Can being cozy improve my mental health?
That’s the question I began to explore this fall. I had just finished a year of juggling grad school and my work with clients, and I was burnt out. I was also navigating major changes in my family in my personal life. The combination left me feeling exhausted, uncertain, and off-balance. I knew I needed to prioritize burnout recovery during this newfound free time and as I approached re-designing my daily routine. Easier said than done, right?
While there are many things I enjoy about the summer months, I am not afraid to admit that fall is my favourite season. There’s something about the cooler weather and the beautiful colours of the changing leaves that makes me feel comfortable and content. With the changes in temperature and sunlight, it’s also a time where we naturally start to spend more time indoors. Fall seemed like a natural time to really regroup and explore what rejuvenates me and how to obtain contentment after so much chaos. Much to my surprise, I found that living a cozy lifestyle actually made me feel less burnt out, more satisfied with my life, and supported other healthy habits I was struggling to implement.
So this week, I thought I would share what coziness means to me, what I did to cultivate it, and some suggestions that might help you do the same.
Set the Scene
I’ve talked about romanticizing your life before, but in my pursuit of coziness I’ve found that this idea is really important. One of the simplest ways to cultivate this is by setting the scene, leaning in to each of your senses and making sure your environment is supportive to you, rather than a distraction or a source of stress.
Sights: Lighting can have a really powerful impact on your mood and energy. When I want to feel cozy, I prioritize warmer, softer, and dimmer lighting than my brighter LED overhead lights. It’s also important to try and take time to organize and declutter your space to reduce visual stimuli and potential distractions. Decorate only with what feels good to you (or “what sparks joy”).
Touch: Soft textures and prioritizing warmth and comfort go a long way! For me, this looks like:
Knit sweaters (bonus points for turtlenecks in my opinion)
Fuzzy blankets and big pillows
Leggings and big reading socks
Scarves
Smells: our olfactory senses play a powerful role in our mood and how we feel. Prioritizing warm scents has really helped me lean into the fall vibes, and every night when I light one of my candles, it alerts me and my brain that we are entering into our evening routine to unwind and prepare for bed. Candles, essential oils, or even simmer pots are all a great way to lean into your sense of smell.
Some great cozy scents are:
Apple
Chai
Maple
Cinnamon
Caramel
Sounds: During the fall, I like to have soft background music to help set the mood. This will obviously look different for everyone, but for me, I tend to turn to acoustic, lo-fi, or dark academia playlists during the fall months for that cozy vibe.
Tastes: Hot beverages (like coffee, tea, cider, and hot chocolate), hearty meals (such as stews and soups), and baked deserts (pies and cookies are a must for me) are a must for creating that comfortable, warm feeling. There are a lot of pumpkin spice lovers out there, but if you’re like me and that isn’t your thing (sorry PSL!), there are other flavours that can help set the tone. Just look back to the scents above!
Indoor Hobbies
Many of us have prioritized time out in the sun the past few months. Barbeques, sports, pool or beach days, hiking – these are just a few of the great activities during the summer, and I regularly encourage folks to get outside as much as they can to soak up the vitamin D and spend time with friends and family.
But now that the days are getting shorter and the leaves are beginning to fall, it’s time to turn back to some of those indoor hobbies that help rejuvenate you at the end of a long day, such as:
Reading
Puzzles
Video games (there’s even a whole genre of games called “cozy games”)
Creative writing
Singing or playing an instrument
Slow Things Down
It’s also important to recognize that summers are often our busiest time of year, and that means we need to do some recovering and recharging. During this soft living practice, I’ve actually found myself naturally prioritizing my mind, body, and relationships more than usual. Some small acts that help me do this have been:
Warm baths or long showers
Mindfulness and gratitude
Gentle movement (e.g., stretching or yoga)
Journaling
Weekly date nights at home and check-ins with my spouse
Create Routines
I want to preface this one by saying that routines do not have to be rigid. In fact, if you have ADHD or chronic illnesses where your energy, motivation, and capacity tends to fluctuate inconsistently, I would actually argue that your routine should not be rigid. But creating morning and bedtime routines that are slower and gentler can be a helpful way to prioritize comfort and rest. For example, my morning routine (in no particular order) in the fall typically consists of making my bed, reading or journaling under my favourite blanket, my skincare, and enjoying a cup of tea by the window with Angel. When my alarm goes off in the morning, I usually turn on an acoustic or jazz playlist, so that right away I’m starting the day on a mellow, comfortable note. It also helps motivate me to actually get out of my warm bed, when the room around me is starting to be much colder and uninviting.
Have Fun!
I know I’ve talked a lot about slowing things down and being gentle, but coziness doesn’t always have to be slow in my opinion. One of my favourite fall habits (much to the chagrin of my loved ones at times) is to run through fallen leaves at every opportunity.
Every. Single. One.
Some other fun fall activities that can still have that cozy vibe:
Visit a pumpkin patch, or go apple picking
Go through a corn maze or haunted house
Hot chocolate dates with a friend in a cute cafe, or wrapped up in a blanket on your front porch or at your local park
Thrift shopping with someone you care about for the softest, warmest sweater you can find
