September 11, 2026

A Note on the Changing Season

Writing a reflective note like this is a new endeavour for me. While thinking of a theme for this initial reflection, I found myself connecting two ideas: the changing season and how psychotherapy integrates the mind, heart, and body.

As we enter the fall season, the warmth of the sun fades, days shorten, and cooler weather drives us indoors. It can be a difficult shift as summer holidays ebb, painting a somewhat sad picture.

And yet, delight can exist right alongside sadness.

It can be hard to fathom that two opposite feelings can be true at the same time, but in therapy, we call this dialectics. The facts about fall bringing a sense of sadness are real. My mind isn’t wrong about less sunshine, much like my heart isn’t wrong for feeling sadness—or my body for creating a subtle ache in my chest for bright summer mornings. These are important feelings to notice, acknowledge, and tend to.

This is where integration comes in: organizing the parts of ourselves—mind, heart, and body—into a balanced whole. Rather than avoiding thoughts about fall or the ache in our chest, we can integrate them into our story.

Here’s the thing: it can also be true that I love the smell, colours, and coolness of autumn. Thinking about bright leaves crunching underfoot or a warm pumpkin spice latte brings absolute delight. I feel an expansiveness in my chest and a smile on my face as I think about those two things. That delight does not make the sadness any less true. I feel both. Both are true.

As humans, our negativity bias keeps us safe, but we can easily get stuck in it. Holding all that sadness is exhausting, which is why intentionally seeking delight, joy, and excitement is so valuable for healthy integration and mental health.

An Invitation to Notice & Tend

Take some time to notice how your mind, heart, and body respond to this season of life:

• Notice: What feelings or sensations are present for you right now?

• Tend: What do you need at this moment? Could you seek out moments of delight?

• Savour: Find something small—a colour you love, or that slight expansiveness in your chest. What caused it? Can you lean into it and come back to it?

May you find moments of delight in the midst of whatever season of life you are in.

With care,

Dana