Cultivate Seasonal Mindfulness
Exploring Over Coffee | Episode 4
Fall into seasonal mindfulness. In this cozy coffee chat, explore autumn through relaxing activities. Find inspiration to savor the season through gratitude, cozy activities, and everyday adventures.
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Also available on RSS.com | Apple Podcasts | SPOTIFYShare this episode with a friend to inspire your next coffee break together.
Here's What You'll Explore
Seasonal guided visualization at the U.S. National Arboretum
30 ideas for your fall scavenger hunt
Fall journaling prompt and self-care activity
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Hello Friends
(02:50) About Mindfulness
(04:45) Guided Visualization
(09:00) Journal Prompt
(09:55) Scavenger Hunt
(18:40) Weekly Boost
(24:17) Wrap Up Wishes
Resources We Explored
Healthline Article What Is Mindfulness
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Hello, friends. Happy fall. Welcome back for another cozy coffee chat on Exploring Over Coffee. I'm Alexis Renae, and I am so excited to celebrate the official start of the fall season with you. Let's celebrate this beginning of autumn with a fall-tastic conversation, embracing its unique beauty. We'll explore a seasonal scavenger hunt list and ignite a renewed spirit for embracing the changing seasons.
Today, I'm drinking a spiced apple cider. Join me and enjoy a warm seasonal beverage. So get nice and cozy, unwind, and let's explore the beauty of autumn.
Fall is proof that change is beautiful. This anonymous quote sets the scene for our cozy conversation. Autumn represents change. Around us, we see falling leaves, feel colder temperatures, and experience shorter days. This season is poetic. Even though we're saying goodbye to the warmth of summer and heading for the grayer winter season, fall shows us that all phases of life are beautiful.
“Autumn glows upon us like a splendid evening. It is the very sunset of the year.” This quote by Mary Russell Mitford paints a picture of autumn's vibrance. Oranges, golds, purples, reds, browns. Fall makes the land glow like a sunset paints the sky. Everything is brighter, richer, and more vibrant. However, just like the setting sun, we all know that this season can only last so long.
Fall calls on us to be present in the moment and to just take it in, all its beauty. The world around us may be changing, but getting into the spirit of the season helps us reflect, remain present, and prepare for the future. As soon as those leaves start to fall, the crisp air returns, and pumpkins start lining the fronts of grocery stores, we realize the season is in full swing and that the year is almost over.
Isn't it such an interesting and beautiful thing how reflective everyone gets at this time of the year? We start turning inward to have those deeper personal conversations. Naturally, we start to reflect on our goals, routines, and perspectives. Because autumn can spark deep personal reflection, this is a great time to begin practicing mindfulness.
The Healthline article, "What Is Mindfulness? A Simple Practice for Greater Well-Being," does a great job explaining what this practice is all about. Healthline defines mindfulness as the practice of gently focusing your awareness on the present moment over and over again. It involves focusing on sensations to root yourself and your body in the here and now.
Some benefits this article notes are improving cognitive ability, reducing anxiety, and increasing a sense of well-being. Be sure to check out the link to the article in this podcast episode's description so that you can learn more about mindfulness, its benefits, and some tips for practicing it Observation, gratitude, resilience, clarity.
The world around us may be changing, but getting into that spirit of the season, that fall spirit, through mindfulness helps us remain present and appreciate the beauty of life. Fall encourages us to gather, harvest, and savor. We practice gratitude, bond with our loved ones and communities, cultivate deeper meaning for our lives, and grow to embrace change.
Just like how animals forage to prepare for the winter, we use this season to prepare our hearts and homes to glow brighter. By getting into the spirit for savoring and appreciating experiences, time, loved ones, and our surroundings, we're cultivating awareness, gratitude, and a sense of exploration that we can carry with us through the colder part of the year and through the rest of our lives
Close your eyes and imagine that you're on a walk with me. This walk is a memory of mine of visiting the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. It's this four hundred and forty-six acre natural park, just sprawling hills and trees, grass, and gardens. It's a gorgeous landscape. The sun is setting during our visit.
Those golden rays from the sun mingle with the oranges and yellow and red shades of color on the trees, and it just creates a stunning landscape that is so vivid you can't help but remain present and engaged in the moment. Chirping bird sounds, buzzing insects, crunching leaves under your feet create a relaxing nature soundscape to guide your experience with me here.
So many amazing scents, oregano, fresh flowers, tilled dirt, and that amazing freshness that can only be associated with, with trees. It kind of tickles your nose with how fragrant it is. White fluffy clouds paint the scene above us, and lush green grass is underneath our feet. As we walk a-along this trail, suddenly you and I, we see ginormous columns that look like they belong in ancient Greece or ancient Rome jutting up out of the ground.
Those are the National Capital columns, twenty-two Corinthian columns that used to be a part of the Capitol Building in the heart of Washington, DC. After being at the Capitol from 1828 to 1958, the columns were moved here to the garden because of construction conflicts with the Capitol Building, and now we have this added treasure to our nature experience It brings an additional sense of impermanence to this nature visit.
We're surrounded by trees that have been around for decades, and columns that were constructed generations before we were even imagined. We explore bonsai trees. We explore herbs, flowers, and artistically designed garden spaces. We can't help but feel reflective in this, in this adventure We're there together, we're spending time together, but we're also thinking inside of ourselves.
We're thinking about connections with nature. We're thinking about the legacies that we want to leave behind, and we're thinking about what we can pour into our lives to invest into our futures. We're expressing gratitude to be able to explore such a lush environment, gratitude for other parts of our lives as well, gratitude for time to be able to explore this landscape, gratitude that autumn brings such beauty.
We leave with a new passion for life, a new passion for helping other people, for helping nature, protecting it for future generations. We're inspired by all of the new plants that we've learned of, and we feel invigorated. We feel at peace. Thank you for imagining with me. I hope this autumn memory that I've shared with you and this visualization, this mini adventure, has helped you explore with me the essence of the fall season.
And I encourage you to reflect even more on autumn memories Take out your journal or your writing app on your phone or other electronic device. And for your journal prompt, I invite you to reflect on your favorite memories and experiences tied to the fall season. Fall often brings a sense of nostalgia.
What cherished memories or experiences does this time of year evoke for you, and how have they shaped who you are today? That's the beauty of fall. Fall is encouraging us to explore, to gather, and to harvest the bountifulness of changes in our landscapes. And by doing this, we can grow to embrace change.
So I encourage you to explore this essence of autumn with a sense of exploration and appreciation Now that we've immersed ourselves in the essence of fall, let's step into the season's adventures. Our path? A delightful fall scavenger hunt where we seek out all the wonders this season has to offer.
This scavenger hunt could last all season long if you want to, or you could decide to enjoy this scavenger hunt over a specific time period Maybe you have a specific day of the week for the rest of the season where you do these different activities. Or perhaps you try to do one idea a day for an entire month.
However you're looking to enjoy the scavenger hunt activity, I am so excited to explore the season in this way with you. For capturing all of these different adventures that we go on, you could do it through pictures, journal entries, keepsakes for scrapbooking, or if there's another way that you like to capture adventures, you could include that as well.
Personally, I will be taking pictures of all of the different experiences. One, so that I have these different pictures to look back on, and then two, so that I can share them with you and other friends and family. It is time for our fall scavenger hunt adventure. Here's 30 ideas to get you started.
Seasonal selfie. Capture your radiant smile amidst a fall backdrop. Maybe you take a selfie in front of some really pretty foliage, or maybe even at a cool fall festival or with some fun lighting or a fun display. Gratitude list. Jot down the blessings that autumn brings into your life. Think about things that you're grateful for.
Autumn bouquet or wreath. Create a beautiful floral arrangement with fall blooms or craft a seasonal wreath. Foliage. Collect vibrant leaves showcasing the spectrum of autumn hues. That could be through a picture. Maybe you collect a couple leaves that you see to scrapbook with them later. Your favorite cozy spot.
Create a cozy nook to unwind and enjoy autumn ambiance. That could be a nook that you create at home, or maybe you find a nook somewhere around you. It could be a favorite cafe, a favorite library. Something orange. Discover and share the warmth of the season with the color orange. Maybe you wear an orange shirt.
Maybe you find a cute orange accessory that you can put in your cozy nook. Use candles or fairy lights. Illuminate your space with the comforting glow of candles or fairy lights. Maybe you find some special autumn-themed fairy lights where you create your own candle for the season. Hygge activity.
Embrace a cozy activity that embodies the Danish concept of hygge. If you're not familiar with hygge, definitely check out my previous Cozy Chat conversation to learn all about this concept. Warm beverage. Enjoy a warm beverage that defines autumn for you. Pumpkin patch. Visit a pumpkin patch and capture the spirit of the season.
Autumn sunset. Cherish the beauty of a fall sunset. Perhaps you sit down and you have an outdoor dining experience while watching the sunset. Seasonal craft. Engage in a creative autumn craft that sparks your imagination. Perhaps it's making autumn jewelry, coloring an autumn scene, knitting something or crocheting.
Volunteer activity. Give back to your community with a fall themed volunteer activity. I'm really looking forward to this one. I usually do a walkathon with my family every year, so that's definitely on my list for one of my volunteer activities this season. Fall outfit. Showcase your favorite fall attire and sense of style.
Fall festival. Experience the joy of a fall event or festival. Maybe that's going to a spooky amusement park experience or a farmer's market experience It could be a small town, it could be a city event. Whatever kinds of fall festivals that are around you, go to one and capture that adventure. Autumn decorations.
Adorn your space with charming fall decor. I love all the little pumpkins that people put out at this time of the year, and the little fall animal decorations, the cute little knitted owls or squirrels that you can find at the store. Maybe it's orange blankets or flannel blankets. However you like to decorate for autumn, that's a fun little scavenger hunt activity that you can enjoy.
Sweet treat. Treat yourself one day and indulge in a delectable autumn sweet delight. Creative fall display. Find or design a creative display that embodies autumn. So this could be a fun window display. Maybe you create a display for your, your front door or your porch. Maybe even how you decorate your, your shelf if you have a little bookcase corner in your home.
Movie night. Cozy up for a fun movie night with an autumn-themed film. Some films that are always on my list, Mean Girls, Coco, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Ever After, Ratatouille, Soul Food, and Runaway Bride. Gathering with friends. Cherish the joy of togetherness during this festive season. Maybe that's grabbing a coffee with a friend.
Perhaps it's hosting a Friendsgiving night. However you en- like to enjoy the season with friends, make sure to spend time to gather with them this fall. Family time. Embrace quality moments with your family in the heart of autumn. Maybe that's finally finishing a game of Monopoly with your family. Maybe it's doing an escape room.
Perhaps visiting a museum or seeing a fun play or movie with your family. Nature walk. Immerse yourself in nature's beauty during a relaxing autumn stroll. Cozy sweater. Flaunt your favorite cozy sweater. Embrace that cozy weather. Bonfire or fireplace. Capture the charm of a fall bonfire or fireplace.
Maybe that's making s'mores around a fire outside. Or it could be enjoying a cozy fire indoors or in a lodge setting. Wherever you see a relaxing fire pit, bonfire, or fireplace, capture that memory for our fall scavenger hunt experience. Your favorite fall food. Indulge in the flavors of fall. What's your favorite fall food?
Perhaps it's a sweet potato pie, pecan pie. Enjoy that favorite food of yours A book you're reading. Share your current autumn inspired read and its impact on you. A fall scented spa day. Gather up some relaxing autumn scents, if that is, um, a pumpkin-y scent or if it's, if it's a caramel, if it's a warm vanilla, apple, whatever your favorite scents are, gather up some different products and enjoy a, a fun, relaxing spa day.
Maybe, maybe a sugar scrub, maybe some aromatherapy, maybe a face mask with certain benefits that, that are tied to the fall season. Enjoy a sport or a game. Engage in a favorite fall sport or game, celebrating the season's spirit. Something with pumpkin spice. Delight in the iconic flavor of fall with a pumpkin spice treat.
If you don't already know about the pumpkin spice of life, definitely check out that cozy conversation from Exploring Over Coffee. An autumn adventure of your choosing. Embark on an autumn adventure that speaks to your soul. Grab your scarf and embrace the crisp air as you venture into the vibrant canvas of autumn.
As we embark on this scavenger hunt experience for the rest of the season, hopefully this can really encourage that spirit of exploration, gratitude, and awareness, and help us really grow to embrace all of the beautiful changes that are happening around us
Before we head out for our autumn adventures, here is your weekly boost to add an extra spice to your week. For your self-care activity, take a gratitude walk. Whether you walk in nature or around your hometown, a gratitude walk is a great way to connect with your environment, connect with how your senses are engaged on this stroll.
Really notice things. What do you see, hear, feel? If you stop and enjoy a treat on your stroll, what do you taste? Enjoy the warm energy of the sun, the changing colors in the trees, the changing scenery in your town, the cool, crisp air, a nice breeze. Whatever you see, hear, feel around you, all those wonderful things.
Appreciate the beauty that this change in, in the air has brought to your life. Here are some upcoming holidays and observances coming up between today and our next conversation. This week is Fall Foliage Week. That's right, the last week of September. If the leaves around you are not turning brown and orange and gold just yet, this is a great time to start planning out your different fall foliage adventures.
Of course, if the foliage is already changing into those glorious colors where you live, go out and enjoy it. Just embrace it. Just savor all of the beauty that they provide this time of the year. If you don't live in an area with a lot of changing foliage, you can always look up some different pictures online.
I recently changed my computer backdrop and my phone backdrop to some pretty autumn scenery, so that's one way that you could engage with these different foliage colors at this time of the year. If you're fortunate enough to consider traveling, enjoying a fall foliage trip, whether it's a drive or a short getaway to enjoy some of the different colors and places with this type of scenery.
Today is Johnny Appleseed Day. This is a great time to learn more about this historical figure and the related folk tale for this holiday, and it's also a great time to enjoy a warm cup of apple cider. Wednesday, September 27th, is Scarf Day. I'm probably going to try to create a scarf for my, um, scavenger hunt craft activity.
If that's something that you're also thinking about doing, this is a great day to start planning out, um, those, those crafts, those scarf crafts. And then also, you know, take a selfie. Throw on one of your favorite fall scarves and go out and take a cute picture to welcome in the start of the fall season.
September 28th is National Self Awareness Day. Take time to reflect and also practice different mindfulness exercises. Hot Cider Day is this Saturday, September 30th. Go out and enjoy a delicious mug of mulled cider. The first day of October is National Pumpkin Spice Day. Time to embrace all things pumpkin spice.
That is a great way to check off that activity from our fall scavenger hunt adventures. October 1st is also National Poetry Day. Enjoy poetry about harvest, about the cycle of life, about nature, about falling leaves. It's a great time to enjoy some poetry associated with the season. Here are some extra special days for our Exploring Over Coffee community.
September 29th is National Coffee Day, National Starbucks Day, and World's Biggest Coffee Morning. October 1st is International Coffee Day. So use these holidays to celebrate all things coffee. Support a local coffee shop. Try out one of Starbucks' new flavors. Enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend or group of friends.
Try out a different blend that you haven't had before. Decorate your coffee nook at home. Share a post enjoying your mug of coffee online. Maybe read a book about coffee or enjoy a podcast about coffee, like Exploring Over Coffee. This is a really exciting time. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm definitely going to, um, enjoy just some, some good coffee experiences during this time, and I encourage you to do so as well.
And then last but definitely not least, International Podcast Day is September 30th. This is so exciting. I couldn't believe it when I looked up online and I realized back-to-back Coffee Day is the 29th and then Podcast Day is the 30th. What better way to round out our first month of podcast cozy chats and adventures?
It really means the world to me to be able to sit down and, and, and host these cozy chats with you here and to bond over our love of warm beverages, everyday adventures, and unique seasonal experiences that we can all come together and explore together over cups of coffee. It truly means the world to me, and I just thank you so much for joining me on this journey.
That's it for this week's Weekly Boost. I hope these ideas give you something to look forward to as you move throughout your week and welcome the month of October. And that is a wrap on today's cozy coffee chat, friends. I hope this conversation has stirred a sense of exploration and appreciation for the beautiful transformations that autumn brings.
Let's remember to embrace change, just like nature does, gracefully and with a heart full of wonder. This has been Exploring Over Coffee, and I am Alexis Renae. Even though today's conversation has come to an end, the adventure will always continue on alexisrenaemedia.com. Join me next week as we explore how to illuminate our inner glow.
Until our next cozy chat, remember to make life an adventure.
Production Info
Exploring Over Coffee is created and produced by Alexis Renae.
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More Fall Episodes
Fall is worth savoring. Meet the Explore by Lexi Fall Magazine, a 40-page seasonal magazine filled with cozy activities, seasonal challenges, self-care ideas, journaling prompts, and more.