The Autumn Equinox: A time to step up your self-care?

A second new year…
If, like me, you grew up within the English academic system it is likely that September will always have a little of that ‘start of the new school year’ flavour to it. September usually brings with it the first glimpses of autumn colour, the return of the morning dew and that first feeling of chill in the air and it can feel like an important shift in the cycle of the seasons. The autumn equinox will be with us on Sunday and it is one of only two days of the year (the spring equinox in March being the other one) where the hours of daylight and darkness are roughly equal. We might think of the equinox as marking a point in the calendar that reminds us there is still some time before the nights really start to draw in and hopefully (in the Northern hemisphere at least) some days of fine weather and bright, warming sunshine still to come. The life and vitality of the land, the trees, the wild animals around us still has some spark in it, a sort of last dance before the dormancy of winter begins. And as the farmers begin to bring in the harvest we can open our awareness to the abundance in the natural world around us.
 

If you’re not feeling overly abundant in your own life…
It can be hard to connect in with the positives of a season or experience if you’re not feeling particularly energetic or abundant within your own life, or within your body. This point in the year can, however, be a great time to attend to things that you have been neglecting. If you’re one of many who has had kids at home all summer, or extra grandparent duties, this can be particularly important in terms of your own self-care and wellbeing and now the kids are back at school the energy around us changes a little so there are opportunities to grab a little time and resource for yourself. There might be projects or tasks to do with your work, around your home or in the garden that will feel great if you can get them done before winter. Or perhaps what needs attending to is more personal? Health issues that need addressing, an exercise class to begin or return to or even just booking in an overdue eye test or haircut?

For some of you, what has been overlooked may be more internal. Emotional pain, mental anguish and a depletion of energy, though not strictly physical things still reside in our bodies and have a physical impact. When we are troubled by them life can feel very overwhelming and difficult. These are also the types of challenges in life for which we tend to find it particularly hard to seek help. Thoughts such as ‘I should be able to cope with this’, ‘I don’t know why things seem such a struggle’ or ‘everyone else seems to be coping better or has got over this quicker than me’ may sound familiar to you.

We can’t do it all alone…
It is so very common, within the walls of my therapy rooms, to hear people question why they feel so floored or overwhelmed, why they feel such strong emotions or even numb or empty when they have lots of good things in their life. People wonder why they aren’t sleeping or coping better, why they aren’t ‘over’ something by now or why they’re troubled by an aching and tired body that seems out of proportion for their activity levels.

This questioning often comes with a sense of perplexity and confusion but frequently, when I reflect back to someone all that has been going on in their lives or the enormity of it, there will be a significant pause. With this pause will generally come a sense of relief and acknowledgment that it would probably be strange if there hadn’t been an impact from whatever has been happening. This feeling of overwhelm or mental/physical exhaustion may result from current or recent events or it may be the result of a number of things left untended to and able to build up over a longer period. Sometimes it’s a combination of both! Getting perspective on what you are experiencing can be very hard to do for yourself. If you are lucky, you might have a supportive friend or partner who can give you this kind of reminder or a helpful listening ear but there can be many reasons why you might sometimes need to seek help and support outside your immediate circle. You may feel worried about burdening someone who already has their own stuff going on, you might feel embarrassed, ashamed or scared of how you feel or the thoughts going through your head or you might not have anyone who will listen without immediately trying to fix it or join in with their own woes.

Gentle and consistent small daily acts of self-care can really help you to stay balanced at this time of year. Making use of the energy around the equinox to get a new project or task underway, particular if this is something important to your wellbeing or care, can also be very positive. However, if you’re not feeling in quite the right place to do these kinds of things then read on to find out more about how the support I offer might be of help.

Reaching out…
The combination, tailored to suit each individual in each session, of psychological counselling and energy healing that I practice is such that it can be very helpful in a number of ways. If you have a sense that there are things you have experienced in the past, or that are currently going on, that will take some time to work through, you might wish to book some ongoing regular sessions. You might want to explore your inner world, and how you experience and cope with the outer world, in more depth or perhaps you are currently experiencing a difficult time that you are unable to change and would value some regular support and a place to express yourself.

For other people less frequent sessions, or a few close together over a short period of time, can offer support with a more specific issue or during a short-term challenging period. You might not even be really sure what ‘the problem’ is but just feel a bit out of sorts or off balance, not yourself. The changes in daylight hours, at this time of year, have an impact on our circadian rhythms and psychological wellbeing and a gentle and rebalancing energy healing session can help you head towards the darker months with more resilience and resource in your tank too.

Autumn Special Offer
Whether you want to book a regular block of sessions, arrange a few on a more intermittent or ad-hoc basis or even see whether the benefits of a one-off session might be enough for now there are appointments available at either my Salisbury or Shaftesbury practices. Frequently it will be the case that at least a few sessions are needed so I have created a couple of packages to help you access this if needed. These options will be available for the remainder of 2024, in advance of a review of my prices in the new year.
On the ‘Gift Vouchers’ section of my bookings page you will find these two new packages. They can be used for Applied Energy Flow/Counselling sessions or for one-hour Online Supportive Counselling sessions. Both are to buy a block of four sessions. You can choose whether you use these sessions on a weekly basis, giving you a total discount of £48, or simply use the sessions before the end of 2024 and save £20. If you don’t manage to use all your sessions within the specified time frame that isn’t a problem, you can simply pay the balance between the discounted package price and the usual price on the day.

When you purchase either package you will be charged for the cost of one session and then three further payments will be made either weekly or fortnightly, depending on which you have chosen. You will then receive a code that you can use to book your appointments in. I would recommend that you book your slots as soon as possible as the discounted price you have paid will only apply if you use the sessions as applies to each package (weekly or before the end of the year). If you have any trouble finding slots to suit you or you wish to discuss availability before you purchase, please get in touch. Find the packages in the gift voucher section of my bookings page. 

I wish you balance and peace, as the great wheel of the year turns once again to a quarter point, and that you find some of the abundance of the season within your own life.
 
© Dr Karen Janes
September 2024