60 Autumn Self-Care Ideas and Challenge for a Cozy Fall

These Autumn self-care ideas will help you feel relaxed. From spending time in the crisp air to making a seasonal hot drink or a cup of tea, setting new boundaries, and reading your favorite books for Fall, it’s a good time of year to boost your self-care routine with the little things. You’ll see a positive effect with these Autumn self-care tips for mental health, so celebrate the season by taking the Autumn self-care challenge!

1. Attend a Fall festival or Oktoberfest.
2. Attend a Fall sporting event, such as a major league football game.
3. Bask in direct sunlight for 20 minutes a day before it gets too cold to do so.
4. Breathe in the crisp air of the colder seasons to improve your mental health.
5. Build a fire and/or light your fireplace.
6. Burn a Fall-scented candle, from pumpkin to apple and beyond.
7. Carve or paint a pumpkin.
8. Celebrate the Fall season through holidays, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving.
9. Clear the List of a teacher as they head back to school, as there is beauty to be had in giving.
10. Cook or bake something seasonal, like apples, butternut squash, and pumpkin pie.
11. Create a Fall bucket list.
12. Cut or buy fresh Fall flowers, like chrysanthemums.
13. Decorate your home living space for the season.
14. Drink a warm drink and/or your favorite Fall drink, coffee or tea, such as a pumpkin spice latte, hot chocolate, or hot apple cider.
15. Enjoy spending time indoors on a rainy or cold day.
16. Gaze at the harvest moon.
17. Get enough sleep in your busy schedule (now that the relaxing Summer months have ended), especially during these shorter days.
18. Get or give yourself a Fall-themed manicure.
19. Go on a hayride.
20. Go leaf peeping and delight in the Fall foliage.
21. Go apple picking and/or pumpkin picking.
22. Go on a hike as the seasons change.
23. Host a Halloween party.
24. Journal about Fall aspirations and memories using journal prompts and/or make a gratitude list.
25. Knit a warm blanket.
26. Learn a magic trick.
27. Limit screen time with a social media detox.
28. Listen to an Autumn-themed playlist.
29. Listen to the natural sounds of the Autumn season, like rustling leaves.
30. Make a puzzle.
31. Make Thanksgiving dinner.
32. Meditate outdoors about the change of seasons.
33. Meet up with family and/or friends, especially on Thanksgiving and “Friendsgiving.”
34. Open a window on a mild day.
35. Pack away your summer clothes and pull out your Fall clothes.
36. Paint, draw, photograph, or color the orange and yellow hues of nature, especially if this is a new hobby.
37. Plan your Halloween costume.
38. Play a Fall sport, like flag football.
39. Practice gratitude for Fall, especially around Thanksgiving.
40. Practice seasonal mindfulness for Fall, as the holiday season always comes around so quickly.
41. Rake leaves (and jump in the piles).
42. Read Autumn self-care quotes.
43. Read a good book, such as Fall thrillers and Fall romances.
44. Shop at your local farmer’s market for seasonal goodies.
45. Shop for Fall clothes and/or home decor.
46. Spend time in the fresh air with a pet or animal.
47. Start planning for the new year before the end of the year.
48. Swap out your makeup and skincare for colder months.
49. Take bike rides in cooler weather.
50. Take a lunch break and appreciate the weather changes.
51. Take a relaxing bath with Fall essential oils (like sage), bubble bath, and a face mask.
52. Take a nature walk in cooler temperatures to maintain your physical health.
53. Take a nap under a cozy blanket.
54. Travel somewhere that feels like Fall, like New England.
55. Visit a garden or arboretum.
56. Visit an orchard, pumpkin patch, or farm. 
57. Watch the birds migrate before the colder weather.
58. Watch cozy or spooky seasonal movies and television shows, like Harry Potter, Friday Night Lights, and Gilmore Girls.
59. Watch a Thanksgiving parade.
60. Wear cozy socks and a cozy sweater when it’s finally “sweater weather.”

Autumn Self-Care Challenge

Now that you know all the best Autumn self-care ideas, take the Autumn self-care challenge! Use the Instagram story templates (Fall self-care checklist and Fall self-care bingo) below to track your custom season of taking care of YOU.

Practice self-love and wellness in other seasons:

• Summer Self-Care Challenge
• Spring Self-Care Challenge
• Winter Self-Care Challenge