It’s You’ve Got Mail season.
Autumn, Change and Actually Being Kind to Yourself
I love this time of year.
There’s something beautiful about the transition from summer into autumn — the changing colours, cooler mornings, darker evenings and that feeling of the seasons beginning to shift.
But I also think autumn can feel quite harsh.
Perhaps it’s because we naturally start to slow down and reflect a little more. We come back into routines, spend more time indoors and suddenly notice things that we may have been able to ignore during the busy, brighter months.
Sometimes that can bring a very clear feeling of:
“I've had enough.”
Maybe it’s your job.
Maybe it’s a relationship.
Maybe it’s a friendship, a situation you’ve been tolerating, or simply a way of living that no longer feels right for you.
And when you reach that point, it can be both liberating and incredibly uncomfortable.
Change takes energy. Even positive change can be exhausting.
Which is why I think this is such an important time of year to be kind to yourself.
But there’s something else I’ve been thinking about lately…
The words “be kind to yourself” are lovely, but they’re meaningless if we don’t actually do it.
It’s easy to say we need more rest, more time for ourselves, better boundaries and a little more self-care.
For me, it’s staying off my phone MORE
Actually making those things happen is something else entirely.
Sometimes being kind to yourself means making a difficult decision.
Sometimes it means saying no.
Sometimes it means asking for help.
And sometimes it means booking an hour where someone else looks after you.
That’s one of the things I love about massage. It gives you permission to stop for a while. To put everything else down and simply be present in your own body.
Whether you need the more focused approach of sports and remedial massage, the warmth of hot stone massage, the relaxation of Swedish massage, or one of my other treatments, your appointment is time that you are deliberately choosing for yourself.
You don’t need to wait until you're completely burnt out to deserve that.
So, as we move into autumn, perhaps ask yourself:
What have I had enough of?
And what do I actually need?
Then, if you can, do something kind about it.
Not just think about it.
Actually do it. 🤎
If your body — or your mind — is asking for a little time out, I’d love to look after you.
Book your massage via my website at elizabethbandeen.co.uk and give yourself something to look forward to this autumn.