A Year to Change - Step Two: The Plan for Autumn

Since the start of the summer holidays at the beginning of August, la rentrée has been the dominant feature of promotions in shops and articles in magazines: it seems that here in France you can't forget about going back to school or work even when you're en vacance!

The September rentrée has been described as 'France's fourth season' when there's said to be:
       'something magical in the air... a renaissance after the August shut-down', a new beginning for students, workers, politicians, writers & publishers, and broadcasters, after 'long holidays on the coast and slow summer days at rural retreats... In the blink of an eye life in France changes... This is la rentrée - with all the optimism and opportunity this time of year brings... The Anglo-Saxon world doesn't have anything quite like it.'

But as well as all this reinvigorated returning, autumn, of course, also brings shorter days, cooler temperatures, and the fall of the leaves from deciduous trees, often after they have turned glorious colours - as you know, all down to the accessory pigments being revealed in response to cold and reduced sunlight, and chlorophyll production being curtailed. 

Autumn along the Nantes-Brest canal

So, with those shorter, cooler days, while still spending as much time as possible out of doors, not least gardening and the year-round walking with the dog, what better time to begin looking inwards, to cultivate new, healthier habits, and, like planting bulbs, to sow  metaphorical seeds that will flower next year?

Having, as you know, decided to give my self A Year to Change, here is my plan for the Autumn, focussing on three aspects, one per month, of my Mind: Brain Training, Mind Changing, and Health Gaining. There's a different 'task' for each week, and I'll be documenting how I get on, what I learn, what needs changing, and whether it seems beneficial. So, wish me well, watch this space, and remember that your constructive comments are welcome...

When	What	How
AUTUMN	MIND
	Sept: Brain Training
Wk 1: 31 Aug-7 Sept		Brain training app
Wk 2: 7-14 Sept		+ words (Scrabble)
Wk 3: 14-21 Sept		+ numbers (Sudoku)
Wk 4: 21-28 Sept		+ logic (Logic puzzles)
Wk 5: 28 Sept-5 Oct		+ strategy (Learn to play chess app)
	Oct: Mind Changing
Wk 6: 5 -12 Oct		Keep an extract of favourite scent near the bed. Open it & inhale when first waking up, & again as bathing & dressing. Change scent each week.
Wk 7: 12-19 Oct		Use non-dominant hand e.g. tooth/hair brushing, & shower with eyes shut
Wk 8: 19-26 Oct		Do something different e.g. change routine (esp. morning), look at things upside-down, learn something new
Wk 9: 26 Oct-2 Nov		Assess each day & how it could have gone better
	Nov: Health Gaining
Wk 10: 2-9 Nov		Eat wholegrains, soy beans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts & other nuts, blueberries, eggs, tomatoes, blackcurrants, broccoli, brown rice, oats, peas, potatoes, spinach, yoghurt, avocados, kale, sage, and dark chocolate (but only a little!). Drink green tea.
Wk 11: 9-16 Nov		Exercise: cross-training - gradually build up from 5 minutes to 20 minutes three times a  week
Wk 12: 16-23 Nov		Read: join a book club e.g. Richard & Judy (?!) - books available on Amazon for Kindle - & write every day
Wk 13: 23-30 Nov		Rest & sleep: learn new relaxation techniques