The Best Things To Do In The Autumn

TURN ON THE LIGHTS

The most depressing thing about the end of the year is that days are shorter and it gets dark very early in the day. A lack of light may make you feel unmotivated, sleepy, moody… So my best tip when autumn arrives is to turn the lights on! You can find really cheap fairy lights in Primark, and adding a couple of strings of fairy light in your room can be a game-changer. Think about where you want to put them too: around your bed and your desk are the best areas, because it is where you need a lot of light. Everything will feel so cosy and special!

In the autumn, we should appreciate the days where it’s not grey and rainy. This is why whenever the sun is out, and lets out that beautiful, golden light, we should run outside and enjoy it! There is nothing more satisfying that the autumn sun. It always feels like a privilege when you have a sunny and (somewhat) warm autumn day, and there are so many things to do outside at those times: leave and pine cone picking, walking in the park, a day trip (Winchester and Wells, UK are awesome cities to see in the autumn) or even, if the cold doesn’t bother you at all, a picnic in the park with warm drinks and comforting foods!

My favourite places to go around London in the autumn time are the outside area of Covent Garden (you can always pop in Whittard’s for a warm tea or delicious hot chocolate!), St James’ Park and the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park. Autumn colours, and squirells galore!

PLAY WITH MAKEUP 

The autumn is my favourite season to play with makeup. It makes me want to get out all my dark lipsticks, my shimmery eye shadows and it gives me inspiration to create new looks. Often in the spring and summer I prefer lighter makeup looks, but in the autumn, my Naked palette is out again, and so are my glitter nail polishes! It is also a good self-care moment, – am I the only to feel like applying makeup is super relaxing?

TAKE IT SLOW

While in the summer we tend to be outside all the time, staying out for hours in the evening, going for drinks and spending a lot of time socializing, to me autumn is a time of centering yourself back. Find the time to listen to yourself, do things on your own a bit more, spend a rainy day at home relaxing and practicing mindfulness. There is nothing wrong with stopping from time to time, and letting go of the fear of missing out (but that is a whole other topic…)

My top tips? Spend a few hours doing exactly what you want. And if that means watching a silly TV show to get your mind off stress, then do it. Do something relaxing.

Since September, I have started stretching out once or twice a day, in little fifteen-minute sessions. I put on relaxing meditation music (you can find lots of these videos on YouTube) and think about nothing. It helps me unwind, especially before I go to bed. At this time of year, we can start to be tired. We have accomplished a lot, we have spent busy months working and enjoy holidays, and to make it through to these last days of December, we need pick-me-ups. Read books, watch comforting shows or films, cook hearty foods, and don’t rush when you take time for yourself. You deserve it. Make it a weekly thing that you look forward to. And just like that, autumn will have flown by – and you’ll be ready to attack winter strong!