Whole-Person Wellness Blog: What are you harvesting this season?

Recently, I attended the Honeybee and Harvest Day festival at The Greenhouse in Nay Aug Park in Scranton. It reminded me of the crisp cool air, bountiful harvest, and shifting seasons autumn brings.

Expressions and movement filled the park as performers from Kala School of Indian Classical Dance, Rhythmic Republic Dance Studio, Singygee Dance Group, and dance instructor Nsiah Strothers shared the beauty and spirit of harvest season.

The performances honored a season of gratitude and offered a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the seeds we have sown throughout the year, both literally and figuratively. Harvest also invites us to turn inward, embrace introspection, and make space for rest and renewal as we prepare for the colder, longer days and nights ahead.

Throughout the next few months we will be revisiting the SELF (Safety, Emotions, Loss, Future) model, one of our Sanctuary pillars. It is an optimal time toward the end of the year to utilize this tool and focus on our goals for the future and how we can best reach them.

Reflecting on:

S: How can we create safety for ourselves and for others?
E: How do we express our emotions and needs?
L: How do we navigate loss? How do we handle change when it arrives?
F: What are our goals for the future?

It is also important to lean into our self-care plans, another beneficial tool to aid in our health and wellness throughout autumn. If you have not made one, here is a template to get you started:

This autumn, harvest the fruits of your awareness and embrace all the growth it took you to get here. You continue to shift, change, and flourish – just as this season shows us.

Asante,

Allison LaRussa, BA, CPS, RYT
Associate Vice President, Health and Wellness
The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education