With the fall comes the shorter days. And shorter days tend to mean that some may start to struggle more with their mental health. This is why ensuring that you get in time for yourself is important. Here are some tips for simple fall self-care ideas.
Benefits of Self-Care
Self-care seems to be a big buzzword these days. Everyone has their own opinion on the matter and what it actually means.
The truth is, self-care is different for everyone. What helps one person feel cared for may not help another person and vise versa. That is why it is important for you to try out several ideas so you know what will work best for you.
Fall can be a great time to start some new self-care techniques as a way to distract yourself from the shorter daylight hours and improve your mood.
Fall Self-Care Ideas
Here are some great self-care tips you can try this fall!
1. Scents
The autumn season to me has always meant delicious fall smells. For me, that is a hazelnut cream or pumpkin spice candle.
You can try new candle scents or switch out your soap scents for your bath time or even hand soaps.
If you are into aromatherapy, try out a new scent there if you want to.
Part of what can make scents a form of self-care is taking the time to savor the scents. Take the time to really sit and think about the scent and take it all in.
Notice how it makes you feel in that moment and what memories it might bring up for you. When we take the time to savor simple moments, it can increase our levels of happiness because we are truly living in that moment.
2. Declutter/Deep Clean/Decorate
The fall season usually means you’ll be spending more time in your house. If you are like me and are impacted by the state of your surroundings, doing a little something around the house can help improve your mood.
Take some time to declutter your house and clear out what you no longer want or need. If you’re interested, take a look through my walkthrough of the Marie Kondo Tidy Challenge starting with Week 1.
You could also take some time to deep clean your home. My mom always did this in the fall and spring. I don’t keep up nearly as well as she did, but I do know that whenever I give a room a good clean, it looks so much better and brings me a little joy.
And I’m not talking rage cleaning here. If you find yourself doing that, you might want to take a moment to reconsider what you need for self-care because cleaning is likely not it. You probably need to skip ahead to point 4 to try something for yourself or point 5 below and ask for some help.
Get out some seasonal decorations. I am a huge seasonal decorator when it comes to fall. I love getting to put out all my pumpkin decorations and seasonal décor. Personally, I have some “general fall” decorations that can stay out for Thanksgiving.
Then I also have some Halloween-specific ones and some Thanksgiving-specific ones that I switch out when the time is right.
Some might also enjoy back-to-school-themed decorations or getting out the Christmas decorations early.
Whatever you choose, switching up the décor around the house feels nice because it changes up the scenery.
3. Savor Flavors
Another fall self-care tip is to savor flavors.
For me, fall has always meant hot chocolate. However, savoring any warm beverage of your choosing can be very enjoyable. Looking for ideas? Consider different flavored coffee, lattes, mochas, or ciders.
You can also savor foods. This could mean starting baking and making some fall-specific treats – such as apple pie or pumpkin flavored anything.
If you prefer to cook, you could try finding new meals to try making at home to switch up the usual meals. You could also find some new restaurants to try just to switch things up and have a new experience.
4. Find a New Hobby
Fall can be a great time to find a new hobby. Especially, if like me, a lot of your hobbies involve outdoor activities during the warmer months of the year.
Here are some fun ideas to try to keep you busy over the fall months that can help you fill your self-care time.
- Workout – find a new one you like – hiking, HIIT, strength training, yoga, pilates
- Knitting
- Crocheting
- Cross-stitching
- Wreath Making
- Make ornaments
- Adult coloring books
- Reading
What is fun about some of the hobbies above is that you can create things for those close to you and give them away as gifts during the holiday season.
5. Set Boundaries & Ask for Help
Fall tends to be the start of a busy time of year. The kids are back in school. Holidays are right around the corner. Family get-togethers are starting to be planned.
All of the commitments and additional work can easily lead to overwhelm.
Make sure you are setting boundaries. This can look like saying no to an event you do not particularly want to go to.
It can also mean not going to every single family get-together around the holidays. This is especially important for those with kids.
If you want to stick to a certain schedule because that is what is best for your child, then do so, regardless of what others may say. You know what is best for you and your family.
Setting boundaries can also come in for gift giving around the holidays. This might mean asking relatives for money for your kids instead of toys. (Other good substitutes for toys could be experience gifts or clothes).
Or it could mean letting relatives know that you may not be able to afford gifts for the holiday season. One of the biggest stressors around the holidays is feeling like you have to give gifts. However, sometimes you may not be able to, and others should be able to understand that.
There is no point in putting yourself in a questionable financial situation just so others can have a gift from you this upcoming season. That will lead to more problems for you down the road.
In addition to boundaries, asking for help when you need it is also important.
If you can do something, such as outsource cleaning or meals, do it. There is no shame in needing help with those things.
Similarly, you could ask family or friends for assistance. For example, if you need someone to help watch your kids so you can clean or do some holiday shopping, do it.
If you’re like me, asking for help can be super difficult. I’ve always had this mindset that I can do it all, but I’ve found that it leads to burnout and a crabbier, less happy me.
Asking for help does get easier over time and can lead to a less stressed and happier you, so give it a try!
Try a Fall Self-Care Tip
These fall self-care tips focus a lot on creating a good environment for yourself and making sure you have something to do that will keep you entertained over the darker days.
Self-care is all about figuring out what works best for you and keeping up with it, even if you can only fit in short 10-15 minute increments of time.
For parents, these short increments of time can mean everything. It is so hard to get in time to feel like yourself as a parent. The ideas above – savoring scents and flavors can be fit in with your children around.
Light your favorite candle and place it up high so your child can’t reach it. Make your favorite meal for dinner and take the time to enjoy it. Simple things like that can make the hectic parenting life feel better.
Pick a fall self-care tip to try out and let us know how it worked for you!
