Dropping Your Leaves: Finding Grace in Life’s Downshifts

Thoughts or comments? Send us a text!Have you ever noticed how we admire trees for shedding their leaves each autumn, yet criticize ourselves when we need to slow down? This thought-provoking mini-episode explores the parallel between nature's cycles and our own rhythms of energy and rest.Starting with a simple self-reflection on how you're feeling right now, we journey through the various cycles that govern our lives—daily energy fluctuations, weekly patterns, monthly rhythms (especially for women), and the larger seasonal shifts that affect our mood and productivity. That afternoon slump you experience around 2-3 PM? It's not laziness—it's your cortisol naturally dropping. The desire to slow down as winter approaches mirrors what trees and plants have been doing for millennia.Social media and hustle culture have conditioned us to push through fatigue, comparing our low moments to others' highlight reels. But what if we granted ourselves the same grace we give to nature? We don't look at dormant perennials and call them failures—we understand they're gathering strength beneath the surface. Your need for rest isn't weakness; it's wisdom.As we enter the autumn season and approach the holidays, consider how you might honor your own natural cycles. Perhaps it's time to "drop some of your own leaves," creating space for the renewal that comes after rest. Your essential nature knows what you need to truly thrive—are you ready to listen?Support the showBUY ME A COFFEE or SUPPORT ALFIE'S TREAT STASHLearn more about my book, Nature Knows: Grow and Thrive through the Wisdom of Plants HERE.Comments about this episode? Suggestions for a future episode? Email me directly at [email protected]. Want to be a guest on No Shrinking Violets Podcast for Women? Send Mary Rothwell a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/noshrinkingvioletsFollow me on Facebook and Instagram, and check out my website!