Clean the Slate

It’s Back to School Season! We may have graduated many years ago, and perhaps not recall the last time we rode a yellow bus, but that doesn’t mean this time of year doesn’t hold significance in our lives and for our wellness. What aspects of going “Back to School” speak to you? Perhaps it is the notion of starting over anew. Here is the dawn of a new school year, fresh with possibilities. Do you remember going to school fully equipped with freshly sharpened pencils, pens and brand new erasers to easily undo our mistakes? Ahhhh. There is a sense in the crisp, autumn air of new beginnings. That may be part of the excitement buzzing around this time of year!

If you’re feeling like your wellness routine is a little off track from the vacations and general lack of routine that the delights of summer often bring, know you are not alone. For many, this is also the time of year when we mourn the end of summer and can feel in general a little sluggish and discouraged. The solution? Perhaps we can take our “Wellness IQ” back to school, which means that this is the perfect time to review, renew, clean the slate and give ourselves a fresh start!

1. Review. Take a little time to gently revisit your wellness routine. Take a look at the places in which you are content in how you care for yourself holistically (your wellness practices in the realm of the physical, emotional and spiritual). What seems to be working well for you? What do you want to carry on with you into the autumn season? Make a list of the practices and experiences you wish to emphasize and continue.

This is also the time to compassionately take note of what you’d like to change. Keep the changes simple and as specific as possible. Maybe you’ve had a lot of evening ice cream indulgences through the heat of summer (more than you feel good about). Okay: – take note and move on. Honesty and compassion are the two key elements in your wellness review. Simply ask: What is working here? What needs some adjustment? How can I best support and care for myself within every dimension of my wellness?

2. Renew. In tandem with the review of your wellness regimen, take a little time out to reflect and feel centered. It can be as simple as 30 minutes of quiet with some deep breathing if you wish. If you can take a retreat day to re-connect with yourself and reflect on your review, fantastic! This time of renewal, however large or small, is dedicated to your next step, which is “cleaning the slate”.

3. Give yourself a fresh start. In whatever way is meaningful to you, give yourself permission to start anew with a clean slate. If you’re tempted to belittle yourself, your accomplishments, or the places you’ve gotten off track, a clean slate is powerful and a great support to ongoing change.

What would help you symbolize the fresh start? Keeping it simple, (yet meaningful) design or designate an object to help remind you of the fresh start: A stone you’ve found on a hike, a quote that speaks volumes, a fresh journal to write in, or a new yoga mat. It doesn’t matter, so long as you choose with intention and create positive meaning for yourself. I also recommend setting a specific date that symbolizes your fresh start. Then, make small simple choices that support your new beginning, each day.

What are saying to yourself by creating a fresh start? Many beautiful things, such as:

“I am committed to caring for myself.”

“My well-being is valuable and I make it a priority.”

“Every moment is a new beginning.”

What else does a fresh start mean to you?

I must confess: I was not one of those children who noted the new school year with excitement. The butterflies in my stomach were ones of nervousness as the yellow school bus came down the road. I always wanted to stay home and be with my Mom.

I eventually outgrew the butterflies and spent many years in school. By the time I was in graduate school, life seemed to be measured in semesters. At the end of each semester, the pressures subsided, I received grades and life began anew at the dawning of the next semester. Those semesters forever symbolize fresh starts for me.

In the many years following graduate school, I still look for an external indicator of the proverbial “clean slate”: The time to review, renew and begin once again. I find myself now looking more to the seasons and cycles of the natural world for these opportunities of inspiration, rather than the academic calendar. When I’m in a slump, I can remember to look around me for guidance. Each morning at dawn I hear birds singing, welcoming a new day with joy. The world seems to wake up fresh with possibilities, forgiving of whatever may have occurred the day before. No grudges, no guilt-trips, just…living forward, everything in its own time. Within this spirit of living, every moment holds its new beginning, beautifully and harmoniously.

As an old Ojibwe (Native American) song teaches us:

“…Sometimes I go about in pity for myself, and all the while the wind is bearing me across the sky.” (From “Song of the Bird”)

May you experience the new beginning of your heart’s desire.

To your wellness,

Lori