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Mug of black coffee next to woman reading a book
Mug of black coffee next to woman reading a book
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Life

Activities For When You Just Want To Stay In

Autumn Bunzell
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.

In this article, we will go over fall-inspired indoor activities. There is so much more that you can do during the fall season. This article is only going to cover a few!

Curl up with a good book

Reading is a perfect indoor activity. Grab the book that you’ve always wanted to read or the book that you haven’t been able to put down. Toss a fuzzy and soft blanket over your lap. Make yourself a coffee or a tea and get settled in! Personally, I love to read when we have a rainy and cool fall day. Here are a few book recommendations.

  • The Fine Print by Lauren Asher
  • The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod
  • Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Fall, marshmallows and mug and book
Photo by Alisa Anton from Unsplash

Bake Some Goodies

As the temperature cools, it is the perfect time to warm up your house by turning on your ovens and baking. Take your time to choose a recipe that sounds delicious. If you are not sure what to make, then refer to the following goodie ideas: 

  • Snickerdoodle cookies
  • Apple Crisp
  • Butterscotch blondies

Movie Night

Get some snacks and blankets, and plop yourself down in front of the TV! If you are a horror lover, then this is the perfect time to watch some scary movies. If not, then that’s totally okay! You can watch some of your favorites, or you can watch some non-scary Halloween movies. Listed below are some options. 

  • Halloweentown
  • Twitches
  • Scooby Doo

Self-Care Night

At UIUC, we are in the middle of the semester, and the stress of upcoming exams, projects and papers might be getting to us. A self-care night would be the perfect solution. We could all afford to let ourselves have a relaxing and restoring night. Your self-care night could include the following: 

  • Face masks
  • Pedicures + manicures
  • Facial rolling + lymphatic drainage
  • Foot masks
Rose quartz face roller and guasha with Vitamin C oil
Photo by Viva Luna Studios from Unsplash

Make A Fall Mood Board

A mood board is basically a picture collage of how you want your fall season to go. You could include seasonal baking, reading, cute Halloween costumes, workouts, etc. A mood board allows you to put all of your goals as an appealing visual aid–which should help you stay motivated.

Arts + Crafts

We are never ever going to be too old for arts and crafts. Getting creative allows us to ease some stress and create something new! There are several crafty activities that you can do. Below are a few ideas for crafts.

  • Painting tote bags
  • Painting canvases
  • Carving/painting pumpkins
  • Decorating cookies (baking is still art)
painting pallete
Photo by Sarah Brown from Unsplash

Game Night

Get a group of friends together, and pull out those games! You can play the classic board games, or you can put your own little twist on them. Here are a few game ideas for you.

  • Cards Against Humanity
  • Trivia
Autumn Bunzell

Illinois '27

Hi there! My name is Autumn Rose, and I'm from Utica, Illinois. I live minutes away from Starved Rock State Park. I attended LaSalle-Peru Township High School which consists of only about 1,200 students. Within my family, I'm the youngest in a close-knit household, and I have an older sister who I absolutely adore. As well, I have a golden retriever and a grey tabby cat. Currently, I'm a first-year neuroscience student at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Both the physical and psychological aspects of the human brain fascinate me. In addition, I'm interested in nutrition and how this field can be applied to neuroscience. There is a field labeled nutritional neuroscience that studies how the consumption of food, minerals, and supplements impacts an individual's cognition, mood, and overall brain health. Outside of the classroom, my hobbies vary tremendously. Music wise, I listen to Bryce Vine and Bazzi, but I also love Etta Mae, Arethra Franklin, and Frank Sinatra. As I do my morning routine, I listen to health and wellness podcasts on Spotify. In between classes, I do yoga and Pilates. At night, I love to do some skincare, and then crawl into bed with one of my books. Typically, I partake in crocheting and baking in the colder months. As a side note, my favorite season is fall because of the cool weather and all of the pumpkin/apple candles, foods, coffees, etc.