As the days start to get shorter and the leaves change from green to golden, here’s your reminder to schedule time for some self-care.
Taking care of your body, mind, and soul is important during every season of the year, but there’s something about autumn that seems to encourage us to slow down, cozy up, and reflect on life.
In this article, I’m going to share a list of 10 unique self-care activities for autumn (plus one bonus tip)!
I’ve purposely kept this list short so that you don’t feel overwhelmed with ideas. But if any of these spark additional ideas, make note of them and create a plan to do it!
Without further ado… let’s dive in!
Find your “spirit leaf”
Walk outside and observe the changing autumn leaves… and search for an autumn leaf that you identify with – your “spirit leaf,” so to speak.
This requires you to reflect on yourself or your current situation in life and creatively make comparisons to the world around you, giving your brain an outlet to express itself.
Are you like the still-greenish maple leaf that’s clinging to its branch, even though autumn has tinted it golden around the edges?
Or maybe you identify with the fiery red and orange of a fallen aspen leaf, or the dryness of an oak leaf, with its satisfying crunch.
Every autumn leaf is beautifully different, and observing them carefully as you focus on self-reflection is a very cleansing and uplifting act of self-care.
Once you find your “spirit leaf,” take it home and press it in a book to remind you of your self-reflection process.
Build something with your hands
Creating something with your hands helps relieve stress and it exercises the part of your brain that solves problems. It engages the sense of touch, plus it just feels good to complete something beautiful.
Complete an autumn themed craft, do a puzzle, or try an autumnal building block set (they’re basically cozy Legos)! This is something that I find so relaxing and it helps my brain to focus, quieting out the noise of my worried thoughts.
Some of my faves:
Autumn Lake jigsaw puzzle (500 pieces)
Fall in Central Park jigsaw puzzle (1000 pieces)
Autumn-themed bookend you can make out of building blocks
Fall house building block set – super cozy!
Go outside and try the 54321 grounding technique
Have you tried the 54321 ground technique? It’s a mindfulness strategy that’s especially great for calming stress and anxiety, so try it out when you’ve had a particularly rough day!
This technique is a way to use your 5 senses to focus your attention on the present moment. Doing it outside in the autumn time is *chef’s kiss.*
Here’s how it works:
5 – Name 5 things you can see. Really focus on them one at a time – the color, the texture, the way they catch the light.
If you’re outside, you may see the rough bark on an aspen tree, a golden leaf with red around the edges, or a wispy cloud moving across the sky.
4 – Name 4 things you can hear. Just like you did with the previous step, focus on them one at a time. Close your eyes and distinguish the different sounds, whether it be the distant motor of a car, the soft rustle of the wind in the leaves, or your own breathing.
3 – Name 3 things you feel. This will engage your sense of touch. Do you feel the soles of your shoes beneath your feet? The textured wool of your favorite sweater?
2 – Name 2 things you smell. Sometimes smells are hard to name, but they’re there all the same. To me, there’s a certain smell to autumn air, even though I can’t put my finger on describing it.
1 – Name 1 thing you taste. Focus on describing the nuances of the taste. I’m not at all opposed to you bringing an autumn treat along for this part of the activity.
Write a letter to yourself
Writing a physical letter is another way to engage your hands in doing something. Writing a letter to yourself involves self-reflection and it’s a way to express gratitude to yourself.
You can include answers to questions such as:
- What are you looking forward to this fall or winter?
- What are you not looking forward to?
- What are you proud of yourself for?
- What would you like to thank yourself for?
- What goals are you looking forward to achieving?
Make a special breakfast
Making something unusual and tasty for breakfast is one of my favorite ways to start the day off right.
My favorite autumnal breakfast is pumpkin pancakes, and they are so easy to make. The laziest way to make them is to mix a few teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice into store-bought pancake mix, then bam. Smells so good, tastes so good, and it’s so autumnal!
Practice gratitude
With Thanksgiving approaching, autumn is a natural time to practice gratitude.
Adopt a self-care practice where you devote a certain amount of time each day to be grateful.
A simple way to do it? Each morning, or each night, write down 3 things you’re grateful for in a notebook. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but you could buy an inexpensive one on Amazon for some extra cuteness.
Learn a cozy craft
This is another way to build something with your hands, and learning a new skill will make you feel accomplished and creative.
I suggest learning how to crochet! Fall is a perfect time to work with cozy yarn, and you can make the CUTEST crafts, like these crochet amigurumi cats.
Color and let your mind wander
Coloring is a fantastic way to be creative (while not having to think too hard). It engages your hands and also gives you the option to choose colors that express how you feel.
Sit under a tree and try out a cozy autumnal coloring book, like this one.
Light a candle and put on a “vintage autumn” playlist
I’m a big believer that self-care should be a treat for your senses, so this one is for our sense of hearing and smell!
Sit with your eyes closed and soak in the sounds of classic vintage music – jazz especially reminds me of autumn.
Searching for a “vintage autumn” playlist on Spotify or YouTube will get you good results. Here are some of my favorite jazzy song recommendations:
“Tis Autumn” by Nat King Cole (YouTube)
“Autumn in New York” by Frank Sinatra (YouTube)
“Early Autumn” by Ella Fitzgerald (YouTube)
Or try a a cozy autumn ambience YouTube video!
Put away your phone for an hour and read a book
Turn your phone off – it’s only for an hour, I promise it will be okay! – and curl up with a cozy blanket and a good book.
Here are some recommendations perfect for autumn:
If you’re into cozy:
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
If you’re into spooky:
BONUS Self-care tip: Go to bed a half-hour earlier
As the sun starts to go down earlier, why not follow its lead and get yourself some extra sleep?
If you normally go to bed at 11:00, try going to bed at 10:30 instead. Make it part of your routine, and pretty soon, it’ll be a habit.
An extra half-hour can make a world of difference in how rested you feel… and your body and mind will thank you!
Conclusion
I always want my blog posts to be actionable.
So, if ANY of these sounded fun to you, rather than moving on to the next blog post, stop and take an action.
Choose one thing and put it in your calendar. If you don’t do it today, make a decision about when you’ll do it.
For example, decide, “On Thursday at 8:00 pm I will light a candle and color in my coloring book.”
Part of self-care is making time for yourself and keeping commitments to yourself. You deserve it, after all.
Best of luck!
Before You Go…
Looking for more unique ways to treat yourself? Check out these 6 creative and unusual self-care activities.
Feel like there’s not enough time in the day? Learn how to reclaim up to 5 and a half hours every day.
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