Say goodbye to summer weather and hello to sweater weather! Fall is one of the best times in the year to practice self-care. The food, clothing, weather, and temperature all promote a healthier and happier lifestyle, and below is a list of just some of the ways you can focus on self-care this fall.

1. Have the Day Off

Since the weather is cooler, you won’t have to worry about the humidity when you head outside anymore. This means that you get to enjoy longer periods of fresh air! Spend the day outside by taking a walk alone, playing at the dog park with your pets, or even having a picnic with the family.

This will make you very happy in more ways than one. Firstly, it makes you mentally happy because you get to enjoy being one with nature. Smelling the cool and crisp autumn air will significantly improve your mood! Secondly, it makes you physically healthy because you can get exercise, thereby maintaining your body’s wellness.

2. Declutter Your Home

People always consider spring the time for cleaning, but you shouldn’t limit yourself that way. Fall is just as great for decluttering your home and sprucing things up a bit with self-care.

For example, there are a ton of fall-themed items you can use to decorate your home. Walk into any department store and you’ll probably find ceramic pumpkins, fake autumn leaves, crocheted blankets, and other items to get your home ready for fall. You can match the inside to the outside by turning your home into a fall festival.

Take out the trash and bring in the fall!

3. Think About Your Goals in Life

You’ll presumably be cozying up in your house more, so why not spend some time on self-reflection and self-care in fall? Fall is the perfect season to think about where you are in your life and what you still hope to achieve. Since fall is also the season of Thanksgiving, you can also think about things in your life that make you grateful to be alive.

Make a bucket list of short- and long-term goals. Think of how to achieve those goals. If some of them are things you can do right away, go out and do them! If some of them will need more work, plan your route!

The American Heart Association says that having a bucket list promotes cognitive function. Since you have something you’re actively going for, your brain will not become stagnant and you won’t feel ‘stuck’ in life.

4. Take Advantage of Fall Foods

As you may already know, certain fruits and vegetables are tastier when they’re in season. In the case of fall, apples, squash, pears, and broccoli are the foods you really want to take advantage of. Studies have shown that they not only become much tastier but also much healthier. So, start using those fall recipe books!

You also want to relish in the colder weather because that means eating more hot foods. What better way to cozy up than with a plate of warm apple pie, a bowl of pumpkin cream soup, or a serving of warm pear crisp? The warmth from these foods will spread from your tummy to the very tips of your toes and fingers—if you haven’t experienced this before, it’s an amazing experience!

5. Bask in the Sunlight

Now that summer has come and gone, you can expect the sunlight to be gone for longer periods too. Eventually, you’re going to see more cloudy days than sunny days. So, if you’re someone who enjoys the sunshine, absorb as much as you can while it’s still around!

This lack of sunshine affects people differently. While others might welcome cloudy days, others might develop seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This is a mental health condition that’s triggered by the change of season, particularly between warmer and cooler weather.

So, if you find yourself catching the winter blues and you don’t want it to get worse, talk to your doctor. You can always try light therapy. This involves turning on lights of a specific brightness at certain points during the day to brighten your mood. According to doctors, this is highly effective in combating the winter blues.

6. Wear Comfortable Clothes

There’s just something about donning a comfortable sweater when it’s cool outside. You feel very warm and cozy as if someone is engulfing you in their warm embrace. It’s not just soothing to the skin, but also the mind—that’s why many experts believe that wearing clothes you love increases dopamine in the body!

There’s a reason why girlfriends are so obsessed with stealing their boyfriends’ hoodies!

7. Be Excited for Fall Goodies

The arrival of fall comes with the arrival of many fall-specific goodies. The most popular one, of course, is Starbucks’s famous pumpkin spice latte! This iconic drink has inspired many businesses to come out with other pumpkin spice things like muffins, cookies, cakes, and more. When you sink your teeth into them, you can say that the fall season has arrived at last.

Because these goodies only come around during fall, people understandably get excited to have them. And according to research, this excitement lifts our mood and increases our happy hormones. So, don’t let the haters get you—have all the pumpkin spice you want!