Last week I was pulling summer clothes out of my closet. Some went into vacuum sealed storage bags. Some went into the donate pile. Somewhere around the third armful, I caught myself thinking about something that had nothing to do with clothes.

I was thinking about my head. It needed the same edit.

You know the thoughts I mean. The ones that have been in heavy rotation so long you forgot you never chose them. "I'm just not that organized." "That ship has sailed." They hang in the back, wrinkled and a little dusty, and every so often you put one on without noticing.

Fall has always been the reset season. New notebooks, vibrant sunsets, a sweater that finally makes sense again.

There's something about the shift that makes you stop and take inventory. Your closet, your routines, the things you've been carrying without asking why.

It's the moment to look at it all and ask. Does this still earn its spot in my life?

Most of us spend summer on autopilot. Fall gives you permission to change your mind.

Try this the next time one of those old thoughts shows up. Treat it like a piece you found at the back of the closet.

Here's one from my own back shelf. When I started FashionSHEsta, a thought moved in with me. "Is this helpful? Does anyone even want this?"

It still knocks now and then. So I run it through the questions like any other piece. Do I still believe it? Less than I used to. Did I choose it? No. Would I put it on today? Not if I want to get anything done.

Some thoughts are classics. Keep them. Some just need tailoring so they fit the woman you are now. And some go straight in the donate bag, and you will not miss them once they're gone.

Try it tonight before bed. Name one thought from today you don't want to carry into tomorrow. Just name it and let it stay behind.

Your mind doesn't declutter in a vacuum. The room you're in, the music you play, the scents around you. They nudge your mood before you've had a single thought.

That's free help. Most of us just never use it on purpose.

Think about the song that makes you turn it up in the car. The hand cream that makes a morning feel like yours. The coffee or perfume smell that pulls you into the moment.

Those are mindset tools. Choose them deliberately.

You are allowed to change your mind about yourself. You've earned the edit.

Choose one color or texture that lifts your mood, and wear it tomorrow. Think cranberry, camel, or burnt orange. Think cashmere, corduroy, or a buttery leather jacket. You don't need a new outfit. You need one piece that makes you stand a little taller.

Scent bypasses your thinking brain and goes straight to memory, that's why one waft of Lauren can put me right back in the 90s faster than any photo could. Pick one scent and use it on purpose tomorrow, your hand cream, your coffee, your perfume, and let it become your power up, the one that pulls you back into yourself exactly when you need it.

Create a signature home scent for fall. Put a small pot on the stove with water, one orange slice, a cinnamon stick, and a splash of vanilla. Simmer it low and your whole house will smell like it knows what it's doing. Keep an eye on the water level, and turn it off when you leave the house.

Next week: we bring Style and Happiness into the everyday, starting with your home. Catching up? Last week's Issue covered Style and Season. Read it here.

But before you go, what thought are you donating this week?

Hit reply and tell me which thought is going in your donate bag. I read every one.

🥂 Regina