Autumn Wellness Secrets to boost your energy, mental drive and to simply feel your best

The Autumn Wellness Secrets I am going to share with you are only one part of my holistic approach to wellbeing and health and despite that anyone at any age can benefit from these, they are particularly targeted for women above 40. I decided to write this text because women’s health and wellbeing has been a passion of mine, along with fashion, for more than 20 years. Funny enough it is even written in my Human Design and my Astrological sign. I’ve read hundreds of books and listened to podcasts, dug into research and read many papers on biohacking and women’s health. For about 3 years now I work closely with a functional doctor and have studied Ayurveda types 10 years. ago. However, this text reveals only part of my wellness and health routine and is dedicated to Autumn, a season you can use to prepare yourself mentally, emotionally and physically for the long and cold months coming ahead.

You and I, we live in times when it seems like a real effort to feel good, to thrive and to think positive. First of all we all it to all the chemicals and toxins we are exposed to and we live in daily and second, there is so much negativity in our social environment. No matter where we are, we keep hearing about the war, inflation and rising prices, social protests, political and economic destabilisation. The whole world seems to be vibrating on a lower frequency at the moment. 

So it may seem to you that some Autumn Wellness secrets will hardly make a change, but believe me, the answer is not in one universal recipe that works for everyone. It is rather in the minor adjustments we make in our daily lives that will make a difference. I encourage you to give those ideas a try, because wasting brain power ruminating about the things you can’t control will drain your mental energy quickly. 

Sitting and worrying what might happen isn’t very helpful. Instead you can focus on how to make the most of this time to prepare , to set new goals, to build resilience, inner and outer strength, to focus on some creative tasks and mainly the things that are within your control. 

Change is inevitable. And that is a beautiful thing. We get to experience newness and wonder in things like the changing of the seasons and the pleasure in new flavors from fruits and veggies that are in season and smells from the spices that are brewing in the kitchen. Wisdom traditions knew that knowledge of adapting to these fluctuations in nature were essential to staying healthy. 

Autumn Wellness Secret 1:

Expend your mental energy wisely, practice reflection

It may seem hard to be aware of your own thoughts, but it is a matter of practice and intention, filling your mind with things that make you feel good, such as good reads, good music and a good movie. Choose well what kind of content you are consuming, become aware and filter everything that has negative influence on you. As an example Instagram and social media can drive you into a comparison mode instead of inspiring and motivating you. Try not to compare yourself to others, but rather focus on your own progress. Look back and reflect on where you have started and how you have changed and evolved. 

In the busy world we live in we consume so much information, but never take the time to process and reflect. The best way to do it is scheduling time for journaling or meditation daily as part of your daily rituals. 

Autumn Wellness Secret 2:

Declutter

One of my simple Autumn Wellness Secrets is decluttering my space, going through my closet and discovering what I may have forgotten from last year. I throw out those items I haven’t worn for more than a year or two that don’t fit or don’t feel like me any more. Because just like nature, we change and evolve and our style changes as well. Making some free space in your home is almost like emotional detox. I practice it at least twice a year! 

Autumn Wellness Secret 3:

Practice tolerating discomfort

As the days get cooler, I try to keep my habit of swimming in the lake almost daily, no matter the dropping temperatures. The cold water feels refreshing and it clears my mind especially when I feel overwhelmed. Other reported benefits of the cold plunges are: 

• It has anti-inflammatory effect on your muscles and joints 
• Exposing your body to cold temperatures for short periods causes changes in hormone secretion. For example it triggers the release of stress hormones (cortisol) , which explains why it feels rejuvenating and increases the concentration of norepinephrine (which can improve energy and alertness) and endorphin (which can boost mood). These effects could even help ameliorate depression, according to a 2020 scientific review.
• Improves your discipline
• Helps you better manage stress – jumping into a cold bath stresses your body because it causes the activation of your sympathetic nervous system — the one that triggers the “fight or flight” response. When I took my first plunge last December, I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. But because there were other people watching me and I stayed in focusing on my breathing and my swimming. To this day, I shift all my attention to controlling my breathing when I get into the lake. I prefer the lake as I can move and I enable my body to better respond to my overactive sympathetic nervous system and allow my parasympathetic nervous system — the one responsible for resting and digesting — to get back in control.  Being able to down-regulate your sympathetic nervous system means you’re better equipped to manage stress.

Autumn Wellness Secret 4: Light Therapy

I am sure you’ve heard about the many benefits of Red and Infrared Light therapy. In the last few years they have become super popular especially as in the field of anti-aging and anti-inflammation, but also increasing blood circulation and having healing pain relief benefits in cases of injuries. While I am planning investing in a home Infrared Sauna, I have purchased already a face Infrared light mask and I use it quite regularly. Other options you have are small panels that can be hung on the wall, on your door in the bedroom or even investing in a post-work out portable infrared mat. 

Autumn Wellness Secret 5: Use Colour Therapy

Autumn is the season of abundant colours and it is here to remind that there is so much more than black and white. I love to experiment and try out new combination in Autumn, because it is a time to layer and add on: A silk shirt, a knit vest, debardeur, blazer, long gilet and a trench or kimono style duster… In Autumn I become a maximalist who celebrates the abundance of life and I love to layer, to add on to my looks till I feel my best version. My favourite tips for autumn dressing are:

• Wear your summer maxi dresses with a statement blazer or a bohemian sweater or a long coat and a chunky pair of earrings and boots
• Layer knit vests over your silk blouses and jeans
• Wear a chic hat as a statement piece 

My Autumn Beauty Protocol

Every season your skin has different needs. What works in winter doesn’t work in summer or autumn and spring. The hardest seasons for your skin are the transition seasons. In Autumn you have to repair the skin after the sun damage and the heat, but also prepare it for winter.

How? Here are my three tips:

One of the most important things you need to do for your skin in Autumn is moisturising. The excessive heat and sun exposure in summer can leave your skin dehydrated and reduce its elasticity and glow. Plus the sun is destroying your collagen and you need to restore that too. That means you need to moisturise the skin from inside and outside and then you need to give it collagen. The problem is that many people think that slathering moisture creams and collagen serums on the skin will help. Unfortunately that’s not how it works. You always have to start from inside out and hydration for example doesn’t mean only drinking water. The most efficient way to hydrate from inside out is taking minerals, electrolytes and Vitamin.A. More on that in details in my coming Wellness and Wellbeing Guide.

The other problem is that when applied topically collagen cannot penetrate the skin too. Collagen is a huge molecule that sits on the surface of the skin and cannot be absorbed into the dermis. The answer is that you have to stimulate the production of collagen in another way. Your best bet is starting internally. In my coming out soon Wellness and Wellbeing Guide for Women over 40 you can find the brands I use the most and why I chose them.

However, there are some skincare ingredients that may help you stimulate collagen production topically. Among the three most powerful ones are Retinol, Vit.C and Glycolic Acid.

What else you can do for your skin in Autumn? 

Autumn teaches us to release, to shed the old skin and let go to make room for the new, like a tree that allows its leaves to fall to make room for new growth. One of my favourite Autumn rituals that symbolises that renewal in nature is Dry Brushing! It is a pretty simple habit that I do every morning before my cold shower or before I go for a swim in the lake. Dry brushing has a very energising effect, it increases blood circulation, detoxifies and exfoliates the skin, shedding the dead cells from the skin surface, leaving it radiant and glowing, and it stimulates the nervous system. 

My Autumn Wellness Elixirs

Autumn is time for warming, energising and moisturising foods, that will replenish your microbiome and prepare your immune system for winter. There are two Autumn Elixirs you can create in your kitchen to support your skin and your gut in Autumn and Winter: Bone Broth and Adaptogenic Mushroom Coffee.

There are many recipes for Bone Broth, but I cook mine following Dr. Axe’s recipe.

As for the Adaptogenic Mushroom Coffee, I like to mix mine with MCT oil and my favourite brand is SoMush. I also like to mix my coffee with Mushroom Mocha Milk from Anima Mundi and adding sometimes a teaspoon of collagen powder for a really rich flavour. This is my afternoon snack.