Autumn approaches… my absolute favourite time of year. I love this season so much. Something about snuggling up for October and watching the natural world change colour and get ready to snooze brings me so much comfort.
Regardless of whether you like the autumn or not, it’s the perfect time to start soul searching and embedding some serious self care into your daily routine. In fact, it’s probably even more important to ramp up the self love if you’re prone to feeling low this time of year.
In this post, I’ll be sharing a list of 45 ideas you could try to give yourself a bit of a boost as the days get shorter. If you’re looking to get yourself (or your loved ones) some cosy gifts, check out my October gift guide for lots of comfy autumnal ideas.
You might also like to read things that have been getting me through 2021 so far.
A guide to autumn themed self care
- Dig out your Christmas fairy lights and get them up early
- Layer your bed up with cosy quilts, blankets and cushions of get super comfy
- If you’re a Gilmore Girls fan, I think this is the best time of year to re-watch
- Gather your art supplies and paint your way through the rainy afternoons
- Embrace the rain. Close your eyes and listen to it pattering on the windows.
- Make yourself an extra special hot choc complete with mini mallows and sprinkles. Yum!
- Grab some root vegetables at the supermarket and get cooking up some toasty stews.
- Scour the Internet for the cosiest pair of socks you can find.
- Try Pumpkin Spiced versions of everything you hold dear.
- Watch some cute Hallowe’en films.
- Snuggle up to your pets, people or plushies for a night of love and comfort
- Bake up a storm in your kitchen. Yum!
- Go to bed early and whack on your favourite audiobook
- Try your hand at knitting or crochet
- Go for a walk and take in all the gorgeous colours of the changing seasons
- Go mushroom spotting (I saw 3 different kinds of mushrooms on my walk in the park last week)
- Slap on some fall inspired makeup
- Spend a whole Saturday doing absolutely nothing but re-pinning cute autumnal images on Pinterest
- Log into your long forgotten animal crossing profile and jump around in some piles of leaves
- Crack out your raincoat and wellies and go walking in the rain
- Try to catch a falling leaf
- Set a reminder in your phone to drink water each day – staying hydrated is so important
- Open your windows and air out your home
- Light some autumn inspired candles or incense
- Feed the ducks or birds in your local park
- Collect conkers (if you’re scared of spiders, conkers supposedly help keep them away so use them to decorate your home)
- If you’re a keen gardener, now’s a great time to cut back your herbaceous plants that need pruning.
- October is a great time to plant garlic, onion, winter lettuce and spring flowering bulbs. So, if getting outside brings you peace, hop to it.
- Soak in a long hot bubble bath with your favourite bath bombs.
- Get out and about on your lunch break. There’s less sunshine about now, so try to make the most of it if you can.
- A morning walk is also a fantastic way to catch some rays. If you can’t get out, spend some time by an open window when the sun is shining through.
- Make extra effort to move your body. Even gentle movements can make a difference to your health.
- If you’re missing the summer sun, practice visualising lazing on a sandy beach somewhere in the heat. It’s ok to fantasise about next year’s summer if it gets you through the winter.
- Now is the perfect time to start journaling, writing creatively or trying your hand at poetry.
- Put on some relaxing sounds or music and settle into the comfiest spot in your home.
- If you are the type of person who sees the New Year as an opportunity for goal setting and fresh starts, make use of the autumn as a time to start thinking about what you’d like to achieve next year.
- Looking back on the last year (and I know it’s been a tough one) try to list the things you are grateful for. The moments of joy, calm, kindness and fun that you have found.
- Fold away your summery clothes and organise your winter wardrobe. Bring out the coats, scarves, hats and gloves and put them somewhere you can easily grab them.
- Arrange calls with friends to get you through the chilly evenings
- Plan some Hallowe’en activities! Whether you like your spooky season to be horror themed or the not-so-scary kind of fun, plan your day now.
- Make apple pie. Apples are perfectly ripe now in the UK, it’s time to get coring, slicing and stewing.
- Get moisturising. It makes such a difference to how I feel in the cooler months if I remember to take care of my skin. Read about how I incorporated skincare into my self care routine.
- Stock up on the medications and home remedies that get you through Seasonal Affective Disorder, if you’re prone to being affected by it.
- Get your teeth into a new project. Always wanted your own blog or business? Now’s the perfect time to set one up.
- Work on a home improvement project. Little or large, getting stuck into something new could give you the focus and motivation to get through the darker nights.
That’s it. Those are my 45 Autumnal self care tips for you. I hope there was something on the list that felt appealing. This post isn’t supposed to be a substitute for mental health support or medical care, please make sure you’re paying close attention to your mood and anxiety levels and how they’re affected by this time of year.
I sincerely hope you’re all doing well. Thank you so much for coming over to my blog. It means the absolute world to me that people actually read what I write. If you have any suggestions for posts that you’d like me to write, holler at me on Twitter – I’m @Pigletish there – or leave a comment below.
Great posts to follow up from this one are:
25 Ambient Sounds to help you relax, focus and even sleep
Make your bed super cosy with these 10 products
Talking to myself like I would a friend
