Journaling techniques for Self-care by Season-Fall

Fall is the season for letting go, moving on, and accepting change gracefully.  During the fall, we experience the seasonal shifts of the earth’s cycles as leaves fall, temperatures drop, and the daylight wanes when the snowflakes sneak into our daily norm. 

Fall provides an excellent season for journaling, reflecting, and reading more deeply than we may have during the warmer months.  Book journaling creates a positive outlet for lovers of the written word to delve into the words on the page both in what we read and what we write. 

Book journaling gives writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs a creative process of reading and journaling for the writer’s personal benefit rather than as a platform for public distribution.

Unlike blogging or writing for an academic or commercial audience, journaling allows writers to capture the reflective experiences of how reading improves us.  A book journal for many people is a series of reflections on their reading and how they grow from the reading process.  

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Attributes of Fall 

Fall is the season of change, of movement towards the darkness, of turning down our clocks, of pulling up our blankets, and of drawing the curtains as we shift towards hibernation and rest following the harvest.  Fall is an artistic time that allows for a stronger appreciation of the earth’s vibrancy as we connect to the season in our writing practices.
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Letting go of summer can mean spending more time walking to observe the changing season for some people.  For others, it is a time of spending more time indoors with a good book and a cup of tea.  Taking time to change habits with the season can make the autumn more meaningful. 

Fall is for Letting Go 

Fall is a great time for taking stock of what we accomplished during the year and what goals are still ahead of us.  Before winter comes and we set goals for the upcoming year, we can evaluate our writing, creativity, and business goals.  As we look back at what we have been doing, that helps to give us a clearer picture of what to do next in moving forward towards achieving those goals.  

When working with a book journal, try to write about the reading after each reading session.  For some people, that may break up the reading too much, and that is the case then write once or twice a week to combine several reading sessions together.  For example, I recently read a novel that had me so enveloped that I could not stop reading to write often, so I reflected on the book twice a week rather than every day. 
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While working through the book journal, consider the themes related to fall like: letting go, transitioning into a slower time, maturing, coming into one’s own, relaxing, and moving forward by releasing the past. 

Today, people are more overburdened than ever before. Political tensions, climate change, and economic instability create the perfect storm for a stressed-out society. If you aren’t yet journaling, get The Simple Guide to Journal Writing and get started

Fall Book Choices 

Need some ideas on what book to choose for fall reading?  Below is a short list of books with themes of letting go, moving on, maturing, or changing.  Maybe one of these will fit nicely with the fall reading season.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman
Recent novel by Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove is the tale a lonely curmudgeon who lets go of his frustrations to accept little rays of light beyond his control.  Ove’s is the story of redemption, change, and letting go of trying to control how we live and what happens to us.

Silas Marner by George Eliot
A 19th century classic, the novel that takes on industrialism, loneliness, and community as a weaver loses everything—his love, his reputation, and his heart.  As his luck changes with the arrival of an unexpected child, Silas’s life takes on a new form and new path.

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
The story of social divide, land sales, and community frictions, Snow Falling on Cedars is a beautiful tale with rich descriptions of the Pacific Northwest.  Its flashbacks detail the forced relocation into internment camps of Japanese-Americans during WWII and the strains upon communities stressed and torn.

Beloved by Toni Morrison
The creation and shattering and destruction of personal identity by slavery is laid out in Beloved, Toni Morrison’s debut novel.  Few books guide readers on a journey of self-reflection, sacrifice, and community strength as this one does. 

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
Is there a more perfect theme than unrequited love for a fall read?  The love story of Fermina and Florentino captivates readers with its impossibly imperfect connections.  This is a love that takes moments to spark and decades to spread. 

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Few books are as enveloping as The Hobbit, a hero’s journey of magnificent proportions.  As Bilbo Baggins leaves home and traipses through the world of outside of the Shire, he learns that the journey creates an opening in the psyche for accepting the inner self—one that is more mature, wise, romantic, and adventuresome than he imagined. 

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
Brene Brown is a professor and expert in the reinvention of self through processes of letting go of that which no longer serves (shame, guilt, self-hatred) and accepting that which benefits us.  Looking for a nonfiction read this fall on transformations?  This may be the one.  
 

Readers who book journal may experience lessened stress levels and increased appreciation for the books they read.  Reflecting on reading allows us to engage more deeply with a mindfulness practice that can extend the joy and benefit of reading beyond the book's pages.  When we book journal, we create a kind of balance that supports us throughout our days. 

Is life sometimes overwhelming? Do the blues get you down? Today, people are more stressed out than ever before, but journal writing can help. Jumpstart your journal writing practice with this course, which is designed to help you establish a journal writing practice.

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