Fall Back into Balance 

Written By: Selia Cox

While holding onto the last few weeks of summer, you may have started to see advertisements for pumpkin spice lattes or Halloween decorations reminding you that Autumn is right around the corner. Whether your season consists of getting kids ready to go back to school, starting a new job, moving, and or enjoying the shifts of temperature, and foliage, it is a great time to take inventory of our emotional and physical health.

When there are shifts in our schedule, especially with kids transitioning back to school, we can experience a little more stress that results in a “flight or fight” mode. This is a natural stress response in our body, but can impact our immune health when the response becomes prolonged.

Fall back into balance with a few self-care tips for the whole family that helps to support the “rest and digest” mode of our nervous system:

– Choosing a new colorful vegetable that you may have not tried to incorporate into meals. A great way to sneak more veggies into a meal is finely chopping and adding into a protein such as a veggie or hamburger. Adding spinach into a smoothie (see recipe below).

– Finding creative ways to move each day even if it is for 10-15 minutes at a time. Taking walks, riding bikes, visiting an apple orchard and or a corn maze, raking leaves. During rainy or cooler days, using painters’ tape to map out a hopscotch court, family challenge on who can do the most jumping jacks during a commercial break. Trying something new such as a yoga pose, see a pose to try at home below for all ages.

– Finding a consistent sleep schedule. Depending on age, children need anywhere from 10-12 hours of sleep. Developing ways to unwind prior to sleep such as no screen time 30-60 min before bed, reading a book, deep breathing by sharing a 3-breath hug, warm bath.

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