How to romanticize your life this fall

Don’t let seasonal depression get the best of you. It’s getting darker earlier, cooler, and extra gloomy, but don’t let that affect how you feel.

Fall is my personal favorite season. You start to see the change outside, you learn how to embrace the darkness, you finally get to wear your favorite sweaters from the back of your closet, and you can spend time outside in the middle of the day without being covered in sweat. While foliage in Texas doesn’t really start to pop up until late October, and the time change happens November 1, there’s still plenty you can do to prepare for a fall full of self-care, self-love, and self-preservation. 

Wake up earlier. 

Before the time changes, take advantage of those 7:00 a.m. sunrises. Go outside and watch the sun come up on a breezy morning. Bonus points if you bring a book or some homework to complete; why spend your afternoon in the library when you could spend your morning inside?

Once the time changes, waking up earlier will help you ease into the darker evenings. You’ll get more daylight during the day when you actually have things to do, and you can start your fall season feeling more productive.

Get those fall-favorite drinks.

While yes, getting a pumpkin spice latte from the Starbucks on campus is cliché, embrace it. They’re only here for a couple of months before the gingerbread and eggnog flavors begin rolling in. 

While you’re at it, expand your palette to the other fall flavors – apple, maple, carmel, cinnamon – to truly embrace the season. Try a new drink, make something at home, or get your usual coffee order with an extra seasonal cold foam or sauce.

Eat comfort foods. 

Soup is the only thing I want to eat during the fall. Make fun pastas, bake homemade sourdough, or maybe make an apple pie. Or, better yet, run to Walmart and grab a premade pumpkin pie for you and your roommate to split on a random Tuesday night just because you can. 

You don’t have to wait until the end of November to enjoy your favorite fall foods. There’s something comforting about making a warm meal when it’s gloomy outside, even if it’s just a box of pasta or a can of soup.

Smell like the season.

One of the easiest ways to make fall feel a little more special is to change the way your space smells. Light a candle while you do homework, spray your room before you go to bed, or find a new perfume that makes you want to go apple-picking. Aim for warm, cozy scents like cinnamon, vanilla, and camel, or maybe something more woodsy like sandalwood or cedar. Bath & Body Works, Target, and Ulta are all full of fun fall scents, whether you’re looking for a candle, room spray, perfume, or new lotion. 

You don’t have to redecorate to make your home feel different for the season. Sometimes, all it takes is a new scent to make your space feel warmer, cozier, and a little more like fall.

Spend time outside.

You don’t need to go to a pumpkin patch to enjoy the season. Take a walk around campus, sit outside with your coffee, read on a bench, or just spend time basking in the sun while you can.

Texas fall might not look like the Pinterest boards you see online, but that doesn’t mean you can’t romanticize it. Take advantage of the cooler days, the changing light, and whatever color-changing leaves you get.

The atmosphere right outside (and inside) of your home provides you with everything you need to enjoy a Southeast Texas autumn season. You don’t need to spend a ton of money or have an elaborate fall bucket list to enjoy your life the next couple of months. Often all it takes is a warm drink, a cozy sweater, a good meal, and a little effort to make an ordinary Tuesday in September feel special.