom of summer and jump headlong into the cooler — and possibly significantly more hectic — rigidity of fall.
While some find this switch invigorating, others are left feeling a sense of loss. We’re here to gently remind you that however you’re feeling about this seasonal swing, we understand and support you. Our hope is that with the right tools and mindset you can kick off your fall in a space of centered well-being!
Here are the resources that are helping guide and center our team right now:
Aryn Davis
The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom is the gift that keeps on giving! It's refreshing to discuss the body with my clients through the somatic lens provided by Willa Blythe Baker. The distinction she makes between the "experiential body" and the "conceptual body" not only grounds us in self-compassion, but it also is a great introduction to mindfulness. This framing has made the concept of meditation much more accessible for my clients and reveals to us all just how capable the body is of teaching "the mind to be stable and still," as Baker puts it, at any and all moments throughout the day. Baker provides readers with meditation resources; and the audio version is also a great companion and reads almost like a podcast!
Elizabeth Ebaugh
One book I love is No Bad Parts by Richard C. Schwartz. He offers us a way to be with our vulnerability and care for ourselves so we can be more in the present and less organized by the past.
Liz Hagerman
With school starting up, one positive is the return to a more predictable rhythm and routine. A predictable day is something young children especially thrive on. Their nervous systems can relax in the flow of time and the events that happen every day. One resource I like for parents is the Simplicity Parenting podcast with Kim John Payne. The episodes are short, Kim has a relaxed way of speaking, and they’re very calming! Another resource for parents of infants and toddlers is a book by my colleague, Ruth Anne Hammond: Respecting Babies: A Guide for Educaring for Parents and Professionals.
If you’re looking for something fun for yourself or older children, I highly recommend The Legendborn series by Tracy Deonn. My 13 year-old nephew recommended these books to me this summer, and I LOVED them! Think of them as sort-of King Aurthur legend meets Southern African-American root magic — it’s a fast-moving fantasy fiction take on structural racism, microaggressions, and white privilege alongside the strength and power of community found in connecting to "root" in the southern folk traditions.
Finally, this season I recommend nature, nature, nature! Connecting to nature nourishes our nervous systems. Happy Fall!
Kate Kelly
Real Self-Care, a recent book by psychiatrist Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, is refreshing in its honest exploration of what she terms “faux self-care,” and for its deep and thoughtful dive into helping us identify and embody the principles of real self-care in our lives.
The timing is perfect: We live in an age in which we (especially women) are promised easy paths to wellness through lifestyle choices and products that can’t — and don’t — by themselves deliver real lasting change.
She notes that faux self-care — by which she means “fake” or “pretend” self-care — keeps us looking outward or striving for a certain type of perfection; worse, as Dr. Lakshmin notes, faux self-care “exonerates an oppressive social system that betrays women and marginalized groups.”
Real self-care, in contrast, is an internal reflective process; when we commit to it and grow it within, it can have revolutionary effects both in our individual lives — including our relationships and workplaces — and on larger systems of power. Real self-care focuses on boundary setting, self-compassion, and getting clear on our values. Sounds easy, right?! Yet we know how challenging this can be.
Real Self-Care is a guide rich with case studies — including some great ones from the author’s direct experience — as well as practical tools, tips, and exercises to help us all get to the next steps in setting limits, cultivating self-compassion, and identifying our values. It’s the inner work tending to our needs that brings about clarity and alignment for our next steps — including wellness activities. That’s practicing and embodying real self-care.
Amy Murphy
I recently came across a wonderful relaxation tool that I am enjoying. It’s made by a company in California named Osea Malibu.
Osea Malibu has been creating skincare products inspired by the sea for almost 30 years. They incorporate seaweed in many of their products, while considering their impact on the planet as well as on the "collective well-being". The product I can't get enough of is their Vagus Nerve Oil. It’s an essential oil blend created to calm the vagus nerve, which is a primary part of your parasympathetic nervous system and helps control digestion, heart rate, and breathing. They also make a wonderful bath oil and pillow spray.
I notice that I sleep more deeply when I use any one of these items in my bedtime ritual. As I think about gearing up for the busy fall season, I feel reassured having this calming tool in my toolbox!
Stephanie Brown
Push Off From Here: 9 Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety (and Everything Else) by Laura McKowen
Laura McKowen initially created these “nine truths” in response to an email from someone who wanted to help their sister, who was struggling with addiction. The truths were a list of things that Laura needed to hear, and would’ve wanted to hear, during the depths of her struggle with alcohol. The book illuminates these nine truths to help you through addiction, or whatever “your thing” is.
In addition to personal narratives, the book offers writing prompts and resources to aid the process of self-exploration and growth.
I went to Laura’s wellness retreat in July and found her approach to healing real, honest, and accessible. Though not in recovery, I view addiction as something we all struggle with; we can be addicted not just to substances but to a way of thinking. I think anyone interested in self-exploration would find this valuable!
Waking Up App
Waking Up is an app that is marketed as “not just another meditation app,” and I’d have to agree. Not only does this app instruct you on how to mediate, but it also addresses the why. It can be a great way to build a meditation foundation or go deeper into your meditation practice. For me, the app has been like having a meditation retreat available to me anytime I choose. What a gift!
Lisa Oakley
The resource that I've really been enjoying and appreciating lately is the Hidden Brain podcast. I used to catch episodes of it here and there on NPR, but I recently did a deeper dive into their "You 2.0" series. It covers topics that we all face at various times, including how to break out of a rut; why goal-setting can be so challenging at times; and how the science of savoring can help us slow down to notice and enjoy the positive things in our lives, rather than paying attention to the negatives. I always appreciate this podcast for its science-based approach to understanding and conquering some of our everyday struggles.
Liz Liptak
I recently attended a day-long, mostly silent mindfulness retreat where I was reintroduced to the simple, yet powerful, practice of mindful walking. Although I had prior experience, this time it truly resonated and brought about feelings of deep calm and relaxation.
In mindful walking, you’re not aiming to get anywhere. The goal is to walk with your feet and not with your mind, becoming aware of each step and being fully present in your body. Renowned mindfulness teacher Jack Kornfield offers a step-by-step guide to mindful walking in this five-minute audio, Walking Meditation. And in this beautiful essay, the late Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh describes the sacred nature of connecting to Mother Earth through mindful walking.
Mindful walking can be practiced indoors or outdoors in any season. It can be done after a sitting meditation or on its own. For those who have difficulty with seated meditation, it’s a great way to cultivate mindful awareness!
With the subsiding heat of summer, the crisper days of fall offer a particularly pleasant time to mindfully walk outside — plus, this practice offers a wonderful antidote to the increasingly ramped-up and busy schedules that fall brings!
