You have to take care of yourself. How can you show up in your relationships? How can you show up in your career? To give & create, a really true lasting gift to this planet and this world? How can you show up to that, if you can't even show up for yourself? I want to do some writing about how to create a fairytale life. I used to do that all the time, and I think it's important to remember that even if we have a new earth mission, we still get to create lives we love. I know we all know how crucial self-care is, but do we do it? Here are some self-care ideas, with a fall flavor. 10 Cozy Self-Care Ideas for FallNot only can you do these self-care practices year-round, but they are especially good for the fall season. They help you to embrace the cozy, relaxing vibes of fall, while also helping you to make yourself a priority and do some good things for yourself this time of year. AND, you can combine them with your spiritual practice. For example, you can meditate while a yummy candle you love is burning next to you. You can call all your power back to yourself, and get grounded while you sip your favorite tea. (1) Start by Living Slower Mornings Beginning your day with a slower-paced morning is an amazing way to treat yourself and incorporate some more relaxing habits into your daily routine. And it will be ideal for your spiritual practice, because with space, it will be easier to hear from your intuition or spirit team. Start by waking up a little earlier so that you have more time in the morning to take it slow, and really enjoy every aspect of your morning. Then, you can be more mindful and intentional with your mornings, whether that means waking up gradually on your own time, or choosing not to use your phone and reading or journaling instead. Here are some ways you can indulge more in slower mornings: Take a relaxing morning bath. Switch it up by having a relaxing bath in the morning instead of in the evening. Maybe you normally take your bath in the evening, when you are winding down from a long day. But by switching it to the morning, you are pampering yourself right when you wake up, and this can really set the tone for the entire day. You can add essential oils or crystals to your favorite bath oil so that your bath does healing duty, too. Read and journal instead of using your phone. It is a really common bad habit to use your phone as soon as you wake up, but instead of spending that time mindlessly scrolling, why not do something productive that is both good for you and will help you wake up in a more peaceful way? Take those minutes where you would typically scroll social media and use that time to read a chapter from a book or journal. Enjoy your favorite fall beverage while watching the sun come up. If it is still warm enough to go outside on your patio or balcony in the morning, this is a wonderful way to wake up. Get up a few minutes before the sunrise, make a cup of coffee or tea (or whatever you enjoy in the morning), and head outside with your coziest pajamas on. Sit under a blanket and watch the sun come up. This is such a therapeutic and relaxing way to wake up in the morning. And what a great place to have a morning prayer, or to set intentions. Or to visualize the day you want to have. (2) Enjoy the Quiet Ambiance of the Fireplace There is something so beautiful, warm, and magical about lighting a fire during the fall. You can do this any time of the day, and it will create the perfect environment for relaxing and spending time doing whatever you love. Plus, you can do just about anything in this relaxing environment, and it is a great way to practice self-care. Some ideas include: Reading a book Journaling Meditating Practicing mindfulness Yoga or stretching Resting quietly Listening to soft music Practice letting go by imagining fire burning it away Coloring or doing other crafts Don’t have a real fireplace? Don’t worry! The electric fireplaces create such a similar ambiance. Just light a candle nearby that smells like a wood-burning fireplace, and you will barely notice the difference. Don't have that, either? That's okay - I use the Netflix version all the time. (3) Make a Comforting Fall Beverage Fall seems to be made for sinking into hot cups of coffee, tea, or cider. Practicing self-care doesn’t have to be a drawn-out, complicated activity. It can be anything that makes you happy and brings you a few minutes of peace. As long as it is something you enjoy and that soothes your soul, it can absolutely be considered self-care. Sometimes, that could mean enjoying a hot beverage on a crisp, fall afternoon. Having a pumpkin spice latte from your neighborhood café, a homemade chai tea with an extra dash of cinnamon, or even a smoothie if that’s what you prefer. As long as it is something you truly enjoy, it's a great form of self-care. You can have your fall beverage while reading or journaling, as you prepare for your day, sitting in front of the fireplace, or while watching the sun go down. Turn it into a daily ritual. (4) Bake Your Favorite Fall Treats Another favorite pastime for fall is baking more. Do you love to bake during the fall season? From pumpkin scones with apple butter, to cranberry orange muffins and all the cookies your heart desires. This can also be turned into a seasonal self-care activity, even if you just do it once a week. You will feel so much comfort in your heart and soul by baking for yourself, family, and friends, and bonus: your house will smell amazing. Not a baker? Me, either! But you can still enjoy them. Just buy them at the store. :) (5) Bring in the Scent of Fall with Candles To really get those fall vibes and practice self-care at the same time, consider lighting some fall-scented candles. You can combine it with your spiritual morning routine and make it even sweeter. You can read an inspirational book while sitting next to your cashmere candle that smells just like a crisp autumn day. Or breathe in the sweet pumpkin vanilla candle that makes you think instantly of all your favorite baked goods while you use your mandala coloring book to relax for a few minutes. Or meditate with crystals. (6) Use Journaling for Self-Discovery & Self-Reflection Another idea for fall self-care is finding time for self-reflection, introspection, and clarity. This is also a season of personal growth and abundance, where you revisit your goals and reset aspects of your life. It's a great time for deciding what to keep and what to let go of from the list of intentions you set as the year began, and journaling is a good self-care activity to use as you do so. You can choose from so many different forms of journaling, all of which have their own benefits. For example... The Brain Dump. One of the easiest ways to start journaling is with a brain dump. This is where you write a stream of consciousness journal entry, which simply means you write whatever comes to mind, on any subject you want. There's no goal except to get all of those tangled thoughts and confusing feelings out of your head and onto paper where you can better analyze them and hopefully gain a little clarity. Daily Journaling. Remember those diaries from way back in the day? This is better. Daily journaling is the adult version of diary writing, where you write about your day, anything you have planned, what you got done, what you are experiencing, or feeling, and anything else that comes to mind. And it cannot be used to release the stress from the day or look forward to the next one. Journal Prompts. If you struggle with knowing what to write about, you can also start with journal prompts. Prompts are questions or statements that offer you a little direction about what to write about. You can get a big list of general prompts or choose a more topic-specific one, even fall-inspired journal prompts! Gratitude Journal. For this time of year especially, gratitude journaling is a wonderful style of journaling to use. For more information about the power of gratitude, check out number 8 self-care activity below! (7) Wear Your Coziest Pajamas Who doesn’t love a clean, warm set of cozy pajamas? The great thing about Fall is that since the temperatures start cooling off, it is the perfect time to get out your most comfortable pajamas, sweats, and sweaters and really just enjoy how soothing they are. When you have a day off work, try to wear them a little longer in the morning before getting dressed so you can really just enjoy this time to be extra comfortable. Sometimes the best self-care is in the tiniest of things. I have started doing my morning meditation wrapped up in my favorite blanket and I love how cozy it feels. What would make your spiritual practice more cozy? (8) Start a Gratitude Practice Speaking of gratitude, this can be a powerful fall-inspired self-care activity. Gratitude is a simple practice where you are thankful and appreciative for all the blessings currently in your life, big and small. It gives you a chance to reflect not on what you want more of or what you are missing, but what you already have. Seeing all of the beauty already in your life, all the comforts, the love, the security, the connections. How to practice gratitude? Here are a few ideas: Write a list of what you are grateful for every day. Write one thing you are grateful for each day on a post-it note. Start a gratitude jar with notes of what you feel grateful for. Give people gratitude notes when they do something you appreciate. (9) Enjoy the Changing of the Season There are so many ways to truly embrace the fall season. You can choose and enjoy events and holidays during the fall where your self-care is more about socializing and getting out of your house to see and experience wonderful things. Here are some ideas for enjoying the fall season as a way to also do something for yourself... Go on a scenic drive to look at fall foliage Take pictures of the fall leaves Go to a pumpkin patch Spend the day at your local harvest festival Go apple picking Go to a bonfire and tell ghost stories Self-care comes in so many forms, which is the beauty of it. Whatever you do for yourself, is something you can consider self-care, even if it’s just meeting your friends at a fall festival to enjoy the day together. (10) Have a Fall Movie Night This last recommendation is another one based on social self-care, which is to have a fall movie night. This could be at home, with your family, or friends, or you could even invite extended family over for a fun little get together. Turn on everyone’s favorite fall or Halloween movies, enjoy some snacks and fall beverages, and have a cozy night in. Would you like to download a free printable self-care checklist with my favorite ideas from this post? Click on the download below. ![]()
Have you already begun to combine your self-care with enjoying the fall season? Tell me in the comment section. See you next time! Love, Jeanine
12 Comments
10/17/2023 01:43:20 am
Oh, good. I love a slow morning! Have a great day at work. :)
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Brenda Marie Fluharty
10/17/2023 01:47:50 am
Fall has always been my favorite season. At this time, I have been going out of my way to make sure I do at one thing just for me a day. No matter what is going on. I love all of your wonderful ideas.
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10/17/2023 04:55:52 am
Yay!! I am so happy to hear, Brenda. I love it, too - especially finally finding my colors in the stores - burnt orange for the WIN!
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10/17/2023 08:23:01 am
You are describing much of my last weekend! :-)
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10/17/2023 05:00:29 pm
Wow, that's a lot, Julie! of course you're struggling. But I am glad to hear you feel you are getting closer. And hey, that sounds like a wonderful weekend!
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10/17/2023 10:45:48 am
Read and journal instead of using your phone...yes! My morning routine is mostly filled many of your suggestions, my coffee goodness, in my cozy pjs reading my bible and/or journaling. Today....I scrolled....and then my day had to start. I feel the difference already.
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10/17/2023 05:01:41 pm
Ooh, your afternoon plans sound wonderful! I hope that works out well for you. And that's great that self-care is already part of your morning routine.
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That's a perfect fairytale Jeanne but I doubt it would work for me. I'm up by 6am and get my morning routine going. No time to relax we're always heading this way or that. LOL But now baking is right up my alley and I find that very relaxing. Some of the time I start baking at 8 or 9pm! Maybe someday I can find time to curl up on the sofa and relax but I'm the type that has to stay busy.
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10/17/2023 10:11:33 pm
Yes, you have mentioned before that it is hard for you to relax and that you like to stay busy. maybe you could start with just one thing. Something nurturing that you do in the early morning or just before bedtime. Baking would count if you do it mindfully.
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10/18/2023 05:27:23 pm
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for posting this list. I'm in need of a new morning routine and self-care and your list is now my jumping off point. Printing out this whole article and making a plan. Thank you! - XO, Elisa
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10/18/2023 09:15:56 pm
WOW! You have just made my day!! And I am so glad that it has been helpful.
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