Fall Activities for Introverts That Are Actually Relaxing

September hits, and the pumpkin take-over of every coffee shop, bakery, and grocery store begins. The world rushes to the nearest coffee shop to order the first PSL of the season, and every social media account even slightly related to food posts the first of hundreds of pumpkin dish videos.

And, if you’re anything like me, you breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Not every introvert loves the fall season, but here are three reasons I (quietly) rejoice when the temps drop, the leaves change, and life slows down. Can you relate? Plus I’ll share with you some fall activities for introverts that are actually enjoyable and relaxing.

Why This Introvert Loves Fall

I’ve successfully survived the countless summer invites.

Every student, career person, and stay-at-home parent knows that summer is the time when you finally see that person you’ve been texting all year (“Hey, we should hang out sometime”). This leads to almost every summer weekend being crammed full of barbecues, family reunions, trips to the cabin with your old college pals, endless coffee dates, and the “vacations” that were planned a year or 24 hours ago.

Sure, these activities can be fun, but they’re rarely restful. In fact, they can be downright exhausting for the introvert.

For us “quiet ones,” weekends are practically sacred. They provide us with precious recoup time. But in the summer months, weekends often become stuffed full of social obligations, and even the vacations we planned with the intent of relaxing hardly ever achieve that goal.

Therefore, when September rolls around and my calendar becomes sparse, I breathe a sigh of relief.

It’s finally socially acceptable to be a hermit.

The fall season basically gives us introverts permission to embrace our stay-at-home nature. Clouds, wind, and rain often lead to people opting to stay inside — or even cancel plans altogether. And fall soon gives way to winter. Cold temperatures and piles of snow further legitimize the introvert’s desire to hunker down at home.

Also, everyone’s schedules fill up with various projects or homework, providing a universally-accepted excuse to stay home. When September hits, people fall back into the rhythm of getting up, making coffee, getting the kids to school, and going to work themselves. The “fun” of summer drifts away and the peace of routine returns, much to the joy of this introvert.

Fall activities are the stuff of my introvert dreams.

Candles, hot drinks in mugs, reading, movies, and baking all conjure up images of rainy fall days. These are the quiet activities introverts live for — and literally draw life from. In autumn, we’re free to fully embrace the activities we long for year-round without getting any side-eye from friends or family. The rain and chilly temperatures and crisp fall days create the perfect environment for us introverts to cozy up with the activity of our choice. As I settle in for a day of rest, the relief of the coming rejuvenation is palpable.

Fall Activities for Introverts

As much as introverts may adore the idea of fall, sometimes the days can become mundane when we start doubling down on work or our studies. Also, with the days getting shorter, some of us start feeling the onset of the “winter blues,” becoming lethargic and depressed. (Introverts may be even more prone to the winter blues than extroverts.) So here are three ways introverts can keep their spirits up and take full advantage of this glorious season.

1. Plan a baking day.

For me and many of my introverted friends, there’s no better way to ring in the new season than with a proper baking day. Go through all your saved videos on Instagram and Facebook of the fall recipes you’ve been dying to bake. Or, discover the perfect pumpkin coffee cake recipe by trying out ten different recipes. Enjoy this activity alone, or involve your best friend or family for moral support, taste-testing, or to serve as your right-hand chef.

Looking for some fall recipes to try? Here are a few ideas:

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2. Get outside.

The crisp days of fall are sometimes few and far between, so when they come around, taking advantage of them is a must. Research shows that getting outside makes you happier, improves your concentration, helps you heal faster from injury, lowers stress, and so much more. This might look like finding an orchard and picking your own apples or going to a pumpkin patch and picking your pumpkin from the vine (it doesn’t have to be Halloween to do this — pumpkins make great fall decor and can also contribute to your baking day).

Another activity that takes no planning or traveling is to stroll through your neighborhood and collect fall leaves. In true introvert form, this can be done completely alone, headphones on, listening to music, a podcast, or an audiobook. This activity can also become a friendly competition between a friend or your family of who can find the most vibrant leaves.

Later, you can press the leaves and save them to commemorate the memories. If you’re a parent (or child at heart), you might try these autumn leaf crafts with your kids.

3. Binge your favorite shows or books.

As lovely as it is to curl up on the couch and flip on Netflix, sometimes it can become a struggle to choose a new show or to stop watching The Office for the tenth time. Instead, make an event of it and try marathoning. Whether you’re a Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Pirates of the Caribbean fan, the options are endless. Or you can always make a list of your favorite rom-coms or classic movies you’ve never actually seen and decide to watch them all that weekend. This is the perfect activity to do alone, or after baking with a friend — no extra snack purchases (or chitchat) necessary.

A quieter option would be to marathon-read books. My favorite activity is re-reading my favorite series. Re-reading books is like coming home to old friends, and re-reading a series prolongs this comforting feeling. Try sipping a homemade pumpkin spice white hot chocolate while you do it.

Whether you love fall or not, you have to admit that it brings something all of us introverts enjoy: calm and quiet.