❄️As winter comes creeping round the corner, many of us tend to notice a seasonal increase in our levels of anxiety and depression, perhaps particularly this year, with what is likely to be a difficult winter ahead of us. However, when I first read the quotation above, it forced me to consider October as a month with positives and beauty, rather than just the sinister stairway to a bleak winter.
🍁So perhaps rather than just mourning the loss of summer, now is the perfect time to engage in some cosy autumnal sensory-soothing activities to reduce our anxiety and notice the benefits of Autumn. I’ve spoken a lot in previous posts about how useful our five senses are in managing anxiety and sending a message to our brain that we are safe.
Here’s a few ideas of ways you can use your senses to enjoy October:
🍂Go for a walk and notice the beautiful colours of the changing leaves
🍂Listen to the crunch of the leaves under your feet and the wind through the trees
🍂Look for soft, cosy textures – wrap yourself in a wooly blanket or pull on some soft socks
🍁Start eating mindfully – savour some comforting hot soup or treat yourself to a hot chocolate
🍂Enjoy autumn flavours and scents – flavours popular at this time of year like apple, cinnamon and spices can be really comforting either in edible form or through candles
🍂Go nature collecting – pick blackberries, pumpkins, collect conkers or acorns to focus your mind while you’re outside.
🍂Focus on temperature – go outside and notice the cold wind on your face, get cosy by an open fire or enjoy a warm bubble bath.
