At the beginning of October, New York Gal (NYG) created a three-part wellness series: Entering Autumn; where we spoke to some of the most notable new faces in wellness about the transition from Summer to Autumn. With Summer coming to an end, the season that is often regarded as a time of beauty, bounty & abundance would soon be replaced by a time of stability & grounding and we knew how difficult that transition could be. Obviously, with this “transition” being a yearly occurrence, to notice a small shift [in ourselves and the people around us] was expected, but that didn’t mean we wouldn’t try our best to make it easier.
According to WebMD, whose team includes award-winning experts in medicine, journalism, health communication, and content creation; almost 11 million adults in the United States deal with this “shift” most of them spiraling into a form of depression known as seasonal affective depression (or S.A.D); whose effects include increased anxiety, insomnia, and a general loss of interests; and, of the 11 million people affected, almost 75% (or 8 million) are women; which is why creating a series like Entering Autumn was not a want, but a need.
From the beginning, Entering Autumn focused on the main three sectors of wellness: physical, mental, and spiritual; implementing these topics in every interview. From discussing the link between the foods we eat & our mood with holistic nutritionist Arielle Simone (for full interview click here); to understanding the importance of giving yourself the space to rest with author, poet, and mental health advocate Patience Tamarra (for full interview click here); we were taught new ways to understand personal wellness; & were told that everyone’s journey is different.
“I think it’s important to lead with your heart!”
On the surface, recognizing that everyone’s journey is different seems like a basic concept; but the reality is that most people start their journey by replicating someone else’s. Whether it’s a friend, colleague, or trusted advisor; sometimes it is easier to follow another person’s process because you know what the end result is; but as a spiritual advisor, Libramoonstone said in our interview, “I think it’s important to lead with your heart!”. Essentially, there are no go-to’s when it comes to mental health; because that journey starts from within. As wellness advisor Greg Anderson says, “Wellness is the complete integration of body, mind, and spirit – the realization that everything we do, think, feel, and believe has an effect on our state of well-being.”
If this series provided you with anything over the last five weeks, we hope it’s provided you with a sense of comfort, because this transition isn’t something you had to deal with alone. As we start November, we will quickly be approaching the end of Daylight Savings Time (DST), which is one of, if not the biggest factor in the decline of mental health & start if seasonal depression during this season. With the end of DST for 2021, we will quickly approach the times described throughout these interviews; so to those who have yet to read them, be sure to do so.
Read Also:
NYG Meets: The Face Behind Saddie Baddie, Priscilla O. Agyemen
NYG Meets Creative Entrepreneur & Wellness Brand Founder, Sabrina Abdalla
Entering Autumn: Meet Mineral Specialist & Spiritual Wellness Advisor Libramoonstone
