Fall is such a beautiful time of year.  Already, the leaves have begun turning rich hues of red, orange, yellow, and gold.  The autumn can be a reflective time of year as we return to previous routines after summer holidays, camping and cottage vacations.  However, when the usual responsibilities descend upon us once again, we sometimes discover that our schedules are actually much too busy for us to handle.  We can end up feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

In today’s world, it is not uncommon to find oneself living a life that is over-committed and over-extended.  Due to the pressures of outside influences, we may find ourselves fatigued by jobs, classes, family commitments, and other necessary duties.  It can be difficult to preserve one’s mental and physical health amidst all the activity and responsibility required for daily survival.

At times, we may become so overwhelmed that we begin to lose our sense of meaning, or forget why we decided to do what we are doing in the first place.  Keeping one’s perspective is not always easy, but we can consciously choose to put it in the forefront of our minds.  There are several options we can utilize to help us maintain our perspective and not lose ourselves in our daily responsibilities.  These include focusing on one task at a time, and taking life one day at a time.  Stepping back to see the gifts of each day, such as sunny weather, can be very beneficial.  Taking a moment to see the bigger picture, and remind oneself of one’s greater goals, is also helpful.  Living out who you most want to be, and making congruent choices, can reconnect you to your sense of purpose.  Slowing down, practicing deep breathing, and taking a break can help us to find the joy in each day, as well as help us to acknowledge and enjoy our accomplishments.

Many stressors we may experience in a given moment will probably not even bother us in a day, week, month or year from now.  We will proably not even remember several of them.  Too often, we give the stressors in our lives too much power.  We lose ourselves in the tension, and end up becoming irritable or short-tempered with others.  Unfortunately, these behaviour choices can wind up making us feel worse about ourselves and increase our stress.

So, why not take a few minutes today to say hello to someone, take a break, enjoy the sunshine, go at your own pace (even for a few minutes!), or smile at another person?  Keeping your perspective does not mean you have to take gigantic steps for change.  Rather, a small simple gesture that reflects your deeper self and values can make a tremendous difference for you.  Enjoy the view!