Autumn is the perfect time to slow down and practice self-care. This blog post is full of self-care ideas for busy mums to help you rest, reset and feel more like you this autumn.
Autumn is my favourite season.
Autumn is a much slower season and it feels like a break and a rest after a busy summer and a upcoming busy winter and Christmas season.
Summer has an unrelenting pressure that I don’t think we realise until Autumn arrives.
In the summer we feel that we have to be doing loads of days out, and if the sun is out we feel guilty for staying at home and not making the most of it.
I won’t get started on the pressure of sun cream and and the fight of trying to get it on the kids to sure they don’t burn.
Autumn tends to be more about walks in the fresh air and crunchy leaves and then going home and having a warm drink and maybe baking a cake or reading a book.
I don’t know about you, but that slower, more cosy vibe suits me much better.
Honestly, I know I may be in the minority, but I don’t feel that I thrive over the summer – I feel like it’s very much go-go-go and I feel like I am barely surviving by the end of it.
That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy summer – but I am always ready for Autumn when it comes.
One of my favourite things about Autumn is the earlier, darker evenings.
I like drawing the curtains early, and lighting a candle and making the house feel cosy but I know for a lot of people – including my husband – the earlier darkness is the worst bit.
(If that is something you struggle with I do have a planned upcoming post about how to combat that!)
A slower pace is something that we all need more of in our lives, and Autumn gives us the perfect opportunity to put a bit more effort into taking better care of ourselves.
Here are a few ways that we can take better care of ourselves this Autumn season.
Slow self-care
The important thing to remember about self-care is that it is a way of making sure that your needs are being met.
Sometimes that does look like a long bubble bath with your book or getting your nails done or a spa day.
Most of the time it’s going to look like doing the things that give you peace in your life.
Sometimes that is going to be the nicer things like bubble baths but a lot of the time it’s going to be the less fun things like early nights and doing things that are going to make the next day just a little bit easier.
Autumn allows us to do self-care in a slower way – to actually nurture ourselves and rest and listen to our bodies.
Eat well
Autumn and winter are actually really good times to make healthy eating a bit easier.
We tend to want warmer foods during the colder months and it’s the perfect opportunity to make soups and stews and casseroles etc where you can chuck loads of different vegetables in without it really affecting the taste.
Autumn is the perfect time to nourish yourself.
It’s also a good time to be making a bit more effort to nourish yourself and give your immune system a bit of support with all the bugs and germs that tend to be around over the colder months.
Slow cookers can make cooking these types of foods really easy as well.
Get outside
Just 10 minutes outside is going to give you a feel-good energy and mood boost.
Be mindful about it, feel the crisper cooler air on your skin. Feel the autumn sun on your face.
Autumn walks are my favourite, you get to see all the colour changes, you get to walk through crunchy leaves and you come home feeling refreshed.
It can be easier to get out and about in the summer, but it’s so important to get outside all year round.
Wrap up in a warm scarf and some cosy gloves and you will feel so much better for it!
Even standing outside your back door with a warm cup of tea for 5 minutes is going to make you feel good.
Start small.
Get cosy at home
Make a cosy ritual at home, maybe once everyone is in bed you can grab a warm cup of tea or hot chocolate and cwtch up on your sofa with a snuggly blanket and maybe read your book or work on a craft activity or even watch some ‘Gilmore girls‘.
Whatever it is that you love doing – do that and make it cosy.
Have earlier nights
Make the most of the earlier darker nights by making a point of going to bed a bit earlier.
Your circardian rhythm will thankyou for it!
When it becomes dark our circadian rhythm signals to our body that it’s time to wind down and melatonin is released which helps us to get ready for sleep.
So make the most of that system kicking in earlier and go to bed a bit earlier.
Sleep is so important, and it helps us cope with life so much better than when we don’t have it.
If you need some more help with sleep – give this blog posts a read.
How to get a good night sleep (even as a mum)
Slow down
Slowing down can feel impossible when you are a busy mum – there is always something or someone that needs you.
Slowing down is going to help you to enjoy motherhood so much more.
Autumn is the perfect time to start practicing letting yourself slow down because it tends to have a slower pace.
Give yourself a minute to enjoy a cup of tea while it’s warm, take a minute to notice what is going on around you and to actually enjoy it.
Grab a cosy blanket and a warm drink and some snacks and have a family movie night.
Or get under your blanket with a cosy autumn read.
I think we all need to slow down a little.
Slowing down doesn’t have to be things like reading or crafting, slowing down can also mean going out for a mindful walk in the autumn air.
Notice the colours and the way the sun comes through the colour-changing leaves and the crunchy noises the leaves make as you walk through them.
Or perhaps baking is more of your thing.
If baking with the kids feels a bit chaotic, you are allowed to bake on your own too.
Or make a really fancy meal in peace.
Slowing down doesn’t have to be on stop, it just means doing things in a slower and more calmer way.
It’s really hard not to feel overwhelmed when we are going a hundred miles an hour trying to keep up with everything.
Most of the things can wait just a little bit longer while you take a breath.
Slowing down might just seem like a little thing but it’s going to be the little thing that helps you show up with the calm and patience and warmth that you want to showing up with as a mum.
So it’s worth making it a priority.
If you want some help in slowing down – give this blog post a read.
That leads us on to the next point…
Notice the simple things
It goes hand in hand with slowing down, but noticing the little things is a really good way to slow down.
The autumn and winter months can be harder for a lot of people, but noticing the little things that bring us joy is going to help counter-act that a bit.
Gratitude plays a big role in our happiness, and noticing the little things does help give you realise that there are a lot of good things going.
Simple things like:
- Lighting a candle
- Buying a new Autumn smelling candle
- Enjoying a warm cuppa
- Going outside with your cuppa and noticing the steam coming from it
- Slow cooker meals making dinner times a bit easier
- Walking through crunchy leaves
- All the autumn colours
- Log fires
- The smell of log burners in the air as you go for a walk
- Bringing those cosy jumpers and scarves back out
- Slower hobbies – reading, crafting etc
- Baking
- The softness of a cosy blanket
Simplify your home
We spend a lot more time at home over the autumn and winter months.
So it seems like the perfect time to make our home into somewhere calm and somewhere that we can enjoy.
I feel very strongly that our home should be somewhere that we can escape to and don’t need to escape from!
It should be the place that helps us and our families thrive and if it’s not doing that – maybe it’s time for some changes!
The best place to start is with decluttering, the less stuff you have in your home, the less you will need to tidy it up and the less you will have to do and therefore the calmer your home will be.
Once you have decluttered, the next step is to create a cleaning routine that will help you keep on top of things.
A cleaning routine might not sound like the most exciting of things, but it will help keep your stress levels manageable and help you feel more in control of your life.
Remember…
Just a reminder that nobody is doing it all and use the Autumn season to let that pressure go.
Just doing small, little things is going to make your life so much better.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire life.
Just start with one thing that will allow you to slow down and bring you joy.
What is one cosy thing you are going to do for you this autumn? I’d love to know in the comments!
Beth x
