Welcome fall and all its beauty. The gold and red leaves against a stunning Colorado blue sky, summon the feeling of change. With fall, we surrender the chaos of summer and settle into routine and finding a sense of balance. This balance is demonstrated with the fall equinox, one of two days each year where the world experiences equal parts day and night, each 12 hours. The perfect balance.

When our lives are in balance we can feel calm, grounded, clear-headed, and motivated. Who doesn’t want that! Often, the pressures of work, relationships and life, pull us out of alignment where we are spending too much time and energy in one area and neglecting others. Has work taken over your workout? Have groceries and laundry replaced time with friends or a good book? When will you ever finish that degree? Exhaustion, frustration and depressed feelings can set in. If this sounds familiar it is time to realign.

When you feel pulled too far out of balance, try these tips to help you realign:

1. Assess. Stop and assess how you are doing. Are you feeling exhausted and overworked? Are you missing out on the things that bring you joy? Taking a good look is the first step!
2. Focus. What do you really want? Attend yoga twice a week? Truly enjoy your morning coffee? Spend more time playing with your kids? Get a promotion at work? Volunteer? Focus in on what you want to add in all areas of our life to help create that balance.
3. Set Goals. Set realistic goals in all areas of your life to help you remember that your ultimate goal is balance.
4. Plan.Make a list of daily, weekly, and monthly tasks that you will need to do to achieve each of these goals. What have you tried in the past? Did it work? If not, what can you do differently? Ask others what works for them.
5. Reassess.Don’t feel that your decisions are made in concrete; if something feels that it isn’t working, be willing to look at a new decision. Make time for yourself every day, in a quiet meditative state, to relax.

Autumn is a great time to reassess and reconnect with the things and people who inspire you. Search out the things that bring you joy. You probably already know what that is! It might take a little time to bring it back to your center and recreate your balance once more.

Stephanie Schiemann is the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Jefferson Center.