Note: If you’d rather listen than read, you can also check out the accompanying The Middle Slice podcast episode for this article.
How’s Your Mental Health Hygiene?
How have you been taking care of yourself lately? If it feels like work has become your life, it might be time for a rebalance. And perhaps there’s no better time to think about that than Fall.
Whether it’s intentional or not, in the Fall we start to shore up our footing as we enter the final months of the year. There’s a quiet confidence to this season that, year after year, harvests the promises it made in Spring.
Fall reminds us that so much of what we enjoy—the beauty, the abundance, the sense of arrival—wouldn’t exist without the many months of preparation that came before.
There’s something reassuring about that.
Fall asks us to pause and take stock of where we are. What has this year given us? What has it taken from us? What needs tending? What can we carry forward, and what might we need to let go of?
Whether this year has left you feeling less than your best and in need of being stitched back together, or you’ve lived the best you could, Fall ushers in a season of rebalance—a time to reevaluate, lean into care, and find our footing again.
The Indoor Epidemic
For many of us, finding our footing can be difficult when so much of our lives happen indoors and in front of screens.
Much of the day is spent sitting at a desk, staring at a screen, and managing the constant demands of work. And the workday doesn’t always end when we leave the office. We continue scrolling, streaming, checking messages, and staying connected long after.
This always-on, indoor, screen-based lifestyle can fuel workplace anxiety and procrastination, leaving us mentally drained, distracted, and less able to focus.
The more overwhelmed we feel, the easier it is to put things off, creating a cycle of stress, avoidance, and reduced productivity.
But perhaps the answer isn’t always to push ourselves harder.
Perhaps it’s to step back and create a little more room for life.
Fall: A Season to Find Your Footing Again
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
With September around the corner, Fall offers a timely opportunity to focus on self-care and create more balance between work and life.
It’s a natural moment to reevaluate how we’ve been spending our time—and how we want to spend the months ahead.
Rather than thinking of self-care as another task to add to an already overflowing list, think of it as a way of returning to yourself.
A rebalance doesn’t require an overhaul of your life. It can begin with small choices that get you outside, away from your screen, and back into the world around you.
Your Season for a Self-Care Rebalance
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” — Dolly Parton
Think of these as simple side-life detours—small departures from the main routine that bring whimsy, discovery, movement, and joy back into your days.
Your simple side-life detours could be:
- Taking up walking in nature. Even 11–17 minutes of intentional time outdoors can support sleep, focus, mood, and overall well-being.
- Creating a midweek, after-work routine: visit an art gallery, see a movie, browse the library or bookstore, or enjoy a coffee somewhere new.
- Learning to sew.
- Picking up kickball.
- Trying anything else that adds a little whimsy, movement, curiosity, or connection to your routine.
The point isn’t to become more productive every minute of the day.
It’s to create a life that exists outside of work.
A Little More Outside. A Little More Life.
Our work and technology matter—but so does having a life beyond our screens.
A short walk, a new hobby, an evening at the library, a creative activity, or a spontaneous adventure can create space between work and the rest of our lives.
And sometimes, that space is exactly what we need to reset.
Fall reminds us that we don’t have to have everything figured out to begin again. We can take stock, tend to what needs tending, and make small changes that help us feel more grounded as we move toward the final months of the year.
So this Fall, give yourself permission to slow down, look around, and find your footing.
Take a self-care side detour.
A little more outside, off-screen. A little more life.
Two Podcasts for Fall Work-Life Balance
1. NPR’s It’s Been a Minute — The Joy of Side Quests
Host Brittany Luse explores the childlike joy of taking a side quest with Marielle Segarra, host of NPR’s Life Kit; Dr. Kyra Gaunt, associate professor of ethnomusicology at the University at Albany; and Sahara Moné, curator and owner of the community activities collective Let’s Play NYC.
2. Oprah’s Podcast — Indoor Epidemic
Dr. John La Puma, author of Indoor Epidemic, explores the health benefits of reconnecting with nature. His message isn’t to abandon technology or work, but to create healthier boundaries. Even 11–17 minutes of intentional time outdoors can support sleep, focus, mood, and overall well-being.
This fall, find a self-care side quest.
Step outside. Try something new. Make room for curiosity.
And remember: your life is more than your to-do list.
The Middle Slice 