I don’t know about you, but there is something about this week that always gets me. One minute I’m finishing up my day and thinking about dinner, and the next minute I look outside and it feels like midnight. It’s 4:45 PM. Excuse me? Every year when the clocks change, I tell myself I’m prepared for it. I know it’s coming, I know the days are getting shorter, and I know November is around the corner. And yet, somehow, when darkness starts hitting in the middle of the day, my body has opinions!
I notice that I usually get more tired in the afternoons. I want to be home earlier. My energy shifts, motivation shifts too, and quite frankly, crawling into bed at an hour that would be mildly embarrassing in July suddenly feels completely reasonable. Anyone else?
This is exactly why I think this particular week deserves a little extra self-care.
Not because anything is wrong, not because you need to fix yourself, and definitely not because you need to add another complicated wellness routine to your already full schedule. This is about recognizing that our bodies respond to light, sleep, routine and seasonal changes, and instead of expecting ourselves to feel exactly the same all year long, maybe we could actually work with that.
We talk so much about self-care as though it needs to be something big. A massage, a spa day, a weekend away. And yes please, I will happily take all three. But real self-care, the kind I talk about on stages, or in my coaching practice, or on my podcast, is usually much smaller than that.
It’s what you do in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday when your energy is low.
It’s what you choose when you’re tired but still have three things left on your list.
It’s noticing that you are running on empty before you completely drain the tank.
That is self-care too.
So if this week has you feeling a little off, a little slower, a little sleepier, or simply wondering why 5 PM feels like 10 PM, here are five things I want you to try.
1. Get outside while the light is there
Morning sunlight is especially important this week. Getting natural light into your eyes early in the day helps signal to your brain that the day has begun and supports your body’s natural sleep-wake rhythm. If you can, take a walk during the day. Even 10 or 15 minutes outside can help break up that feeling of being indoors from morning until suddenly, darkness. Take a call outside, walk around the block at lunch, or drink your coffee outside if the weather cooperates. You do not need to turn it into a workout. Move your body, get some daylight, and let your brain register that yes, it is actually still daytime. Sometimes the simplest things make the biggest difference.
2. Protect your sleep
This is not the week to proudly push through exhaustion. If your body is asking for more rest, listen. Try going to bed a little earlier, put your phone down sooner, dim the lights, take a warm shower, and give yourself a quieter transition into sleep instead of answering emails until the second your head hits the pillow. Your body is adjusting, so help it. And remember, rest is not a reward you earn after you have completely exhausted yourself.
3. Give yourself something to look forward to after dark
I think this one is underrated. One of the hardest parts of the time change is that the evenings can suddenly feel very long, so make them feel good. Cook something you love, take a yoga class, meet a friend for dinner, watch the show you’ve been saving, read a great book, light a candle, play mahjong (that’s going to be me Tuesday night) or have someone over. Self-care can be as simple as creating an evening you actually want to come home to. We all need little things to look forward to, especially in November.
4. Don’t confuse low energy with laziness
This one really matters. If you feel a little slower this week, it does not automatically mean you are unmotivated. You are not required to operate at the exact same capacity every single day of the year. Your energy changes, your life changes, your demands change, and your body changes. Pay attention to what you have available instead of constantly judging yourself for what you don’t. Some days call for pushing and some days call for protecting. Knowing the difference is a form of self-care.
5. Lower the bar on what counts as self-care
A walk counts. Going to bed early counts. Turning down plans counts. Eating dinner without your phone counts. Ten quiet minutes counts. Calling someone you love counts. Stretching for five minutes counts. Sitting with a cup of tea and doing absolutely nothing productive counts too. You do not need a perfect morning routine, an hour-long ritual or a colour-coded wellness schedule to take care of yourself. You need small choices that help you feel more like yourself. That’s it.
So this week, if you notice your energy shifting with the clocks, don’t fight yourself quite so hard. Protect your light, protect your sleep, protect your energy, and give yourself a little more room. Sometimes self-care is not about adding more. Sometimes it is simply about noticing what you need and actually giving yourself permission to respond to it.
Supporting you in living and working better without burning out,
Erica
P.S. Not sure what kind of self-care you actually need right now? Take my Self-Care Quiz to find out where you may need a little more support, and get simple ideas to help you start.
