11/12/2025
This time of year up in the Pacific Northwest, I start hearing from most of my clients: "I'm just not motivated lately and I don't know why. I have no energy and I'm not getting out of the house much. I'm not working out like I usually do. I'm behind on my chores. I'm just not happy and I don't know why."
My response is always the same. Have you noticed how much daylight we have been losing lately. The drop in temperature and rainy days. Nature is telling your brain and body to hibernate and you are telling it to be just as productive as you are in Spring and Summer. Consider lowering those expectations and settling in to the season with a cup of tea ☕ and a cozy blanket 🛋 instead."
It's always met with an "Oh my goodness. That makes so much sense. Of course that's affecting me."
Happiness doesn't come from meeting all the expectations of yourself and others. It comes from seeing reality as it is, rather than what we tell ourselves it "should" be. Making peace with that, giving ourselves grace, and trusting ourselves to continue to learn and grow.
Enjoy the falling leaves 🍂, listen to the rainstorm 🌧, watch the falling snow 🌬. And let yourself go to bed! The work will always be there. In order to get it done, we must show up for ourselves first. 💛
- Alicia Webber, Reproductive Health Therapist and Coach
www.simplejoycounseling.com
Cold weather, clear nights. Even in Brooklyn I can see a few stars and planets bright in the deep sapphire sky of fall, even through the light of the skyline just over the hill from my window.
This time of year I want to burrow in and draw and plan and dream.
Ten years ago, I made this drawing, longing for the smell of soil and the feel of earth under my feet and the ability to see the stars in their multitude, things I missed (and still miss) living in the city. It was one of the first drawings I made in the wake of a dangerous autoimmune illness that damaged the nerves in my arms and legs. I was telling my hands to remember that they work and could create. I was willing my spirit not to despair. I was afraid, and I wanted to draw something that gave me comfort.
I've always loved the fall--the start of dark season. It feels comfortable to me, cozy, and quiet. I'm a November baby, so it's the time of year with which I best associate.
Over the last decade, many of you have made this drawing a part of your home--something that truly humbles me. In that time, it's come to mean many things to different people: a time to slow down and rest in winter. Finding ways to be generative, find hope, and creativity in the dark season. To be patient and calm in the wake of a shelter in place. For me, it was a longing for a connection to the earth.
Happy 10th birthday, Bedtime Stories.
Jessica Boehman, "Bedtime Stories," 2013. Colored pencil and pencil. www.jessicaboehman.com
