The Great Autumnal Shift

We just moved the clocks back and hour and my dogs wonder why their internal clock is not being honored.  The autumn, fall back, is the difficult one because I can’t explain why this happens or the fact that they are going to need to be flexible.  Like the rest of you I understand the implications of daylight savings time, but that still doesn’t offset the incongruence my body feels for the first few days.

When you are presented with a life-altering diagnosis there is a huge shift on all levels, physical, emotional and spiritual.  it knocks you off balance and it takes a bit of time to reconnect with you center so that once again you stand strong.  Nature has her own rhythm and we have ours and at times they are not in harmony.  Finding ways to feel grounded in your body is important because you have to keep on making decisions about your care and when you’re out of kilter it is not in your best interest to make decisions at that time.

This is one of those times when it’s important to focus on the art of self-nurturance.  I know the time change was only one hour.  I understand that sixty minutes may not seem like a lot but the impact is huge.  The amount of daylight at the end of the day is diminished.  Before people had indoor electricity when the sun went down they went to sleep and then rose early with the sun.  Our modern technology allows us to create artificial environments so we can stay up with light all through the dark…your choice.  Believe it or not your body has its own special rhythm and adjusting to these small but noticeable shifts in our environment is crucial to regaining your sense of order.

I hope you’ll begin to notice your personal rhythm and honor it.  I know that I am more in tune with my thoughts in the evening and always enjoyed working second shift.  For me the morning was something I read about but didn’t want to engage.  Over the years due to life circumstances I do rise early (thanks to the dogs) but I’ve come to understand that something in my body changes biochemically when the sun moves through the sky.  It’s about being in tune and then making the necessary adjustments.

How did you handle this autumn shift?