Autumn Anxiety Has an Address

Remember my post last week about autumn anxiety? Well, I think I have figured out where it lives...
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​I've been writing a bit lately about autumn anxiety because it sneaks up on me every single year.

One day I'm thinking that pollen season is finally letting up. I think I'm about to enter my good time of the year.

And then, without warning, I start overreacting to things that normally wouldn't bother me nearly as much. Everything feels harder.

​Appointments become something I wish I could magically erase from my calendar. I start having less energy and more fatigue.

And if one thing goes wrong, my mind starts writing disaster movies. Does that sound familiar?

​And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that so many of the things I've been experiencing sound remarkably similar to what many people associate with the sacral chakra.
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Autumn Anxiety & The Sacral Chakra

Start with an Emotional Check-in

One good reason to consider exploring whether or not what you're experiencing with autumn anxiety fits some of the possible experiences connected to the sacral chakra is that there is still not that much known about autumn anxiety. But there's A LOT known about how to respond to sacral chakra issues.

The sacral chakra is commonly connected with emotions, creativity, enjoyment, desire, and your ability to respond to change. And sacral chakra self-care can support you when you feel emotionally restricted, disconnected from pleasure, or afraid to express your creative side.

So the first step is to pause and ask yourself how you're feeling.

​You may be calm, irritated, hopeful, lonely, bored, excited, or uncertain. Try to identify the strongest feeling without deciding that it is good or bad.

Pay attention to how you're feeling physically as well, noticing tension in your stomach, restless movement, fatigue, or a desire to withdraw. Feeling irritable, bored, not able to enjoy your favorite things, wanting to withdraw and having difficulty are all sacral chakra experiences.

After you have identified what you're experiencing, ask yourself whether the feeling needs expression, comfort, action, or time.

You don't have to solve the emotion during the check-in. Just get a feel for what's going on.
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Autumn Anxiety & Sacral Chakra Self-Care Rituals

(1) Find a way to express what you're feeling...

Give your feelings a safe form of expression that fits your comfort level. You might write in your journal, talk to someone you trust, listen to music, sing your heart out, cry, draw, or say what you feel aloud when you are alone.

Deciding to express your feelings is not the same as acting on every impulse or directing your frustration toward someone else. It just means that you're acknowledging what you're experiencing and finding an outlet for them.

(2) Reconnect with something that brings you pleasure...

Choose something that appeals to you, like preparing a favorite meal, listening to music you love, watching something funny, or wearing your most comfy pjs. Give yourself permission to do something just for fun.

Now, if like me, you may not always want to do the things you would normally love. That's part of the challenge of autumn anxiety. But I am learning not to let that stop me, because it will  help me in a way that I might not be able anticipate.

(3) Do something creative that helps you explore and express your feelings...

Write or draw in your journal, create a playlist just to express your mood, dance to one of your favorite songs, or try a variation on a recipe you know like the back of your hand. 

(4) Try moving your body in easy ways to help you release what you're feeling...

Stretching, swaying, shake out your hands. (It doesn't have to be a workout. We're not training for the Olympics. 😄)

But because our feelings often affect us physically, even a little movement can be one of the things that helps you feel better.
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​With all of these suggestions, you can experiment to see what works for you. And when you find something that does, add it to your list of resources.

As I mentioned in my most recent post, singing and swaying and clapping along with Pub Choir has helped me tremendously in the past few days.

I hope you find several things that work as well or better for you.

See you next time!

Love, Jeanine
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