One tiny tweak you can make in your routine? Live in harmony with the season by switching from iced coffee to hot coffee. Heck, sprinkle in a little cinnamon on top while you’re at it.
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Fall is a lot of people’s favorite season, with its colorful leaves, its crisp air and its many opportunities for play and make believe.
But if you’re feeling anxious about making the most of it, why not take a simpler, more mindful approach?
We’ve rounded up a few low-effort ways to make the lead-up to Halloween feel cozy and festive, whether that’s becoming a pro at reheating frozen soup, creating a small ritual to mark the season (like switching from iced coffee to hot coffee), or giving yourself permission to go minimal with the fall decor this year.
ЁЯМбя╕ПMake simple adjustments to your lifestyle as the season changes. “Prepare your nest” as the days shorten and the weather cools, says Kari Leibowitz, author of How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days. “Light candles. Switch from a cold breakfast to a warm breakfast. Switch from iced coffee to hot coffee.”
ЁЯОГ When decorating for the season, consider how much effort you want to put into cleaning up тАФ like taking down all those cobwebs, bats and jack-o’-lantern garlands. “What goes up must go down,” says interior designer Elaine Griffin, author of Design Rules: The Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator. So “think about your level of commitment to” putting away that decor.
ЁЯНБ On your next forest walk, take a moment to observe the natural cycle of life. In many cultures, fall is a symbol of death and rebirth. Plants shed their leaves and prepare for winter dormancy, giving way to new life. Use your next nature walk as a way to reflect on the natural order of things. This is a particularly cathartic practice if you are grieving, says Gary Evans, director of the Forest Bathing Institute,
If following the trends feels like too much, remember: classic Halloween costumes are always in style.
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ЁЯНО Don’t feel like you have to find the perfect Halloween costume. It can be a lot of pressure to come up with a clever pop culture reference or decide on the movie character who you most admire. Why not try something fun, unexpected and irreverent instead? Be an inanimate object, like an apple or a baked potato, or heck, even “a bottle of Windex,” says Los Angeles-based stylist Sophie Strauss.
ЁЯОм Find little tweaks to level up your home theater. Fall is a time for spooky movies and comfort TV shows. Devika Girish, editor of Film Comment Magazine, explains what you’ll need to mimic the immersive experience of a movie theater at home. Watch the film on the biggest screen available to you (if you can, get a projector). Get some blankets. And fix yourself some snacks. Girish particularly loves munching on crisped chickpeas and popcorn and sipping a hot cup of cider while watching movies.
ЁЯН▓ Make your leftovers go further and reheat frozen soup like a pro. Author and chef Sohla El-Waylly shares her advice: “Throw the frozen soup into a pot with a splash of water to get a little steam going at the bottom. Go for a low heat at first to get everything melted, then once it’s melted, bring it up to a boil,” she says. “Then give it a taste and see if you need to re-season it with salt. Oftentimes, it can fall a little flat, and you might need a squeeze of lemon to brighten everything up.”
ЁЯез If making pastry dough for an autumnal pie feels too difficult, try making a tart. “It’s not as time-intensive or technical as a pie,” says Lauren Ko, a baker and the author of Pieometry. And many can be made without pastry dough. “Blend up some speculoos cookies with some melted butter and you have a shell. Or toast up coconut and pecans and add butter for another shell.”
ЁЯЪлOpt out of a Halloween party or two тАФ then let go of that feeling of FOMO. When you find yourself thinking the leaves are more colorful on the other side, remind yourself that the ones in front of you are pretty great too. “Maybe [you chose to stay in] because you had a long week and you need to recharge with some alone time. Or maybe you have an early start the next day. Whatever the reason might be, it’s important to remember that as humans, we live by making a series of trade-offs,” says Aarti Gupta, clinical director at TherapyNest in Palo Alto, Calif.
This story was edited by Marielle Segarra. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
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