How to Get Cosy at Home this Autumn: 6 Simple Ways to Feel Happy & Embrace the Colder Months

As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, I’ve been leaning into all things cosy at home – soft lighting, hearty food, and quiet evenings spent in comfort. Autumn is my favourite time to slow down, get comfy, and make my home feel like a sanctuary.

I don’t know about you, but even though I love the idea of Autumn – the crisp leaves on the ground, putting the fire on, and wrapping up in chunky knits and scarves – I do start to struggle quite quickly with the darker days, and my mood dips pretty quickly after the lovely, sunshiney days of summer that I enjoy so much.

So it’s really important that I try to embrace the seasonal shift and make the most of all the new season has to offer. Yes, the days are shorter, darker, and the weather can be miserable. But there’s also so much to love about the autumn months, so I wanted to share how I’m making the most of this time of year and seeing autumn as a reminder to slow down and enjoy the little things in life every day.

Getting cosy at home this Autumn

I am such a homebody; I absolutely love to stay in, I don’t feel the need to go out every weekend and be doing ‘something’ all of the time. But over the summer, it can feel like you’re missing out or not making the most of those lovely sunny days if you don’t have plans all of the time.

In autumn and winter, I can fully embrace that urge to stay in, getting snuggly at home with my family and pets and enjoying a slower-paced life and all of the simple pleasures that offers. I love spending some of the weekend just having a lazy day and playing loads of board games with my family – we particularly love Catan, Mexican Trains, and Monopoly Deal right now.

My favourite part of getting cosy is freshening up our living room with some simple changes in decor and a few new pieces for the change in season. Soft throws and blankets, seasonal cushions, new candles and maybe even some miniature pumpkins to sit on the coffee table help to create a cosy atmosphere and make chilly evenings feel like a treat. I also love swapping out lighter summer colours of soft furnishings like cushions and blankets for warm oranges, dark browns, and earthy shades that instantly give the space an autumnal feel.

Soft lighting, warm throws, and string lights instantly make a space feel inviting. Even just adding extra pillows and faux fur throws to the sofa transforms it into the perfect cosy space for relaxing during early autumn.

Here are the six little changes I make to feel happier and more content during the colder months, and how I’m getting cosy at home this Autumn.

How to Get Cosy at Home This Autumn: My Favourite Little Changes

Change the lighting

Embracing the darker evenings really helps me not to see it as a negative thing, and one of my favourite ways of doing this is by having candles lit and the lights down low, particularly in our lounge, where we spend our evenings. I find that having the soft glow of a candle really calms me and makes me feel more chill. I love the colour and simplicity of these new ones I got from the Michelle Keegan range at Very. I also like that they are tealight holders, as that means I can choose more natural ones made of soy rather than candles that are full of toxins and can disrupt our hormones, as so many unfortunately do.

I do also love these Willpowders candles that are made from coconut oil and can also be used as a moisturiser! Not cheap, but they burn and last well, and smell lovely. Having a teenage daughter has really made me think more about the hormone disruptors in our home,  so switching to cleaner home decor products feels like a small change that makes a difference.

Once the lights are dimmed and the candles are flickering, I find it’s much easier to slow down and ease into my evening routine.

Have an evening routine

I find it hard to switch off in the evening, regardless of the time of year, so I find that having a proper wind-down routine after I’ve finished working or whatever really helps.

When I’m done with my day and I’ve finished working at my desk (aka the dining table), I love to get into my PJs or some comfy loungewear and thick socks, and if I haven’t already had a shower, then I’ll do that first. I love a warm shower in the evening, when the house is a bit chilly, and it freshens me up before getting cosy.

I’ll wash my face and do my evening skincare so I don’t have to do it before bed – I love to use oils on my face and really massage them in, especially in the winter – get my pyjamas on, close the curtains, turn the big light off and change to more soft lighting – putting table lamps on, and lighting a candle or two. I’ll also sometimes diffuse essential oils with seasonal scents to make the room smell lovely, too – you can even get a blend of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg that smells like pumpkin spice!

I particularly love having the soft glow of candlelight flickering while the rain taps against the windows outside – being inside all warm and cosy, whilst it’s absolutely peeing it down outside is so relaxing and comforting to me – I love the sound of the rain.

These soft and silky Chelsea Peers pyjamas from Very are perfect for cosy evenings at home, and I feel really nice in them; they make me want to swan about the house like I’m something I’m not! That is, when my teenage daughter hasn’t stolen them.

It sounds simple, but these little rituals, like lighting a candle or having that slow evening shower, help me reset and remind me that these darker months can still feel calm, cosy, and full of small joys.

Get the slow cooker out and enjoy comforting food

Another thing I always embrace once we get colder days is to get the slow cooker back out of hibernation. It’s such a great time to start enjoying more comfort food and hearty stews. Plus, I find it so much easier to start dinner earlier in the day, rather than when I’m tired in the evening, and I love how the house is filled with the lovely smells coming from it.

It also means you get really tender dishes from cheaper cuts of meat that make lovely meals. I just made this really simple Mongolian beef with skirt steak in the slow cooker at the weekend; we had it with noodles and broccoli, and we really enjoyed it. More than that, I enjoyed having dinner prepped and cooking in the afternoon whilst we had a cosy afternoon playing games together!

I do love how our meals change as it gets colder and darker – we have a lot more richer and heavier meals like stews, chilli, lasagne and soups that suit the cooler weather and are really filling and satisfying, like a warm hug! When it’s cold and dark outside and we’re snuggled up inside, I love enjoying a hot and comforting meal together.

I never really make soups; I just buy them from the supermarket, but this year I’d love to start doing some vegetable soups in the slow cooker, with some lentils, pearl barley or beans, and freezing batches, so we’ve always got healthy lunches to have.

Spend cosy evenings snuggled up

For some annoying reason, the only time I ever feel that I can relax is in the evenings – any other time I struggle to sit down without feeling anxious that I should be doing some housework or something or other. So evenings are really my only downtime when at home, so it’s really important that I get to relax and switch off a bit.

I absolutely love getting all snuggled up with family on the sofa, with a big, cosy throw or my lovely heated throw when it’s very cold, putting the fire on (I don’t have one, but still, I can dream) and reading a book or watching something good on Netflix.

If it’s just me and my daughter, then we love watching Gilmore Girls for the hundredth time – which is especially perfect and cosy for autumn-time – and having some tasty snacks, and a hot chocolate or herbal tea (or a nice glass of red wine or a Baileys for me – God, Baileys makes the season much more positive!).

Get outside for fresh air

However hard I find it to make myself go outside when it’s freezing or miserable, I really do try to get outside first thing and get some sunshine on my face if possible. I hate having to go out first thing when I’m tired and grumpy and just want to snuggle in bed, but it’s really good for our eyes, our mood, and vitamin D levels (which get really low in the winter in the UK) to get some light in our eyes and on our skin, so I do try to. If I’m doing the school run, I’ll force myself to take our dog for a morning walk straight afterwards, and even though I hate the thought of it, I always feel better and reinvigorated after.

A crisp evening walk always makes me feel so good, too. Before it gets dark, so you can still enjoy the trees – with leaves that have turned warm colours of red and gold with the change of seasons and remind you how this is such a beautiful time of year and how wonderful the world can be – wrapping up warm in thick jumpers, coats, scarves and gloves, and then coming home to warm up again in your cosy house.

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However you spend your autumn evenings, it’s okay (and important!) to slow down and find joy in the little things. Whether that’s lighting a candle, bringing out your slow cookers and cooking something comforting, or just sitting quietly and taking some time out with a hot drink, creating moments of calm and warmth and creating a cosy home makes the darker months feel that bit brighter.

This post is in collaboration with Very.