October Self Care: 15 Ideas for a Soothing Month

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Last Updated on June 21, 2024

Get cozy and prioritize yourself this October! As we come up on the last few months of the year, now is a good time to be intentional and take care of yourself.

With the holidays quickly approaching, life can feel like a bit of a whirlwind! These October self care ideas are exactly what you need to support your wellbeing this month.

Table of Contents

What is self care?

Self care is actually pretty simple. It’s all about making time for yourself and doing the things that support your needs–usually to improve your mental health and overall wellbeing.

Taking care of both your body and mind will help you feel good and instill lifelong positive habits!

Why do you need self-care?

Let’s face it: life gets stressful. While there’s unfortunately no way to truly avoid all stress, there are ways to lessen the impact and manage it all. By practicing self care, you can avoid burnout, exhaustion, and negative mental health effects.

Research suggests that those who practice self care experience positive outcomes like better resilience, stress management, and even living longer! So it’s definitely something worth adding into your daily routine, even if just for an hour here and there.

What kind of self-care do you need?

Self care looks different day to day and even person to person. No two people’s needs are alike. With that in mind, it’s good to ask yourself what you do need.

For example, self care can look like taking a rest day where you lounge in bed and do nothing.

Other days, it’s getting some exercise and taking care of tasks so they don’t pile up later. Consider your emotions, capacity for overwhelm, and what would be most helpful to you right now.

October is a time where the weather gets colder and the days get a little shorter. You might appreciate taking things slower than in the summertime, so keep that in mind when choosing your October self care activities!

October self care check-in to guide your habits this month:

How are you feeling physically?
- Assess: your sleep, eating, and exercise habits
How are you feeling emotionally?
- Assess: your stress levels, relaxation techniques, allowing yourself space to feel your emotions
In what ways are you lacking when it comes to self care?
What can you add to your life that would support your well-being?
What can you subtract from your life that is draining you?

Here are the best October Self Care activities to support yourself this month

Gear up for the ultimate October self care challenge! These ideas will help you build better self-care habits so that you can finally get serious about your wellness. Why wait another month? Make October your time to thrive!

Don’t forget about these October self care ideas! Pin ’em to come back later!

1. Prioritize time to rest

If you’ve been go-go-go all summer long, October is the perfect time to pause and slow down a bit. Take the time to intentionally relax. Curl up next to your fireplace, get cozy in bed under your favorite blankets and read, take a warm bath. Do something that you truly find relaxing and unwinding.

It’s a very simple October self care idea, but it’s usually much-needed!

2. Grab coffee with a friend

Getting some socialization into your week can make you feel so good and fulfilled. It’s easy to let all our obligations get in the way of socializing the way we did when we were younger, but it’s important for well-rounded self care.

Ask a friend out for coffee and catch up on all the new happenings in your lives! This is a great little mood-booster and it helps you strengthen your connections too.

3. Declutter

Any time the season changes, I like to take the opportunity to do some thorough decluttering! Moving your summer clothes to the back of your closet to make way for the fall clothes, tidying up your living room to make way for fall decor, or just simply cleaning in general is all great to make you feel good about your environment.

4. Have a date night (with yourself or a significant other!)

Regardless of your relationship status, make it a date night! Treat yourself to some well-deserved “me time” by ordering your favorite takeout and watching your favorite movies. Or set up a romantic candlelit dinner with you and your partner. Spending time with yourself or with someone else in a close, intimate setting will each have its own benefit.

5. Meditate

Meditation really is soooo good for you! It’s a chance to slow down, be in the moment, and ease your stresses. If meditation feels unproductive (you know when your mind seems to wander every 5 seconds and you can’t focus?), you might want to give guided meditation a try.

I love Headspace whenever I’m in the mood for a guided meditation because they have them for aaaanything you could want to achieve! Whether it’s to improve your mood, sleep better, or feel more focused, Headspace has it for ya. Perfect for beginners too! Get 14 days free with my link below, you’ll love it!!

TRY HEADSPACE FREE

6. Take a hot girl walk

Go on a walk around your neighborhood like the boss you are! I don’t know what it is, but going on a walk makes me feel confident and in charge of my wellness. Especially when I pair it with an uplifting, motivating podcast (Not Your Typical with Katelynn Nolan is a good one to pair with your walks!).

7. Create (and eat!) a fall charcuterie board

This October self care idea is perfect for a weekend night when you just wanna eat good food and chill out! Add your favorite yummy cheeses, crackers, peppers, meats, and anything else you like. Bonus points if you add wine too 😉

8. Do some Halloween decorating

Halloween is obviously the highlight of October, so you can’t have this month without decorating for Halloween! Make your house a spooky sanctuary. And put some good Halloween tunes on while you’re setting everything up for the ultimate vibe! Check out my Halloween Self Care ideas for a feel-good spooky season too!

9. Journal for your mental health

Journaling will always be my tried and true go-to self care activity. Journaling is one of the most effective self care activities, with many reporting reduced stress and the opportunity to work through negative thoughts.

To make journaling even easier, I’ve created a 33-page printable mental health journal perfect for this! It guides you through a tonnnn of activities and prompts for understanding your emotions, reframing negative thoughts, and overcoming unhelpful behaviors. Grab it below!

GET THE anxiety JOURNAL

10. Get to know your boundaries

This is really important to think about. You need to know your own boundaries, otherwise the lines get blurred and people will overstep them. This can be a challenge if you’re a people-pleaser, but you have to protect yourself.

For example, don’t push yourself to go out if it’s only going to drain you. Don’t say yes to something you know will make you feel uncomfortable. You deserve to respect yourself and do what’s in your best interest!

11. Get out there and have some fall fun

It is October after all, right smack-dab in the peak season for fall fun! Make sure you take advantage of all the fall festivals, observing the fall foliage, drinking delicious pumpkin drinks, caramel apples, and anything else that makes fall awesome to you! Don’t let it pass you by. Fall is such a beautiful season, so soak it up!

12. Try some yoga

Yoga is a great way to get some movement in, but in a slower, less exerting way. I think yoga is the perfect fit for the slowness of the fall season. So what better time than now to give it a go! There are so many free resources for guided yoga on YouTube. Some are more challenging than others, but there are videos specific to all sorts of skill levels!

13. Write down 5 affirmations you want to focus on this month

Setting your intentions and choosing a monthly focus is a really great way to feel on-track to whatever progress you’re trying to make.

I suggest choosing five affirmations that are geared toward what you need most this month. (Here’s 15 fall affirmations for inspiration!)

You also might enjoy my deck of 40 printable affirmation cards! These are the perfect simple addition to your October self care routine. Use them as journal prompts, stick ‘em on your mirror for an everyday reminder, or get creative and turn them into a vision board or collage!

14. Make a new friend

This is something I’ve been meaning to do lately. Remember when making new friends seemed kinda easy?

(Like back in school when you got exposure to the same people every single day and had opportunities to socialize with them all?! Yeah, we don’t have things set up so easy anymore.)

Even though making friends as an adult is harder, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. And of course, doing so is extremely rewarding. Seek out a few ways to find friends this October! You can use the Bumble BFF app, the Meetups app, or local in-person organizations and clubs.

Oh, and you’ll wanna use these affirmations for attracting friends to help you manifest those awesome friendships into reality!

15. Start going to therapy

Therapy can evoke a lot of mixed feelings! But the truth is, therapy is the best maintenance you can do for your mental health and self care. And that’s true no matter where you’re at or what you’re going through.

Whether you face serious mental illness or just need a little help working through everyday stressors, therapy is immensely useful.

Problem is, traditional therapy can be crazy expensive and inaccessible!! That’s why I love Online Therapy. Ever since I switched to doing therapy online from the comfort of my home, I haven’t gone back.

I always recommend Online Therapy because it’s a comprehensive, effective online therapy toolkit at an affordable monthly cost. If you’re a little nervous about therapy, this is a GREAT avenue for you. Get 20% off your first month at the link below to make things budget-friendly!

FIND AN ONLINE THERAPIST

Click to make sense of your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors for better stress management!

Final Thoughts on October Self Care

Self care is alwaaays a necessity year-round, but make sure to keep it up in the month of October too! With the fall season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to add a little fall flair to your self care routine just to spice things up and work on being present in the current moment.

FREE October Self Care Calendar

Hey, I’ll make it a little easier to start your October self care planning! Grab my free October Self Care calendar (PDF) below and print it out, grab self care ideas from this post, and schedule ’em!

Want help establishing a real self care routine that’ll stick beyond October? You need The Busy Woman’s Self Care Journal! This will walk you through creating a personalized self care plan from A-Z that’s unique to YOU and actually works with your busy life!

Let me know in the comments which of these October self care ideas you’ll try!