16 Ways to Embrace the Cozy Season This Fall

As autumn arrives and daylight hours shrink, many people seek ways to make the darker months feel warmer and more inviting. While traditional rituals like lighting pumpkin spice candles and hanging wreaths are popular, experts from NPR’s Life Kit suggest a variety of other activities to foster introspection, rest, and connection during the season.

The short days, which may see the sun set at 5 p.m. instead of 8 p.m., can lead to lower energy levels. To counter this, specialists recommend embracing the season’s emphasis on dormancy and warmth through food, environment, and mindful pauses.

Warming Foods and Comfort

Culinary adjustments can significantly enhance the fall experience. Sohla El-Waylly, chef and author of Start Here: Instructions for Becoming A Better Cook, recommends adding a pinch of MSG to soups to provide a savory depth that encourages continued eating. Additionally, Kari Leibowitz, a health psychologist and author of How to Winter, suggests switching from a cold breakfast to a hot one. She notes that such small changes help shift focus from the negatives of cold weather to the comforts it brings.

For those seeking convenience without sacrificing comfort, food writer Melissa Clark advocates for one-pan meals. Her recipe for baked pasta with tomato, sausage, and ricotta reduces cooking and cleaning time, leaving more room for relaxation.

Introspection and Mental Clarity

The season also offers an opportunity for deeper self-reflection. Psychologist Christina Costa encourages writing gratitude letters to individuals who have supported us, suggesting that delivering the letter in person can be particularly impactful. She notes that thinking of a K-12 teacher is often an easy starting point if one feels stuck.

Clinical psychologist Andrea Bonior advises taking stock of holiday traditions before the season fully begins. She suggests evaluating whether existing customs feel intentional and meaningful or are being maintained out of obligation, and being open to creating new ones that better align with current values.

Creating a Cozy Home Environment

Interior designer Elaine Griffin recommends engaging all five senses to transform a home into a fall sanctuary. This might include draping velvety blankets over furniture, lighting candles with crackling wicks, hanging cinnamon brooms, displaying gourds, and keeping snacks like chocolate chip cookies readily available.

Sally Augustin, a psychologist specializing in environment and design, suggests rotating cherished mementos and displayed items monthly. She describes this practice as creating a “visiting exhibit” that refreshes familiar surroundings and provides a sense of control.

Indulgent Personal Rituals

NPR’s Lynn Neary highlights the simple pleasure of reading in bed on weekend mornings as a rewarding way to start the day. For evening routines, Leibowitz recommends taking walks even in dark, cold weather. Drawing on Norwegian wisdom that there is “no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing,” she explains that such walks can leave one feeling awake yet calm and prepared for sleep.

Devika Girish, co-deputy editor of Film Comment Magazine, offers tips for creating an immersive home theater experience. She advises using the largest screen available, possibly a projector, along with blankets and snacks like crisped chickpeas and popcorn, paired with hot cider.

Recharging Energy

Perhaps the most crucial recommendation is to prioritize rest. Tricia Hersey, author of Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto, blocks off a rest day each week on her calendar, during which she avoids emails and work-related tasks. For those unable to take a full day off, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of Sacred Rest, suggests taking sensory breaks. These involve stepping away from screens for five to ten minutes to close one’s eyes, which she compares to rebooting a frozen computer, or looking at distant objects to reduce eye strain.

Clinical psychologist Aarti Gupta also addresses the fear of missing out (FOMO), advising individuals to remind themselves why they chose to stay in. Whether it is the need for alone time after a long week or an early start the next day, Gupta emphasizes that human life involves constant trade-offs.

Deepening Connections

Social engagement remains important even as winter approaches. Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, encourages people to schedule group activities, such as visiting a new bookshop, apple picking, or hosting a movie marathon. The key, she says, is to start with something that sounds fun and invite just a few friends.

For spiritual connection, Camara Meri Rajabari, a psychotherapist specializing in ancestral roots for Black, Indigenous, and people of color, suggests creating an ancestral altar. Displaying heirlooms or items representing passed loved ones can help connect individuals to their history and imagination.

Finally, Lucretia VanDyke, author of African American Herbalism, proposes a nature walk exercise involving the visualization of tree root networks. By envisioning these underground connections linking one location to another, such as connecting a tree in Louisiana to family in North Carolina, individuals may foster a sense of spiritual closeness to absent loved ones.