Momentum Monday. Today, let’s be intentional. Fall is a great time to hit the reset button because it almost feels like a new year without it actually being one. Maybe it’s just the sudden cooler air, but it can give the impression that it’s time to shift from summer’s loose vibe, to something a bit more structured. Let’s go ahead and use that energy to find some fall recovery intentions.
Why Fall Works as a Reset Point
Summer can let those routines be free. Our meetings get traded in for vacations and schedules can go sideways. Structure can gently slip away without anyone actually deciding to do so.
Fall is a great time to reestablish that structure. Kids are going back to school, and along with that work schedules normalize. Organization is almost within our instincts, so we can use that instinct to build some fall intentions.
Intentions, Not Resolutions
Resolutions have the tendency to be an all-or-nothing kind of thing. But intentions are designed differently as a direction, rather than a finish line. Which in some ways make them easier to keep.
The difference can make a big, well, difference. Saying “I will NEVER miss a meeting again” is one resolution that’s almost destined to fail. But saying something like “I’m going to focus on consistency with my meetings this season” is an intention with some flexibility. It can survive a bad week and keep on going.
A Few Fall Intentions Worth Considering
Here are some possible fall recovery intentions to start with:
- Reboot a meeting or check-in routine that possibly slipped over the summer
- Reestablish connections with a sponsor, peer coach or support system member you drifted from
- Set a boundary you’ve been avoiding
- With shorter days ahead, build one new healthy routine to fit in
- Renew a hobby or interest that got lost amongst the summer fun
You don’t have to do all five. Pick just one and fill it with intention. Real attention to one beats five done halfway.
Write It Down
Write your fall recovery intention somewhere you can actually see it. Good places include a note on your mirror, a recurring phone reminder, or the first page of your journal. Letting it live in your head just makes it easier to let it slide. The goal here isn’t perfection. It’s a place you can return too when challenging weeks pull you away from your grounding.
The Bigger Point
Momentum boosts don’t require some sort of dramatic reinvention. It just requires a willingness to keep choosing that direction, one regular fall day at a time. New season. New place to restart.
SAMHSA actually defines recovery as an ongoing process of change, not a fixed endpoint. This is exactly why the method of intentions is possibly a better fit than rigid solutions. But if getting a new mode started still feels difficult, our post on why you don’t have to want recovery to start might be of some help too.
