Self-Care in the Fall

Self-care has been a hot, trending topic for several years now, and for good reason. It is 
a great way to think of your own needs and put yourself first, helping you to relieve 
stress and anxiety, increase productivity, and have a more fulfilling life.

There are many ways to practice self-care and even more benefits for your total health 
and wellness. One benefit we love is helping to reduce anxiety, such as what you might 
experience when the summer turns into fall.

The following information will help you learn about how to practice self-care in the fall 
season and set up the perfect self-care routine.


1. Types of Self-Care

If you are new to self-care, you might be envisioning bubble baths and reading in front 
of a fire during the fall season. While these can be enjoyable activities, they don’t even 
begin to cover the various types of self-care that you can participate in. 

There are actually many different types of self-care, depending on what your needs are, 
what you are dealing with, and what is available to you. Self-care is a personal, unique 
experience, so just because your best friend prefers going hiking on the weekends as a 
form of self-care, doesn’t mean you have to if you don’t enjoy hiking.

Here are some of our personal favorite types of self-care activities:


Physical

The first type of self-care is physical self-care. This includes activities that involve your 
physical self, but also those that improve your physical health. For example, going for a 
walk at the beach can be a great activity that moves your body, and is also wonderful 
for your physical health and wellness. Though of course it also fits into other types, such 
as your emotional health and even social if you choose to do it with a friend. Some 
others include:

Doing yoga in the morning
Adding more nutrients to your diet
Participating in fun exercise, like riding your bike or going swimming
Walking your dogs

Physical self-care, even when including exercise, should be relaxing and enjoyable. 
Don’t use it as an excuse to add intense workouts that are only used for weight loss.


Emotional and Mental

Then you have the emotional and mental self-care activities, which naturally take care 
of your emotional health. As with all types of self-care, some of these blend with other 
categories, but might include:

Writing in your journal to express your emotions
Doing a brain dump when you feel stress
Using essential oils to relax and reduce anxiety
Seeing a therapist for your mental health condition
Listening to music
Meditating or practicing mindfulness


Social

Many people see self-care is only a solo activity, but it doesn’t have to be. You can 
definitely practice self-care in the fall with friends or family. Some social self-care 
activities might include:

Family dance party in the living room
Having coffee with a friend
Meeting a co-worker for drinks after work
Trying a new workout class with a friend
Walking the dog after dinner in the evenings
Going on a family bike ride


Creative

One of our personal favorite types of self-care is one that helps you to explore your 
creative side, which is often combined with intellectual self-care (like reading or learning 
new things). The creative self-care activities might include:

Drawing or painting
Learning a new craft
Working on your hobby
Photography
Creative writing

Really, it can be any type of activity that you enjoy doing, helps you relax and unwind, 
and that helps to tap into your inner creativity.




Spiritual

Lastly, there is the spiritual self-care. If you have a religion, this can definitely include 
things like going to church and reading your bible as part of spiritual self-care. However, 
for other people, it often includes practicing mindfulness, meditating, doing yoga, and 
reading a book on spirituality.



2. Embrace Fall with Fun Activities

Do you want to practice self-care in the fall? Then fully embrace it! You can do this by 
finding some fun activities this season that make you excited and are something look 
forward to. Think of it like a fall bucket list of things to do. 

Remember that they can include any type of self-care, from physical activities to 
creative crafts and more. They can be solo or social activities as well. Here are some 
different ideas, though you should explore what you would personally enjoy the most. 


Bring Pumpkin and Fall Spices into the House

Fall is the season for pumpkin, cinnamon, and all those delicious autumn spices. You 
can really embrace fall and practice self-care at the same time by bringing more of 
these pieces into your home. Here are a few ideas:

Go to a nearby pumpkin patch to pick out your pumpkins for carving.
Pick up a pumpkin spice latte and enjoy it while reading a book.
Bake pumpkin and other seasonal treats with your kids.
Decorate your home for fall.
Make crafts alone or with friends themed for the fall season.


Get Cozy with Fall Hygge

Hygge is the Danish practice of being cozy and comfortable, and unwinding. It is about 
taking time out for yourself and slowing down, as so many people feel rushed and busy 
all day long. Fall is the perfect season for hygge, as you can cuddle under a fuzzy 
blanket to read, watch a movie while laying on the couch with your significant other, or 
sitting in front of the fireplace with a cup of cocoa and a good book. These are all 
amazing ways of practicing self-care.





Take Your Family to go Apple Picking

For more social self-care activities in the fall, why not go apple picking? This not only 
helps you add some healthy fruit to your diet, but it is both a physical activity and 
something you can do as a family. It helps everyone get out of the house in the fall, so 
you don’t feel isolated and alone. It also gets your bodies moving, helps you try a fun, 
new activity, and is great for family bonding. Turn off your phones and head to the 
nearest apple orchard.


Run a 5K for Charity

Why not combine self-care with something that helps other people? There are many 5K 
walks and runs in the fall season, often combined with Thanksgiving. If you have a 
Turkey Trot in your area, consider signing up. This is going to provide you with a few 
benefits.

You can involve your kids to show them how important it is to help other people.
Your donation is often for a local charity that needs your help.
You get physical exercise both in the training and the 5K itself.
You are able to find fulfillment through an outdoor activity.


Enjoy a Fall Stroll at a Nearby Park

When the fall season begins, the leaves change, weather cools, and everything smells 
different. Choose a day when it isn’t too cold, and head to a nearby park. This allows 
you to really embrace the beauty of fall with the changing, falling leaves, the critters who 
come out during this time of year, and a lot of peace and calm.



3. Start a New Daily Routine

In order to be sure you get enough time for self-care this fall, it helps to create a new 
daily routine. One of the most common reasons people have for their lack of self-care is 
lack of time. But in most cases, you do have time, you just aren’t setting that free time 
aside for yourself.

It is very easy to get wrapped up in work and personal responsibilities, but you have to 
make yourself a priority. This starts with a new daily routine. 


Creating a New Routine for Fall

Your daily routine can be in the morning or evening, depending on what types of self-
care activities you are interested in, and when you tend to have more time to yourself. 
For some people, this is the morning, when you are able to wake up a little earlier, and 
have quiet time before the rest of the house gets up.

For others, it is in the evening before bed, when the kids are tucked in. You can also 
think about what self-care activities you are interested in. Journaling is great in both the 
morning and evening, but yoga you might prefer doing in the morning, while many 
people like to meditate at night before bed.

As you start working on your fall routine, here are some things to keep in mind:

What time of day do you need more time to yourself?
When do you tend to waste more time, that could be better spent on self-care?
What activities are in your own personal self-care to-do list?
In what ways does your current daily routine need to be updated for fall?
How is the fall season going to change your routine?

Once you answer these questions, it will become much easier to figure out a routine 
that not only keeps you happy and productive, but fits in some self-care time as well.



4. Making Your Own Needs a Priority

Lastly, we want to touch one more time on making self-care a priority. Stop making 
excuses about how you don’t have money for self-care activities, you lack time, or you 
just aren’t motivated. You have to be your own first priority. If your needs are not met, it 
becomes harder to help your significant other, kids, and other people in your life. 

Self-care is not a selfish act. It is something everyone should do more of. It can help 
your physical health, boost your happiness, make you feel fulfilled, relieve stress and 
anxiety, and do so much more for your overall wellness. 

Some last things to keep in mind when it comes to self-care:

It doesn’t have to cost anything. Self-care comes in many forms and can include just 
spending time doing what you love.

You can practice self-care with your family or friends; it is not always a solo activity.

Simply making more time for activities you love is a great form of self-care.



