The leaves on our hibiscus plants are starting to turn, and I think our maple tree is only a week or so behind. I feel like I’m “changing colors” a bit this fall too, trying to slough off some of the old, dead things that have been hindering forward movement. Cleaning out things in my house that don’t “give me joy”, scrubbing the dirt off things that I’ve neglected, and taking care of what I already have are all part of this “phase”, and while other people tend to get motivated to “clean house” in the spring, Fall tends to be my season of reflection, renewal and clearing out the chaff.

“Moderation” is often difficult for me (and I realize that’s a privilege many people don’t have, but I have worked very hard to be where I’m at). I have a hard time not indulging in more food, more plants, more pets, more, more, more…and I’m trying to learn better moderation, not just because I think it’s healthier, mentally (which it is, certainly, and also less expensive), but because the more things I have to take care of, the less enjoyment I get from the things I have, because they all require time and energy. The more physical weight I carry, the less agile I am, and the more pain I have to deal with, plus my chances of developing worse diseases/conditions are higher, which is stressful for me. For my last blood test, I was pre-diabetic, and next year when I turn 50 is the year the cancer gene tends to get triggered for people in my family.

So along with moderating my purchasing and overall consumption of “things”, I’m “moderating” my calories and food intake (menopause has made this more difficult than it used to be), and while I’m figuring that out, I’m hungrier than normal. Once I get my nutrition more balanced, it will be easier, but when the brain is hungry, willpower and motivation tend to be a lot more difficult. I’m reminded a lot lately that nutrition, not just what we eat but when we eat it, has a *lot* to do with how we think. Of course that means it’s not all that easy to make that shift because I’m fighting brain fog and motivational issues while in transition, but I think it’ll be worth it for the long term.

The writing has been difficult this week, suffice it to say. I didn’t realize why until I was writing an email and whining about it earlier, and it hit me that my energy was slumping during my writing time because of this nutritional shift I’m making, and the obvious answer is to make sure I get a small “brain-food” snack after my nightly walk to give my brain the energy to actually work a little more before bed. Walnuts are a very healthy brain-food, so I think a few of those will do nicely. If it works, I’ll have a fall-themed flash story to post here early next week.

I often forget just how much taking care of the body affects how the brain itself works, in a very real and physical way. I get frustrated when I’m too tired, or stressed or whatever to get what I want to get done, done, but so much of that energy and motivational slumping could/can be fixed by just tweaking what I’m eating and when. Seems like that would probably apply to most humans, eh?

Are you making sure your brain gets the nutrition it needs? And are you turning over any “leaves” this fall?

Support your author:

Buy directly from me at Brazen Snake Books, or:
This House of Books (my local bookstore!) | The Book Depository
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | iBooks | Audible
Google Play (digital) | Google Play (Audio)