Season Change Making You Feel Squirrely? Here’s Some Things To Try.
My fleece-lined pants and hiking boots, standing amidst a scattering of yellow leaves.
Don’t get me wrong - I love a season shift, especially the one into autumn. However, the colder mornings, lack of sunlight, and barrage of To Dos for my daughter’s school make me feel slightly nuts. Maybe you too?
::COZY ACTIVITIES::
I consider a cozy activity anything that makes you feel all warm and gooey, like when you were a kid, laying on the couch all Saturday morning, watching cartoons. Peak snug & toasty relaxation.
Hobbies: Embroidery, Coloring, Building LEGO sets
When we’re all home in our not-very-big house, I need to do something creative I can do that doesn’t require my full attention (because the interuptions do.not.stop.coming). I like the Loops & Thread brand, but any project like this will do.
Doodling and coloring can be done with any amount of noise or interuptions around me.
LEGO requires a bit more concentration, but there is nothing like the satisfaction of following visual directions, snapping pieces into place, and building something from scratch, especially one with a seasonal vibe.
Reading
Give me a cozy mystery, seasonal romance, excellent fantasy, or some good sci-fi in paperback, so I don’t have to feel the pressure of a Kindle library loan expiring. Suggestions for each, in order: Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, Lovelight Farms, Fourth Wing, the Murderbot Diaries, and bonus, of course, Harry Potter.
Being Outside
Weather be damned, the dog still needs walking, so out we go. In my headphones I have my annual listen of Binge Mode: Harry Potter. Noticing the changing leaves on the trees before they’re gone is a way to sink into the seasonal shift. Going out on a hike or sitting on the front porch while the sun sets? All good ways to be outside right now.
Lighting
My need for lighting shifts dramatically as the clocks fall back. The big kitchen light goes on every day by 4pm because I turned 40 and now cannot see well in low light. Candles will be lit. Sometimes it’s one votive left sparkling in the bathroom so I can see it each time I pass by. Sometimes it’s tapers at dinner. After kiddo’s bedtime, I will turn off all the lights in the house except the living room lamp and the kitchen microwave (a true dark season hero). The bedroom lava lamp is turned on around the same time, so it’s all squishy goodness by my bedtime. The porch light goes on around 3pm and turned off when I go through my nightly closing routines.
Heat
When the real chill in my bones begins, I find a hot bath does the trick. I bring a warmed-up heat pack to bed at night. The heated seats go on in the car, for both me and the dog. I wear a heated vest and flannel lined pants. I put on layers for my walks and let myself get a little overheated in the sun.
Video Games & TV
TV watching comes back into play when it gets dark before lunch (I kid, but we know it feels like it). Currently, we just powered through Alien: Earth and we’re in season 2 of The Bear. Gearing up for he Diplomat and Stranger Things, but any well-written series will do. The West Wing always gives me cozy vibes. As does the iconic fall watch - Gilmore Girls. Also, playing Animal Crossing New Horizons comes back into my routine around September (and we’ll prob get this cozy BOOKSHOP game (!!) for the Switch around Christmas).
::LIFELINE ACTIVITIES::
I consider lifeline activities to be the ones that combat the seasonal SLUMP that comes at me sideways as early as the back-to-school week in September. All of the below supports my highly-sensitive introverted need to decompress. The shift from summer to school routines is hard for everyone and I need all the support I can get.
I journal year round, but there is something about this time of year where the words / emotions / thoughts just need to get out of my body and onto the page.
Getting into bed with a book or journal and only the red book light on. Having a red-light book light to read/write by and even to use a a nightlight is a game changer for my nervous system.
Very long, hot baths. No notes
Going outside, see above
Napping, preferably with the Rain, Rain app on. Getting to lay in bed with one continuous, soothing noise on really helps my nervous system recharge.
Lifting weights. Or any type of exercise really. Once the humidity leaves, I find I’m more happy to sweat it out.
Keeping my Project Manager up-to-date, but also keeping a smaller To Do list on paper to help me focus / not get overwhelmed
Opening NPR.org 2x/day to read the headlines and that’s it (how I stay informed)
::WARDROBE::
I just rotated out all of my shorts and summer items for sweaters and seasonal shirts (like my Luke’s Diner t-shirt and Ravenclaw spirit jersey - sensing a theme yet? Is my Elder Millennial showing?)
The aforementioned heated vest is a big plus
Warm socks. I’m 100% a SmartWool girlie. Oh, and I change my socks at least once a day because highly-sensitive sensory issues
Switched to the zip up boots and sherpa-lined birks, goodbye sandals until next year
Fleece-lined, waterproof pants - honestly makes going outside great through the winter
Switching to the big comforter for the bed
Using a red & cream totes or burnt orange computer bag because autumn aesthetic
::TO EAT & DRINK::
Warm lemon water
Rooibos tea w/vanilla almond milk
Brown rice bowls w/ground beef, broccoli, cucumber, chickpeas, and sesame dressing, sometimes over mixed greens
Continuing to make my hyperfixation breakfast: Veggie egg bowl, which includes sauteed veggies (zucchini, peppers, broccoli), 2 fried eggs, plain yogurt, and Cholula. However, in an effort to get more veggies into my life and more cozy into my breakfast, I’ve started plating the whole thing on top of mixed greens, swapping the plain yogurt for cottage cheese, and adding some baked sweet potato or kombucha squash when I have it on hand. Seasonal chef’s kiss.
This menu of seasonal go-tos wasn’t created over night. This is years of paying attention to my body, my emotions, and my needs, and it is by all means not a comprehensive list, or even a prescriptive one. What works for me might work for you, might inspire you, or you might be like “WTF Justine?”. Try paying attention to what you body / mind / emotions are asking for at this time and think about how that might be different from your summertime wants and needs. And then make a mental note to bring more of that into your life right now and next year around this time.