Autumn is the season of change and an important time to practice self care because the days are getting shorter, colder and it can become pretty miserable. In this article I am going to share with you my favourite simple self care ideas for autumn.
What is Self Care?
Self care is a general term that describes everything you do deliberately for your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. As easy as it sounds, many of us pay little attention to self care and add it to the bottom of our to-do-lists. Yet it is crucial that we take better care of ourselves!
Are you wanting to prioritise yourself but don’t know how? It starts from the simple acts like not checking emails at night when you know it affects your sleep to more important decisions like taking holiday leave or booking a spa day when you need one.
Why is Self Care so Important?
Self care is important as it is beneficial for our physical, emotional and mental well-being.
When you pay adequate attention to your well-being, you’re not considering your needs alone. You’re reinvigorating yourself so that you can be the best version of yourself for the people around you.
Try these 12 easy self care ideas for autumn that are simple, practical and effective.
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12 Simple Self Care Ideas
1. Go for a Walk
I love going for long walks at this time of year. The trees are really beautiful and I enjoy being a big kid and kicking the leaves!
Regular physical activity benefits your health, helps you reduce stress, fight the anxiety, feel better, look better and sleep better! It’s the number one pillar for self care. And even if you might not feel like moving your body, convince yourself to just do it – Trust me, it works wonders.
2. Get lots of Sleep
How many hours of sleep do you get a night (on a regular basis)? If it’s less than seven, I strongly encourage you to rethink your sleep schedule.
Sleep can have a huge effect on how you feel both emotionally and physically. Not getting enough can even cause major health issues. But stress and other distractions can wreak havoc on our sleep. So make a good night’s sleep part of your daily self-care routine and see the impact this is going to have on your overall well-being.
3. Eat Healthily
The food we eat has the potential to either keep us healthy or contribute to weight gain or diseases such as diabetes, but it can also keep our minds working and alert.
Make sure you keep to a healthy diet by swapping your processed foods for things like nuts, green leafy veggies, legumes, blueberries and more.
I make sure I have a stack of my favourite healthy snacks ready for whenever I feel the need to boost my brain throughout my work day.
4. Drink Plenty of Water
Water is an essential nutrient the brain and body depends on to maintain optimal function. Make it a daily routine to start your day with a glass of water – and keep refilling it throughout the day! I personally like to have a bottle of water next to my desk so I can be constantly reminded to drink lots of water.
Plus, don’t let your skin dry out because the heating’s going full blast!
5. Find a New Hot Drink
All the cafes & restaurants start to bring in their seasonal drinks. Take some time out to enjoy something new – pumpkin latte, Apple pie cider, gingerbread coffee, the list is endless.
6. Get Baking
Being creative has benefits that are good for brain health and physical health. So why not try baking some seasonal dishes – pumpkin pie, pecan pie, roasted chestnuts?
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7. Have a Film Night
Try switching everything and enjoy kicking back and watching a halloween movie and dare I say it, a Christmas movie! (Because if you ask me, is it never too early to watch one of those?)
8. Schedule Self Care into Your Day
It can be hard for us all to find extra time. But it’s extremely important to plan regular self care time, even if it’s some of those simple self care ideas from this listBlock time in your diary for self care. After all, we’re planning for everything and everyone else – So why not do it for ourselves, too?
9. Light a scented candle
Bring a little warmth and cosy light to your home now that the days are getting shorter – you can get some great autumnal scented ones.
10. Read a book
When it’s wet and windy outside, nothing beats curling up under a blanket with a good book. I’ve found that it’s very beneficial for me to sometimes disconnect from the world and get lost in a good story for a couple of hours. So relaxing!
11. Enjoy the last bits of warm weather
Depending on where you live, you may already be feeling a chill in the air. I love cooler weather and bundling up in a sweater, but sunshine is good for us and as we move toward winter, this becomes less and less. So, make the most of the remaining warm, sunny days by spending some time outside.
12. Do a Jigsaw Puzzle
Jigsaw season is officially from October to March. They are so therapeutic and work different parts of your brain. When was the last time you did some puzzling?
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Self Care Doesn’t Have to be All or Nothing
As you can see, there are plenty of different ways to practice self care. It’s great to have so many options, but it’s easy to fall into an all-or-nothing mindset and get overwhelmed and feel like you should be doing them all. So keep in mind: Do whatever feels right to you.
If you’re just getting started with self care, start small. Something is definitely better than nothing! Every little thing you do for yourself matters.
I hope you enjoy these simple self care ideas for autumn. Try them out and see which ones work for you!
Jade *