Our city’s magnificent trees are beautiful at this time of year because there are so many colours to look at and enjoy. While October can seem quite melancholy with the leaves falling to the ground, it’s all part of the year’s natural cycle, making way for new buds and beginnings in the spring. This is a good time for us humans to think about letting go too, of what is no longer serving us, or making us happy, and letting it fall away. Just like the trees in our parks and green spaces, you don’t need to start again immediately.

Allow yourself a period of quiet reflection and ask yourself: what’s next? What would bring you the most joy?

I decided to do this very thing with a friend. We had a cosy autumn sleepover at hers and discussed what was no longer serving us (for her, an exercise class she no longer enjoyed; for me, doing too many things at the same time instead of focusing on a few). We helped each other come up with plans to let them go. We both felt so much lighter. So why not let old things that are no longer serving you well fall away like autumn leaves? Then allow yourself a breather – a fallow period, as nature does – to be quiet and still and get ready for the next chapter in your story.