If you’re like me, and need your Autumn essentials to get through this season, welcome to find out what my Autumn survival kit includes!
Autumn is here and I can already notice its effect on my well-being. This season is all about survival for me. The seasonal affective disorder (SAD) hits hard when temperatures plummet and days become shorter.
- My patience for any little thing grows thin,
- my energy levels plummet due to lack of sunlight (yes, I run on solar energy)
- and I just become someone who’s not particularly nice to be around.
I’m aware of all of this. But as much as I try to avoid feeling annoyed about people being people, it’s very difficult to reach my normal level of calm when I’m so broken on the inside. All because of the climate.
But we have to do with what we’ve been given, even if for now it is shit.
So, survival kit is the word of the season, once again. And since I know what the main issues, are and how those issues affect my well-being, I’m able to adjust to the situation to some extent.
My Autumn Essentials – The Ultimate Survival Kit
For a lot of people Autumn is a season of joy! There was a time in my life when I also enjoyed it. This was up until SAD started tightening its grip on my mental health during this particular season. It’s kind of ironig, though, because you’d think that Winter was the season when I struggle the most.
I literally hate Winter to my absolute core. This may be because I grew up in Finland and I’ve seen enough snow and ice, and dealth with -30 celsius enough for a lifetime. Nonetheless, Winter up North is something that I do not see worth bothering with while we have the possibility to fly away from it.
But Autumn still has its pros to it, and most importantly, it doesn’t include any snow! So, I do want to stay up North for it, even though I know it can be quite hard for me. Thus, I have concockted an array of Autumn essentials to make sure I get through this season as gracefully as possible. Let’s dive in!
1. Autumn fashion
On top of hating snow, the cold and the darkness of Winter, what makes it even worse is the lack of style that this season is all about. Fine, if you live in Southern Europe you may still be able to dress in normal clothes. But not up North! You must look like the Michelin man or you’ll literally freeze to death.
But Autumn is still a good season for fashion enthusiasts. In fact, many think it’s the best fashion season! Especially if you like layering, this must be your favourite season.
As a fashion enthusiast myself, embracing my wardrobe is definitely one of my biggest Autumn essentials. Somehow jeans, shirts and jackets are the things that bring me the most inspiration and motivation in terms of styling them in different ways.
Or dresses! Oh my goodness, when you find that perfect Autumn dress, it can truly make a huge difference in terms of your confidence as well as upgrade your style.
And the shoes! Omg, how I love Summer shoes but somehow they’re all quite uncomfortable. But my array of high heels for Autumn is a collection of accessories I am extremely proud of. Yes, a wardrobe can bring so much joy to even the darkest periods of our lives.
And let’s not forget about the small details! Accessories can transform an entire look, and custom-designed socks for gifting are an underrated staple. With rich autumn colors and soft knits, they bring comfort and style—perfect for matching sets with friends or extended family or mixing and matching throughout the season for a beautifully curated wardrobe.
Read also: 15 Fun Things To Do By Yourself In The Autumn 2024
2. Tea – LOTS of tea
Tea has always been my comfort drink and an essential part of my Autumn essentials survival kit. It warms you up, and it makes you feel like home. That’s why I always drink a cup of tea when I come home from any sort of travel. No matter if it’s a weekend in Finland, or a holiday far away, I’m not home until I’ve had a cup of tea.
Perhaps it’s the warmth factor, but drinking tea really calms me down and makes me feel like everything’s okay. That’s why I totally understand why Brits suggest a cup of tea when you’re having a hard time. I know from experience, it does work!
I prefer drinking my tea from enormous, bucket-size cups rather than those small, pretty cups with saucers. I want the enjoyment to last as long as possible, so a big bucket of tea is my comfort choice.
Just make sure it tastes absolutely delicious! And don’t compromise on the amount of sugar, we need every bit of joy this season.
3. Creative projects
Yes, I know; with Seasonal Affective Disorder running rampant creativity can be hard to come by. But like with any other mild(!) mental health issues, they come and go in waves. There are bad days and good days. And on the good days I like to get on top of things first thing when I wake up:
- I create a rough to-do list for the day NOT including work: photos I wish to take, music I will put on, newsletters I’d like to write, etc.
- Then I flow through the day doing what comes to me naturally. Inspiration flows when we allow it to, so make sure you don’t cram the day full of tasks, you need to be bored sometimes.
- When we allow our minds to wander freely, we allow creativity to flourish, which usually leads to some amazing creative projects we couldn’t even imagine in the morning when composing the to-do list. Just let things flow.
While creativity is one of my Autumn essentials, I do also realise that there are days when I just can’t get there. And that’s fine! Remember to always be kind and compassionate to yourself as you would be to your friends and family.
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4. Books instead of social media
This is a biggie! Social media was wall fun and games when it started off, but nowadays it feels like nothing short of a hell-hole. When I hear the words ‘social media’, all I can think of is:
- People bullying and trolling each other
- Scammers using selling tactics to shame you so you’d buy their over-prised online course
- Pure violence invading our screens because there’s no escaping the fact that the world is on fire and nobody’s doing anything to stop it, etc.
It’s a shit-show we’re currently living in. So, why on Earth would we want to be reminded of that 24/7? No way, fuck social media and grab a book instead. Preferably fiction! That’s the best way to escape reality, which makes it a perfect addition to the Autumn essentials survival kit.
5. Friends
Even though the SAD makes me a lot less social than I would normally be, it’s never good to alienate yourself from people. Human interaction is something that gives me energy, so no matter how low I feel, and how shit the weather outside, I force myself to hang out with friends at least once a week.
And every time I gain extra energy from it. Just hanging out with people, talking about everything and nothing, laughing about whatever, it just makes me feel so good. As Autumn essentials go, this is one I truly value.
It of course helps that I am the ultimate extrovert, so for SAD to affect me like it does is scary and frustrating every single year. But because I know it’s going to happen, I push myself to find the energy to get up and get out.
Some days it’s really hard. But I do it because I know the positive impact and the value it brings in regards to my mental health.
Things I love about Autumn
Of course, there are also a lot of things I love about Autumn, it’s not all about surviving.
- We have the privilege of having full 4 seasons, and there’s nothing as beautiful as the colour display that trees put up at this time each year.
- Also, hot chocolate gets a whole new aura of luxury about it in the Autumn. I don’t drink hot chocolate often, but come Autumn I get a sudden urge to have it. A lot!
- And then there’s the anticipation for Halloween! I love a costume party.
And after Halloween we can start preparing for the festive Christmas season with its multiple, glittery parties and events. I’m particularly looking forwards to the Grow & Glow party in London!
Which one are you; Autumn lover or a fellow Autumn struggler? What Autumn essentials are in your seasonal survival kit? ♥
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