The Season of Mabon : Six Things I am Ready to Release
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Mabon marked the last turn in the Wheel of the Year. The days are growing shorter, as we head toward the winter months. Just as with the moon phases and the waning light of the full moon, the waning daylight of autumn is a good time to release that which isn’t serving you anymore. This could be habits, things, or even people. As we move more fully into Autumn and the leaves fall from the trees here in Western Maine, I am taking this time to actively work on releasing these six things:
Screen time. During the Pandemic I found myself watching A LOT of Youtube. I follow a variety of content creators from around the world and I found myself enchanted by the lives of various vloggers. And it became really easy to just spend more and more time watching other people’s lives and less time working on my own. So now, when I have some downtime on the weeknights and weekends, I am more conscious about screen time and I don’t just automatically turn to youtube or other streaming services out of habit. I may opt to listen to music or a book on Audible instead. Or if my eyes aren’t too tired from work (hello middle age) I’ll do a few sudoku puzzles. I find sudoku enormously comforting, as it reminds me of my late grandmother, who I adored. Do you have any screen-free activities you like to do?
Doomscrolling. Popularized during the pandemic, doomscrolling has become second nature during my work day. At the peak of my doomscrolling, I was checking various news sites at least 5-6 times a day, despite the fact that there is literally never any good news in the headlines. So rather than go looking for the latest political gossip or confirmation that the world is still on fire, I opt to look through Pinterest or read some of my favorite blogs instead. I keep a bookmark folder on my browser, to make it easy to look at these sites rather than the news, if I have a few minutes of downtime at work. I still check headlines once in the morning, but after that I let it go for the rest of the day.
Anti-Aging. A few weeks ago I wrote about moving from Mother to Crone. Part of that transition has been embracing growing and looking older. As women we are taught that aging is akin to letting yourself go. Society tells us that age spots and wrinkles are things to be feared, rather than celebrated. I’m over the barrage of messaging that tells me I need to maintain the same face and body I had 10-20 years ago. So, while I still wear makeup and color my hair (for now) I do these things because I enjoy doing them, not because I am trying to look younger. Basically my mantra these days is This is my face, deal with it.
Body Commenting. Growing up in the toxic diet culture of the 80s and 90s, it is second nature for me to pay compliments to someone who has lost weight. It comes out of my mouth before I can stop it. “Wow you look soooo good!” Ugh, Lorri, really? I am just now realizing, this can be a really harmful habit and, unless the person brings it up first, it is just better to not comment on someone’s body. Period. Instead of body size, I’d rather focus on all the wonderful qualities of my friends, family and colleagues.
Retail Therapy. Back in January I shared I was on a no spend challenge, which has more or less continued through this year. It’s not that I haven’t bought anything new, but rather, I have become much more aware of why I want to purchase certain items. Often it is out of stress or boredom, rather than need. Retail therapy has always been an easy way to get out of dealing with my emotions. Letting go of the capitalist hold on my behavior has been one of the most liberating experiences of my life, so far. Opting to wait and see, rather than impulse buy has saved me a ton of money and allowed me to have much more space, both literally and figuratively. I am no longer bringing items into my home pell-mell, which I have to then find room for, or take care of and/or eventually get rid of. As someone who is deliberately trying to simplify her life, buying nothing is the easiest thing of all.
Worry. I am a worrier by nature. And depending on what’s happening at the time, my worry can grow exponentially, until it is interfering in my day-to-day life. I know that it’s impossible to eradicate worry completely from my life. But being able to recognize normal worry, versus unhelpful catastrophizing (which I can do in a split second - mad skills) means that I can process my emotions and get on with my day, rather than sitting in my own head being miserable*. One tool I like to use to help me manage my worry and anxiety is my Let It Go List.
*Gentle reminder that I am not a licensed-clinical-anything. These are just my experiences. If you feel like anxiety is getting the best of you, please consult with your primary healthcare provider.
So that’s what I ‘m doing, or continuing to do, for this last turn in the Wheel of the Year. Are you letting anything go of anything during this season of Mabon? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or connect with me over at Instagram.
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Embracing Our Limits
The last turn in the Wheel of the Year is underway here in Western Maine. It feels very much like summer during the day, but the leaves are beginning to fall and nights are getting cooler.
As sad as it is to see summer end, I’m ready to break out my heavier cardigans and tins of spiced tea. Do you do anything simple, but also special, to mark the beginning of autumn?
Embracing Limits
My new job is off and running. I’ve forgotten how much big life changes drain my energy. It’s not a reflection of the work or my colleagues - they are all awesome and I am really glad for this new opportunity. But even though it’s all good change, I still find myself exhausted at the end of the day. It’s just how I’m hardwired. Going with the flow is not really my thing, if the flow is too fast paced.
Because big changes drains my emotional battery, I need extra time to recharge when life gets shaken up. This weekend I’ll take it easy and putter around my house with no planned agenda.
It took me many years to feel comfortable acknowledging that I am just not as nimble as other people when it comes to change. However, once I gave myself permission to slow down and embrace my own limits, change has became much less stressful.
How do you deal with change? Do you love it? Does it stress you out? Are you like me and it’s a bit of a mixed bag?
This week’s featured printable is the original Mabon Celebration Guide. I have some new printables in the works, but in the spirit of embracing my limits, I’ll be sharing them in a few weeks, once I am more settled into my job.
And if you haven’t popped into the Member’s Library in a while, be sure to check it out. There are lots of other free printables you may not have grabbed yet, like this one:
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Moving from Mother to Crone & This Week's Free Printable
Hello Friends,
I hope this finds you well. It’s raining today. Which is a welcome sign, as Maine is experiencing a pretty bad drought. There is something magical about rainy days. I have always loved them. While lots of people like to curl up with a good book on a rainy day, I actually feel more motivated to get things done on rainy days. Is that weird? I absolutely love writing on days like this. Are you a rain person or a sun person?
From Maiden to Mother to Crone
As summer winds down, I’ve been thinking about my upcoming birthday (okay, it’s two months away) and the fact that my youngest is going to be a senior in high school this fall. After 27 years, my active parenting days are winding to a close. And I find myself wondering, what’s next? Who am I, if I am not a full time parent?
I’m going to be 46 in October. From my vantage point, it’s neither young nor old. In some ways it feels just right. I’m comfortable with myself. I like the person I have become. I have plenty of life experience to instill the right balance of confidence and prudence.
Biologically though….it feels like a hormonal dance (rave?) is happening inside me. Just like puberty, when you move from the spring of life into the summer, the move into the autumn of life (aka perimenopause) is marked by a lot of changes that are hard to ignore.
To put it less poetically, some days I am a hot mess. My uterus has no rules. Mood swings have taken on a whole new meaning. And I could take a nap at any point in the day.
Anyone else in this boat? Anyway, if you’d like to read my full ramble about moving from the Mother phase to the Crone phase of life, by all means continue….
This Week’s free printable is inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose biography I’ve been listening to on audible. I often think of him as one of the earliest slow living influencers of his time.
In other news not related to influencers or my raging hormones, the 2022-2023 planner is finished! But given my history of typos, I still need to go through it one more time before releasing it into the wild. So, for those you waiting, please hang in there!
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day and I’ll see you next week!
Follow the Adventures
