This is the time of year when all of our good intentions, our back to school vibes, and our energy around forming those fall routines will be further ingrained or fall away. We’ve gotten into our rhythms and routines, and we have just a few short weeks until the hustle and bustle of the holidays is in full swing, pulling us off course and into hibernation mode. So now is the time to put our stakes in the ground and commit to the routines that will bring the entire season into balance.
For us, there are many ways to do this! It’s not just about writing to-do lists and setting follow up reminders. It’s also about enacting the practices that will help us feel grounded and balanced when life inevitably (as it always does) shakes it up. Balance is a verb, not a noun. It’s something we do over and over again, each time coming back through a center of balance, not to stay there stagnant, but to move through it. We are adaptable and flexible, and this is what allows us to maintain our balance in chaotic and perhaps a bit over-scheduled times. In other words, movement through balance is how we maintain it. So whether it’s bringing your favorite flower kimono robe out to play each day, or figuring out the right diet of media consumption, there are things you can do to keep bringing yourself, and your routine, into balance this fall season. Here’s how to bring your life and routine into balance.
In Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way, she advocates readers to take themselves on an Artist Date once a week. This is a date to reinvigorate one’s connection to their artistry with play and creativity. We love this concept and can apply it to non-artists as well. Schedule a date with yourself, once a week, for self reflection. This can be therapy, or perhaps simply slipping into one of our silk robes for men and women to journal, or perhaps a walk around the block during golden hour. No matter what the date is, make it. Taking time to self reflect can help you solidify how you’ve been feeling, help find solutions to problems you’ve been having, or even inspire you to reconnect with nature, your family, or yourself. Self reflection goes perfectly with a maxi kimono robe, but it can be as simple as waking up and taking five minutes to breathe deeply. Make a once a week date to self reflect, and find your mind quieted and brought back into balance.
Speaking of how you wake up — one way to ensure you find balance each day is by finding balance each night. Consider how you’re sleeping. Are you feeling well rested? Do you feel like you could sleep forever? Do you feel like you haven’t slept in years? The best way to feel your best and most balanced self is to make sure you’re supplying your physical body with rest. If you’re having trouble winding down at the end of the day, coach your mind to expect sleep. Slip into your maxi kimono robe and wash your face. Light a candle, read a book, and disconnect from the screen. Sometimes balance is about hearing our inner voice and needs, and being able to respond to those needs in real time. If you allow yourself to rest and fall deeply into sleep, it’s easier to find balance during the busyness of the season.
While we love a holiday feast, we also know that what we eat has as much to do with our inner balance as our sleep and mindset. The foods and drinks we consume have so much power over our mood, our health, and our outlook. So consider how you’re feeding yourself to come back into balance. Consider making a ritual out of preparing food for the week. Think of it as an act of reverence for your body and mind. Slip into your flower kimono robe and choose some fresh fruits and vegetables to prepare for the week. Think through meal plans that allow you to feel fully nourished and energized by the end of them. Our senses do so much for us. This is one reason we created our silk robes for men and women — because the sensation of these maxi kimono robes can feel incredible. So too can food.
One quick way to fall out of balance is to scroll. Consuming media in and of itself is not inherently dysregulating, but when we aren’t choosing which media we consume, we’re falling victim to patterns of consumption meant to keep us stuck in a loop and decidedly out of balance. Instead of falling trap to the algorithm, choose what you’re going to consume ahead of time. This can be as simple as picking a show before you open up a streaming app. Or listening to a podcast instead of going on social media. Or at least making a point to wear your black kimono robe while you scroll social media to make sure you have at least one foot in the real world! However you choose which content to consume, make sure it’s feeding your mind and nourishing your mindset, keeping you in balance long after the content is finished being consumed.
One area you may not think of balancing is your conversations! Balance how you speak with friends, and what you speak about. Perhaps you and your bestie wear your matching black kimono robes to catch up every Sunday night on Zoom. Or maybe you simply try to listen more than you speak. Perhaps your goal to bring conversation into balance is to make sure you’re never speaking ill of another person. However you approach it, making sure you discern the tone and tenor of your conversations will have a lasting impact on how you find balance and equanimity in your routine, everyday life.
So tell us — what do you do to find balance in your routine?
