How To Embrace the Cosiness of Autumn: 5 Classic Tips for Your Mind and Body

 In her book, Cosy: The British Art of Comfort, writer Laura Weir says:

"In my daily life, I am surrounded by noise and opinion, and over the past few years I have found myself seeking comfort from politically dark winters and the relentlessly bleak news cycle. My instinct has evolved and become an undeniable urge to hide away and find solitude. Rather than swipe and scroll my way through life, I want to feel protected and nurtured. I don't just want to drink a warm cup of tea, I want my emotional state to mirror that cuppa too - warm, predictable, reassuring. Perhaps I'm just getting old, but I want to swap toxic politics and anxieties induced by social media for reliability and kindness. I want to feel more cosy."

Oh my, yes please! Count me in! She goes on to explain that cosy is what you do when no-one is watching - it's your definition of cosy, not one that is being prescribed by current trends or marketing techniques.

This book really made me think. In Australia, in many places, we don't get really bleak and dark winters (although I haven't been everywhere, so I could be wrong!). Often where I live we are the coldest city in the country in any given winter month, but we can be revelling in glorious blue skies shining like diamonds over a deep frost. We do, however, get morning fog, or "pea soupers" as we call them which can really make a day feel miserable. These are the best days for hunkering down and getting cosy! 

Autumn is my absolute favourite season. Where I live, we have many European trees so the colours are striking (most Australian native trees aren't deciduous) and give off those beautiful golden browns and oranges around March and April. Here are my top 5 tips for really embracing the autumn cosiness.

1. Soak up the changing colours

Whether you live somewhere that puts on a vivid autumnal show or not, there are always seasonal changes happening around you. Take an autumn walk, visit the Botanic Gardens, notice the changing colours of the evergreen trees and shrubs around you. Be thankful that summer has passed and that these delightful trees have kept you cool and given off such lovely summer colours. When we are grateful for the simple changes of nature, we are much better equipped to face the struggles of daily life. Exposure to natural environments has been linked to improved immune function, reduced blood pressure, and lower rates of cardiovascular disease. A 2022 study published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning showed that people who spent time in green spaces reported improved physical wellbeing, including increased energy and lower rates of illness (source). As we are approaching winter and the tiring flu season, this is exactly the physical and mental state we want to be in before it begins. If we enter winter stressed, run-down, tired and already feeling low or unwell, those long cold months are going to be even more trying. Just 20 minutes a day in nature can lower our stress levels and it's free!

If possible, bring some of that autumn colour into your house by cutting the clippings of maple trees, ornamental pears or the glorious dark hues of plums and cherries. Collect nuts or pine cones for easy, natural table settings and delicious natural smells.

2. Prepare your garden for winter

As we saw in 1, the benefits of being outside during this wonderful time of the year are many and can improve our physical and mental wellbeing. Add that to the fact that you now need to prepare your garden for winter and you are achieving two goals at once. Are there any winter vegetables you would like to plant? We have a bed of lettuce greens, baby spinach and Swiss chard, all of which can be grown year-round. Bulbs should also be planted now, ready to bring forth bursts of colour in tulips, daffodils, jonquils are more during the late winter and early spring. 

Pruning is also a necessary chore at this time. Cutting back fruit trees or roses not only makes "stick season" a bit more bearable, but we are assisting those plants to take a winter's rest, conserve energy and hopefully come back better than ever in the spring. Other chores like clearing out the gutters, putting garden beds to sleep with compost (actually all those fallen leaves are perfect for that!) and fertiliser, topping up bird baths and trimming back lawn and hedge trims are beneficial not only for your garden but for your own peace of mind.

A tidy garden can not only help with our cortisol levels, but the repetitive and mindful activity of gardening can also direct our thoughts to the here and now and away from worries or anxieties. You will also get a little boost every time you see your neat and tidy garden.

3. Listen to your body

With the busy-ness of summer behind us, now is the perfect time to listen to your body's needs. Perhaps you are craving some more gentle exercise now that those blisteringly hot days have passed. My exercise levels are always at their lowest in summer, because it is just too hot. Autumn and winter are my favourite times to get out with Norman and go for walks.

Oh my goodness, that little face!!

I also find the warm afternoons are perfect for a little nap. If I have come home from work then Norman and I (and usually one or two of my kids) will go for a walk, but if it is a day that I am at home doing housework or garden work, then a nap on the deck in that beautiful golden light of autumn afternoons is just what the doctor ordered.

4. Embrace the comfort of autumn food

We all know the power of a steaming hot bowl of soup or stew, but what are some of your family's favourite autumn comfort foods? We love to welcome back into our menu hearty pasta dishes, lamb casserole, beef stew, pies, and curries. These are not only fill the bellies with home-made goodness, they provide leftovers for lunch the next day. All of my children have embraced taking a hot lunch in thermos to school this year. Many autumn meals are enjoyed even more the next day!

One of our favourite meals is pumpkin soup. This amazing pumpkin was gifted to me by a work colleague. Every time we have tried to grow them, the resident possum has taken half! The top of this pumpkin has cured enough now to use it. My simple pumpkin soup recipe is as follows:

* 1 pumpkin (kent, butternut or jam are what we usually use)

* depending on the size of the pumpkin, add in potato for thickness. With a pumpkin this size I will probably add 2 or 3 large potatoes.

* half a brown onion (can also be omitted)

* salt and pepper

* chicken or vegetable stock to just cover the vegetables

* cook until vegetables are soft. Blend well with a stick blender or transfer to a blender.

My favourite way to make soup is in the slow cooker but it can just as easily be made in a large saucepan or stock pot. This large pumpkin will make enough for a meal, leftovers and some to be stored in the freezer. It is best served hot with sour cream, Greek yoghurt, black pepper and crispy warm bread. Yum!

5. Take up a hobby

As Laura Weir says at the beginning of this post, sometimes we just want to want to swap toxic politics and anxieties induced by social media for reliability and kindness. Autumn is a great time to pick up a new hobby or go back to one that may have lapsed over the summer. My two favourite hobbies, reading and water-painting are definitely conducive to autumn days. The reading is a great way to unwind, disconnect and relax. 

My water-painting is not great, but my favourite thing to do is to paint little book marks and include them in gifts for friends and family. It's simple to set up, requires nothing more than a tin of water paints, some water and the cardboard strips that divide up my tea bags in a box of tea bags! I can do one in ten minutes or I can take my time and do 3 or 4. Hobbies that enhance creativity and promote mindfulness are another way to improve our mental health. Researchers say hobbies — such as arts and crafts, games, gardening, volunteering, or participating in clubs — involve creativity, sensory engagement, self-expression, relaxation, and cognitive stimulation, which are linked to good mental health and well-being. Plus, taking part in hobby groups keeps you socially connected, which helps reduce loneliness and isolation (source).

Thank you for taking the time to stop on this glorious autumn day (or whenever you may be reading this). Autumn is a season to slow down, reconnect with nature, and prepare for the long winter ahead. It can be as busy or as slow as we want it to be. These tips don't need anything special or money to be spent; most of them are free or use things you already have. Autumn does not demand that we splash our money around. In fact, if anything, it is a time to save, nurture and prepare for what is coming. Have a lovely day.