How To Stay Rooted Even When Life Feels Shaky

The one question that remains in the back of my mind is how to stay rooted in times of uncertainty. I've been thinking a lot about this on my daily walks around the city.

I'm currently looking for a new teaching position that is closer to home but I'm not finding it very easy. Nevertheless, living in the south of Italy wasn't working for me so I decided not to renew my contract.

As you may already know, I'm not one to accept a situation that's not working for me because I'm afraid of change. I'd rather take the risk and challenge myself to use my strengths to grow in unexpected ways. It's the only way for me to know what I'm truly made of.

But it's not easy and it can leave us feeling a bit overwhelmed and afraid.

What am I most afraid of? That this moment of shakiness will steal my attention away from all that is good about my life right now because fear does that. It forces us to live life in the future and to imagine all kinds of things.

The other day I sat in the park watching the leaves fall and the children play and I thought to myself, how can I translate the teachings of autumn to feel more rooted in my life as it is right now?

And then it dawned on me that we are encouraged by society to feel rooted in our jobs and our families but not in ourselves. So when things start to feel uncertain in our relationships and careers, we start to panic - forgetting that our strengths and self-worth lie also in our personal experience and self-knowledge. And that we can tap into these to feel more rooted right now no matter what is happening around us.

The one inspiration we can take from fall is that of letting go of the things that hinder our transition into the next season of our lives. What no longer serves any purpose in your life? Or prevents your growth? What are you holding onto out of fear?

I think the season of fall asks us to trust ourselves and to let go of what no longer serves us so that we can feel more rooted in our lives as they are. Only then can we create more space for ourselves to further develop our passions and strengths. In this way, we can accept fall as a time to re-align with our deepest values and discard the rest.

So how can we translate this into action?

Today I'm going to clean out my closet and donate clothes I love but don't wear anymore. I'm going to go through my papers and books to make more space on my shelves. Then my husband and I are going to go out for a long walk to clear our heads and reconnect.

What about you?