Taking Hold of the In-Between: Grounding Techniques for Autumn Stress

A telltale sign that summer is coming to a close is the return of a cool, autumn breeze. When I was younger, I loved the crisp air and the way amber and gold leaves seemed to dance in its path. The wind felt gentle.

Nowadays, I resonate more with the wind tunnels that form in alleys. Chaotic mini-tornadoes of crunched leaves and leftover Starbucks straw wrappers. In a similar way, our routines and free time can become caught in a whirlwind of to-dos, responsibilities, and loose ends that need tying up as the seasons change.

Though seasonal shifts can be fun and exciting, it’s also normal for us to notice the additional stress fall brings compared to more relaxing summer days. Maybe the end of summer has brought unexpected shifts, ones you had no way of preparing for, that now seem to consume and confuse your next steps as your life enters a new season. Regardless of your situation, all of us are eventually presented with seasons in which we must let go of our versions of normalcy, even when we are not ready for added burdens.

Sometimes, it can feel like a race against the calendar: preparing kids for school, hosting family visiting from out of town, and closing our pools before Labor Day can become deadlines that dominate our thoughts and free time. It’s easy for our responsibilities to pile up like heaps of fallen leaves, often spilling over into our moments of reflection and quiet that once gave us rest. Though we do not necessarily have a choice in the seasons changing, or in begrudgingly saying goodbye to the warmth, spontaneity, and “me time” of summer, we can choose to take moments for ourselves, even when we feel caught up in fall’s whirlwind.

When I think about those back-to-school mornings, I sometimes remember packing my brother’s lunch. Before long, the familiar rhythm of spreading jam across slices of white bread and tucking crisp Honeycrisp apple slices into Ziplock bags became second nature. But as my hands moved through the motions almost on their own, my mind often wandered somewhere else: quietly running through the laundry list of everything I still had to do that day, and everything I was already worrying about getting done.

How many muscle-memory tasks are on your mind at this moment? Taking out the trash, packing the kids’ uniforms, folding laundry, tidying up the office, or even walking from your front door to your car. These may seem like tasks that simply need to get done. They may become even drearier when the sun begins to set earlier each day and clouds seem to cover a little more sky as the weeks breeze past. Have you ever thought of taking these in-between moments for yourself?

With a little direction, we can choose to make these muscle-memory or in-between moments the key to keeping ourselves on track and at peace despite the hectic nature of fall. Moments spent completing tasks that have become second nature to us can be free real estate for busybodies in need of a reset.

When we choose to pause and shift our thinking from “what’s the next step?” to “what’s happening right now?”, we can take hold of some of the pressure that comes with changing routines and reshape it into something that better serves us in this moment. As the seasons shift around us, allowing ourselves to slow down can help us settle into the present and find steadiness in the small moments without having to carve out dedicated time to reflect.

An easy way to focus on the present during these in-between moments is through sensory grounding. Sensory grounding techniques can invite us to notice what is already happening around us. While folding laundry, pause to notice the warmth of a fresh towel, its soft texture, or its clean scent. Taking out the trash? Notice the crunch of leaves underfoot, the cool breeze, or the changing colors around you. Sometimes I like to imagine what my mornings would have felt like had I been coping in my muscle-memory moments rather than anxiously planning ahead.

There may also be times when these practices do not feel like enough. When these strategies offer only a little relief, working with a therapist can provide additional support. It can feel difficult to start therapy, but a therapist can meet you where you are and help you find strategies that fit naturally into your life, your routines, and your unique needs.

The transition from warm to cool gives way for the wind to pull us in every which way. It’s no wonder we get caught up and knocked off course sometimes! If we forget to pause or simply feel too overwhelmed to recalibrate ourselves, we can remember that another in-between moment is never far away. We experience countless passing moments each day, meaning it’s never too late to notice the next one.

Practicing these small activities and observations whenever we can helps bring us back to the present, reminding us that we always have the power to hold a little space for peace and gratitude this autumn, wherever the wind takes us.