Feeling sad on rainy autumn evenings is as natural as partying all night long in the summer. Of course, for variety's sake, you can indulge in a little melancholy now and then. However, it's much more pleasant to spend time in a way that benefits both body and soul.
And yet, autumn always marks the beginning of something new. Vacations and holidays end. A new school year begins. Every day is another chance to make your life better. After all, for a happy person, even the coldest and rainiest autumn is a precious time, so important to spend productively.
1. Have a photo shoot outdoors
Autumn landscapes are the perfect backdrop for beautiful photos! A sunflower field, a forest, a lakeshore, or a riverbank—photos taken against the red and gold colors of autumn are simply stunning! Photograph everything: clusters of viburnum berries, late bloomers, colorful leaves, and, of course, yourself against them. Make rowan beads or a wreath of colorful leaves, and weave viburnum berries and flowers into it. Collect beautiful twigs, colorful leaves, and pine cones—they can be used to make New Year's souvenirs for friends and loved ones.
2. Change your attitude
Fall is here! After all, everything is in our heads, and it depends on the thoughts and feelings we associate with a given situation. Is autumn a time of gloomy weather, slush, and cold? Or perhaps autumn is a time of colorful leaves, warm and soft, multicolored sweaters, scarves, and umbrellas, a time for collecting herbariums, pumpkin soup, and dashing in the rain from the cafe to the cinema? Try to find something positive in what's making you feel sad. Smile at your own thoughts, and they will happily respond with a positive mood.
3. Start exercising
In the fall, physical activity declines, so many people gain extra pounds. Sign up for dance, aerobics, yoga, go to the gym, or, even better, a pool. Swimming tones, promotes weight loss, and improves health. Fall is the best time for running: it's not as hot outside as in summer, and the fresh air is known to be very invigorating. Exercise will help dispel the autumn blues. After all, when a person leads an active lifestyle, happiness hormones are produced more actively.
4. Collect a herbarium
An essential part of autumn! The next chance won't be until next year, so now's the time! You don't have to dry them and glue them to paper—it's enough to simply gather your precious collection of yellow, red, and orange flowers and place each treasure in your favorite books. Make a colorful garland or an autumn bouquet.
5. Go on holiday to hot countries
This is especially true if you missed out on a summer vacation, especially since there are plenty of affordable travel deals available in the fall. A long-awaited trip will provide a wealth of new experiences and positive emotions that will make autumn depression simply powerless. You can also travel within your home country, to its most beautiful cities—they're steeped in a special romance at this time of year. Even a trip to a neighboring city will help you unwind and enjoy a change of scenery.
6. Clean out your closet
It's time to put those flowy summer skirts and short tops away somewhere deep in the closet, sort through your fall/winter wardrobe, and see what's missing, filling in the gaps. Pay special attention to warm socks, sweaters, cardigans, and scarves.
7. Have a picnic in nature
Sit by the fire, bake some potatoes, fry some sausages, sip some aromatic herbal tea from a thermos, and sing along to a guitar. And if you can't get out into nature, have a picnic at home. Bake some potatoes and meat in the oven, open a jar of cucumbers or pickled mushrooms, bake a homemade pie, make some herbal tea, turn off the lights, light some candles, turn on your favorite music, and settle down on the floor with a warm blanket.
8. Start a new project
Something that will captivate and touch new sides of your personality. Perhaps it's time to go to school where you've always wanted to go, change jobs, try a new one, write a screenplay or a novel, or start your own "365" of something.
9. Invite friends over
Prepare different types of tea (with herbs, berries, fruits), sweet treats like cookies with wishes, invite your friends over, and have a tasting. You can also bake a homemade pie—with apples, pears, plums, or several at once—using different recipes, and hold a contest for the best dessert. Tea with various delicacies, heartfelt conversations, songs accompanied by a guitar, the smell of homemade baked goods… it's so wonderful to spend evenings in the company of your favorite friends.
10. Take a course in something new
Speaking of new projects, September is the month for school or college, but if you're already over that, why not take a class in something fun—massage, dance, or art? The doors are open—you just have to come in.
11. Create a cultural program
Movie premieres, concerts, and all kinds of exhibitions—research everything carefully, and book tickets in advance, as it's best to purchase them for such events in advance. Read books. Paper ones. The smell of paper, the cozy crunch of pages, the yellow light of a floor lamp, a warm blanket, and aromatic coffee—these settings are perfect for reading. Books develop us and enrich our vocabulary, so don't be lazy—there are so many good ones!
12. Expand your tea collection
For every occasion—herbal, fragrant, soft, aromatic, warming, relaxing, and deliciously fragrant. All you need is a basic black and green tea and various tea bags with herbs: oregano, mint, chamomile, and thyme, for starters, will transform your tea drinking into a new, delicious and healthy experience.
13. Go shopping
You don't have to buy anything. Just enjoy autumn shopping, which, unlike summer, is slower and more leisurely. In the fall months, stores are much quieter: new items are sold without discounts, summer items are already sold out, meaning there's less of the summer rush.
14. Surround yourself with sunny mood
Speaking of mood, there's no such thing as bad weather! Autumn prepares nature for rest, cleanses it, nourishes the earth, and in winter, it wraps the trees in snowflakes and protects their sleep. So, there shouldn't be anything in either of these that suggests "this nasty weather." Let the sun shine within you, in your very heart, illuminating and warming you.
15. Harvest
If you have a dacha or your grandma lives nearby, head out to harvest. Picking vegetables, berries, and fruits can be incredibly rewarding! Fresh air, birdsong, and nature's bounty, which you can then enjoy all winter long—this kind of time is good for both body and soul. You can also help your grandma preserve food, like jams and pickles, for the winter.
16. Write a wish list
An essential part of a new season (and any other change) is a wonderful list of things you really want to accomplish by a certain date. These lists help you stay focused on your goals and desires, and it's so nice to take stock of them later!
17. Go to the forest to pick mushrooms.
Just imagine how you'll feel when, after a walk through the autumn forest, you return home with a basket of honey mushrooms, birch boletes, or noble porcini mushrooms. A golden carpet of leaves covering the still-green grass, red islands of berries in forest clearings, colorful treetops through which timid rays of sunlight filter, the breath of the last warm breeze, a "concert" of bird songs—such a walk will bring a wealth of pleasure!
18. Smile more
Not because it irritates everyone (remember the saying: "Smile—it irritates everyone"). For yourself. Smile because everything is great. There are plenty of gloomy people on the street; join the ranks of those who smile at this world every day, and there's no need for a reason.
19. Make homemade preparations
Stock up on seasonal fruits, berries, and vegetables while they're still affordable at the market. Vegetables can be frozen or preserved for the winter. Sauerkraut, lightly pickled cucumbers, squash caviar, apple jam—you can stick with traditional recipes or try new, more exotic ones, like making dogwood jam or candied pumpkin.
20. Surprise everyone
A fresh, new approach to autumn, a brightly colored wardrobe, a smile, even if it's raining outside, a rooftop picnic, even if the cool breeze blows (why did people invent blankets, throws, and sweaters then?), a new, super-delicious coffee recipe, or an encouraging phrase. Loving people is the greatest art, as Vincent van Gogh said. Great, but not all that difficult, and, what's more, very enjoyable.
21. Do some handicrafts
Buy yarn in a variety of shades and knit cozy winter items for your loved ones: scarves, mittens, and socks. They'll be truly delighted with these gifts. In autumn, time seems to slow down. On rainy evenings, you can watch old movies, read your favorite books, knit, or embroider, enjoying the slow passage of time and your favorite warming drinks.
22. Discover your creativity
Whether you draw, sing, dance, sculpt with play dough, or make bears out of socks—it's up to you. The key is to take this path if you've been wanting to do it for a long time but can't seem to get it. Start small and get the most out of it. Come up with your own creative project and make it happen!
23. Celebrate Halloween
On October 31st, All Saints' Day, throw a mystical party in true traditional style—with witches, pumpkins, and black cats: make treats, make jack-o'-lanterns, dress up as ghosts, and have fun like kids. That's the whole point of this ancient holiday: laughing at things that scare you, to stop being afraid of them, to see something positive in the scary. After all, Halloween is truly the kindest and most joyful holiday of autumn. It's not for nothing that they hand out candy to all the spirits.
24. Share Instagram with real life
Progress has dictated that today we have more photos somewhere online than in albums, on the wall, or even under a magnet on the refrigerator. And with the introduction of phones, tablets, and other photography-capable gadgets into our lives, most of our photos have migrated to Instagram. So why not use them more creatively and add them to your life?.
25. Educate yourself
Take language courses, attend specialized seminars, read books on your specialization.
If you need to brush up on a foreign language, attend conversation clubs. Start learning a new language. To make it more interesting, listen to foreign songs or watch your favorite movies with subtitles. These and other tips from the book by polyglot Susanna Zarayskaya will show you how to turn learning into a fun game. Do mental exercises, such as those in the books "What to Do with Your Family in the Evening at the Dacha Without the Internet" and "Memory Doesn't Fail." Try learning a musical instrument. Develop your creativity. You'll learn how to become more creative in the book "Rice Storm." Read interesting popular science literature. Snuggle up in a chair with "Interstellar," "Quantum Universe," "Beauty Squared," or "Game Theory." They will help broaden your horizons, stir your imagination, and captivate you more than any detective story.
Autumn is the perfect time to change something in your life, rethink it, finish what you started, plan something new, decide on something you've long dreamed of, and find a new, more interesting and highly paid job.
26. Buy a warm blanket
It's getting cold not only outside, but also at home. Before you turn on the heating, buy your warmest, coziest, and brightest blanket. You'll see—it'll definitely come in handy. And not just in the fall.
27. Spend your weekend actively
On a warm, sunny day, you can go on a river boat or cruise, go horseback riding, visit the zoo, go rollerblading, or go on a bike ride. Incidentally, all of these ideas are great for romantic dates.
Autumn is a season many dislike due to its changeable and unpredictable weather. But we mustn't forget that rainy days free up precious time that we can spend productively. And even when it's gloomy and damp outside, remember: every season has its own unique charm.
28. Buy some cozy pajamas
Of course, a warm blanket will save you, but in the fall and winter, it's still more pleasant to sleep in cute flannel pajamas. Then, getting out from under that blanket in the morning won't be so painful.
29. Take a photoshoot with leaves
Yes, soon the internet will be full of jokes about "girls in leaves," and Instagram will be filled with photos of beauties against golden backdrops. Let them laugh, though; a few photos in the autumn foliage won't hurt anyone. Or at least a selfie on your phone. Just for fun.
30. Find the perfect ankle boots
What's autumn without fashionable new items? Luxurious ankle boots are just what you need for a great mood and a stylish look. And it doesn't matter that you already bought two pairs last fall and last spring—you can never have too many good shoes.
31. Place bouquets of leaves around the apartment
You know, autumn bouquets of yellowed leaves can be just as beautiful as summer ones made with bright, freshly cut flowers. Add a touch of autumn to your interior: place a wonderful yellow and red bouquet in the most prominent place in the house.
32. Buy an aroma lamp
There are days when you come home from work, collapse on the couch, and have no energy left for anything. Absolutely. What do you do when it's pitch dark outside and depression is about to overwhelm you? Simply relax: push away negative thoughts, light an aroma lamp with essential oils, and lie down for 15–20 minutes. Add mandarin, lemon balm, lavender, or marjoram oil to the lamp. You'll see, you'll feel better.
33. Have a day without the Internet
Spend a day without the internet: turn off your phone, don't turn on your computer, forget about social media and news sites. Take a break from the daily flood of information. Clear your head and dedicate yourself to the real world, at least for one day.
34. Organize a literary evening with family or friends. Here are some ideas.
- Take a line from any book and then invite the audience to come up with their own story on the given topic.
- Let everyone write a poem about what they find in their pockets.
- Think of a well-known fairy tale. The game's participants are tasked with writing their own version of the story. You can transport the characters to another time or place them on Mars, reframe the story, and reveal unexpected sides to their personalities. It'll be fun!
- Learn a few poems about autumn and read them to each other.
Still wondering what to do this fall? Live and enjoy life! Fill each day with meaning, live with love, and remember with gratitude! Have a happy fall!