Fall Perfect Self Care Rituals To Embrace

It is officially sweather weather and the perfect time for a pumpkin spiced anything.

Squashes are stacking up in my kitchen, dried fruit is being prepared for a deep dive in grappa for the holidays, the leaves are changing and so must our self care rituals.

Those long walks on the beach, the warm evenings spent in the pools are a mere memory of the summer past.

As the air turns crisp we find ourself in need of some cozy indoor practices we can easily rely on.

Here are some easily obtainable self care practices that are “ Fall Perfect “

1- Indulge in a perfectly delicious Pumpkin Spiced Hot Cocoa and yes for once don’t skip the marshmallows, you deserve them, take my word for it.

2- Cuddle up with a nice book. Pick up a new one, there are amazing suggestions out there, most bookstores offer weekly staff picks or monthly suggestions or revisit an old favorite. There are plenty books worth reading over and over.

I am currently reading “ Stone Building and Other Places “ written by Aslı Erdoğan and translated by

Sevinç Türkkan .

3 - Disconnect from social media/ emails / news … even if for just a little bit. This is a hard one for me, I tried a few times without much luck and I started feeling a little disappointed in myself for not being able to fully disconnect ..until I stumbled on this podcast that helped me find an easier way for me to achieve this, gradually . Dr Rangan Chatterjee spoke in his “ Build To Thrive “ podcast about the importance of limiting the micro stresses we are exposed to thus suggesting a minimal detachment from social media, news, email or any similar things that would produce stress, for one full hour in the morning, he called it the “ Golden Hour”…

It took a few tries for me to last a full hour however once I did I noticed it helped me start my day on a more positive way and pretty much kept me in a much better mood for the entire day.

I now have two golden hours one when I first wake up and one an hour before I go to bed.

4- Practice Gratitude when things don’t necessarily go our way it is easy to fall in a funk and see everything as gloomy and wrong. Sometimes it just helps to take a moment and reflect back on your day. Find three things that happened in your day that you are grateful for, they don’t have to be big things, it could be something as silly as that first cup of coffee that made your morning cozy. Write these things down and maybe at the end of the week just revisit them, you will find that your mood will improve noticeably . And you don’t need a fancy gratitude journal ( Although they are pretty ) a simple note book, the note app on your phone, anything will do.

5- Relax in the tub….a hot bath is just the perfect way to just melt away all the stress stored in your body. Add a touch of seasonal magic by adding some bath salts, or a milk bath, some fresh flower petals….pour yourself a cup of hot tea and turn on your favorite tune.

6- Unwind with some Yoga …it is easy enough these days you don’t even have to leave the house, start your preferred app, or put in your top to video and re-center yourself. I use DoYou Yoga but you can find a ton of free videos on YouTube also .

7 - Treat yourself to a movie …check out your local movie theaters for listings and times….but there is nothing quite like a chilly day spent all cozied up inside a movie theatre ….that big bucket of popcorn certainly adds to the magic! ( The bar at the AMC also adds a nice touch to the experience! )

8- Be Kind kindness is contagious. Do a random act of kindness daily , it will for sure bring a smile to you, and the recipient of your gesture and perhaps that simple act of kindness will inspire others around you to do the same….we could never have enough kindness … Smile at a stranger, compliment someone, buy the next coffee in line, leave a tip hidden in a grocery store shelf, hand out a gift card, bake cookies for a neighbor…the possibilities are endless !

Are you looking for more Acts of Kindness Ideas? visit : The Random Acts Of Kindness Foundation

9- Enhance your living spaces by burning a seasonal clean burning soy candle or using an old fashioned stove top simmer potpourri, you can buy these or you can make your own. The ones we sell at the studio I made with dehydrated oranges, lemons and apples, cinnamon sticks, star anise pods, cloves, dried calendula and white sage .

Whatever you choose to do, don’t wait until the new year to start improving your self care routine!

Looking for more fall related posts? Visit “ Fun Fall Activities That Won’t Break The Bank “