Let’s be honest: This summer was kind of a weird one, but we have a good feeling about fall. After all, isn’t staying home, getting cozy and nesting what fall is all about? Since we’ve baked enough banana bread for a lifetime and learned as many new hobbies as we have the mental space for (Calligraphy! Ikebana! Organizing anything and everything!), this fall we’re all about upping the self-care ante. So, whether you’re mentally preparing for remote learning or figuring out your new normal, here are nine ways to take care of yourself this month.
9 Things You Can Do for Yourself This Month
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Published Oct 1, 2020
1. Sculpt The Brows Of Your Dreams
We’ve been this close to going overboard with the tweezers for too many months now. Thankfully, most European Wax Center locations have officially re-opened and are taking all the precautions to offer you fresh brows ASAP. They’ll start with a brow consultation to help you find the perfect shape for your face (the hardest part, as we’ve unfortunately learned during quarantine) and even give you smart tips for how to maintain them in between appointments (or you know, in case you can’t visit again for quite some time). Book your reservation today—your first is free!
2. Get Into Gua Sha-ing
If you miss your facialist as much as we do, you’ll love Gua Sha’s natural ability to sculpt cheekbones and encourage collagen projection. This simple self-care practice takes only about ten minutes but does wonders.
3. Make a Skin-Brightening Face Mask
There’s no time like the present to nourish your skin. And since it’s a whole new season, why not start with a clean slate and whip up a skin brightening face mask? This pumpkin mask is not only seasonally appropriate, but it smells amazing, too.
Stephen Zeigler/Getty Images
4. Cross Those Beach Reads Off Your List
Just because summer is over, doesn’t mean the page-turners have to stop. But with so many incredible books publishing every single day, choosing what to read next can be overwhelming. Sure, you could scroll through The New York Times’ best-seller list for hours or search the #booklover tag on Instagram, but isn’t a part-utilitarian, part-silly quiz the most fun?
5. Decorate Your Home for Fall
Whether you’re all about autumnal leaves, excited to ring in Día De Los Muertos or live for Halloween, now is the perfect time to refresh your space. Orange and black isn’t our typical decor color pallet, per se, but these “unprecedented times” call for something a little, well, precedented. (Plus, a little Halloween candy never hurts.)
6. Let It Burn (the Sage, We Mean)
With everyone spending so much time indoors, sage-ing is a physical way to feel like you’re clearing the energy of your home. Also, it smells amazing. Just be careful of those smoke detectors.
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7. Try The 30-3-3 Method
If you haven’t worked out for the past few months, that’s OK. What matters is that you’re getting back into it. But before you go from zero to 60 in one session, remember that fitness is a marathon, not a sprint (unless you’re sprinting, but you get the gist). “Don’t try and over perform, and set a goal to be persistent,” says Jaclyn Fulop, Board Licensed Physical Therapist & Founder of Exchange Physical Therapy Group. She advises against jumping back into the same workout regimen that you had before the quarantine started (since your body won’t be in the same shape if you stopped working out completely). Instead, she recommends starting with 30 minutes, three times week for three weeks, and then increasing the frequency and duration from there. Baby steps, people.
8. Start a Walking Meditation
In a relationship? Have kids? Then you know one of the biggest challenges is being able to strike the right balance between time spent together and much-needed ‘alone time.’ The solution? Meditation. Among its many benefits, this stress-relieving practice encourages focus and calm by encouraging an in-the-present mindset. What does meditation look like when taken up as a hobby for two? Or even for the whole family? Less time mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds, and more time connecting with one another. Here are some beginner meditation tips to try.
9. Take a Class…Without the Homework
Want to improve your skills in the kitchen, refresh your bedroom or finally hack gardening? Check out Master Class or even YouTube for quick, easy and intriguing classes that teach you new skills without making it feel like work.
