Autumn is a season that often arouses mixed feelings in us. When the days get shorter, the air cooler and the fog lies over the landscape, many tend to perceive the changes as negative. I too often feel sadness at the beginning of autumn - the cold seems threatening, the farewell from summer hurts, and the gray clouds seem to cover everything.
But autumn has taught me one thing over the years: Behind the supposedly dark premonitions hides unexpected beauty if you only look at it. This knowledge can not only be applied to nature, but to many areas of life, including psychological work with people.
The negativity bias: why we often perceive the bad one more strongly
One of the central concepts in psychology that shapes our use of difficult situations is that Negativity Bias. This describes the human tendency to weight negative experiences, thoughts and emotions more than positive. Studies have shown that our brain is evolutionarily designed to pay more attention to threats and dangers to ensure our survival. This survival strategy, which saved our ancestors, today has a hindrance to our emotional well -being in many situations.
We tend to focus the negative around us - whether it is professional challenges, interpersonal conflicts or simply the change of seasons. This can be a feeling of overwhelming and even to cognitive distortion lead where we completely overlook the positive.
Mindfulness as a key to coping
Comes here Mindfulness In play - a practice that teaches us consciously to linger at the present moment and to sharpen our perception. Through mindfulness, we can learn to break through the automatic negativity bias and to draw our attention to what is good and beautiful, even in the middle of uncertainties and challenges.
A large number of studies, including Jon Kabat-Zinn, the pioneer of mindfulness research, show that mindfulness not only increases well-being, but also improves resilience towards stress and promotes emotional stability.
Psychologically speaking, people often tend to combine autumn with the end of summer and the beginning of winter, which sometimes arouses negative feelings. But through mindfulness, the conscious awareness of the here and now, we can direct the view of the positive. The different colors and changes in autumn are not only an outer change, but also a way to calm down internally and to reflect on your own condition. This season reminds us that life, similar to the change of seasons, is subject to constant changes. Mindfulness training is an effective way to reduce stress and increase our well -being - through practice, acceptance and a new orientation towards the positive aspects of nature.
In the context of my coaching work, I often experience how my customers are deeply caught in negative thinking patterns. You see the world through a lens of fear, lack or dissatisfaction. But a little one Change of perspective - A moment of mindfulness in which you learn to recognize the positive - can represent the turning point. This moment can save relationships, create professional clarity or simply bring more ease into your life.
Autumn as a metaphor for change
Autumn is a wonderful metaphor for the inner change that we can experience through mindfulness. In the beginning I often see autumn as a threat: I am afraid of the cold and the loss of summer. But as soon as I hold and take a closer look, I discover the splendor of colors, the freshness of the air and the special clarity that this season brings. It is as if autumn remind me that even behind the worst fears, beauty and clarity can be hidden. Just as our fears are often unfounded, autumn can show us that a new perspective is waiting for us in every change.
In psychology, the focus is on the positive of great importance. Positive psychology, a concept developed by Martin Seligman, emphasizes the importance of promoting strengths and potential instead of concentrating exclusively on deficits. This approach is particularly helpful in times of change or uncertainty on how it symbolizes autumn. It is about accepting what comes instead of fearing it - a lesson that teaches us nature.
Autumn is a special season that invites us to consciously perceive the beauty and change of nature. The cooler temperatures and the colorful autumn leaves remind us of how fleeting and valuable every moment is. In mindfulness practice, nature helps us to see the change in the seasons as part of the life cycle.
Mindfulness meditation shows us how important it is to focus on the current moment and not to evaluate changes, but to meet with acceptance and a quiet state of mind. The practice of mindfulness, as taught in Vipassana meditation, supports us in finding joy in the current experiences and appreciating the natural rhythm of life-even in autumn when we see leaves and the time of the harvest we lie.
Vipassana meditation is one of the oldest forms of meditation that originated in the teachings of the Buddha. The word "Vipassana" comes from the pali language and means "insight" or "clearly see". At the core, Vipassana aims to recognize the true nature of things by focusing on the immediate, direct experience and gaining inspection into the basic processes of the mind and body.
In contrast to other meditation practices, which often aim at the calming of the mind, the focus is on Vipassana Awareness To sharpen your own thoughts, emotions and physical sensations without evaluating or changing them. The aim is to gain insight into the transience, suffering and the condition of all experiences through the pure observation. Vipassana teaches that everything we experience is in a constant flow of the emergence and offense.
Practice requires a disciplined concentration on the breath and the careful perception of physical sensations. As a rule, Vipassana is practiced in retreats for several days, which contain strict silence and a regulated structure.
Marcel Proust and the rush of people
Marcel Proust, one of the great writers of the 20th century, summarized it perfectly in one of his quotes: "All people are always in a hurry, and you go away when you should arrive." This quote aptly describes our human tendency, the to escape currently instead of accepting it. We are often so focused on avoiding the dark or uncomfortable that we miss the chance to linger in the reality of the moment and to discover the beauty hidden in it.
Proust's words teach us that there is no hurry to escape from now. On the contrary: if we pause and accept what is - be it the transition from summer to autumn or the challenges of everyday life - we can gain valuable knowledge. This is called in mindfulness practice accepting awareness: The ability to perceive the current moment without judgment.
The privilege of the four seasons
Living in a country with four seasons is a privilege that we often underestimate. Every season brings with it its own beauty and its own apprenticeship. Spring symbolizes new beginning and growth, summer stands for abundance and joy, autumn for letting go and reflection, and winter reminds us of the importance of calm and renewal. This natural cycle feeling can teach us how we can adapt to the changes in our lives and grow.
Many people who live in constant climate zones miss this change and the associated lessons. Autumn shows us in a symbolic way how important it is to accept change, let go and see things as they really are - not just how we imagine it.
Conclusion: the way to more mindfulness and positive perspective
Mindfulness helps us to see nature as a teacher, break through the negativity bias and to consciously experience the current moment - with all its colors and facets. Whether in coaching or in everyday life: a small change of perspective, the focus on the positive, can help us discover the beautiful in the middle of challenges.
Autumn is an invitation to slow down and pause. When we stop fleeing what we find uncomfortable, new, fresh perspectives often open that helps us to experience life in all its depth. Sometimes this is enough to pave up a moment of pausing to pave the way into a more fulfilling future.
