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Culture

My Seattle Fall Survival Guide

Lilja Purs
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 Washington chapter.

I’ve grown up living in Seattle my whole life and am no stranger to the gloomy weather and lack of sunshine. As we enter the midway part of the fall quarter and are looking forward to the winter, I decided to curate my fall survival guide for the suffocating Seattle weather.

  1. Good lip balm of some sort: The cold weather means one thing – dry everything. Lips, skin, cuticles, everything. My personal tried and true is Aquaphor; however, this past September I have grown to love Thirsty Cowboy’s Butter Balm, especially in Lemon Cake. This is a multi use balm which can be used for lips, cuticles, etc. 
  2. Sweater:- This is something that is really a “pick your adventure” vibe. I love my thrifted sweaters and there are many places on the Ave where you can pick one up. However, if you are looking to invest, you definitely cannot go wrong with a good cashmere sweater. 
  3. Tea: I am a tea addict. My tea rotation so far this week is rooibos, throat coat, and peppermint. Literally you can see me on campus with my mug and tea all the time. I’m personally not a huge coffee lover so my teas are like a staple for caffeine, warmth and just bringing that cozy feeling with me around campus.
  4. Vitamin C: Fall is the time that everyone gets sick, and there’s something about college sickness that just lingers. Vitamin C is great because you can get the little packets which are easy to use on the go (plus is helpful in fighting off the frat flu!).
  5. An assortment of jackets: It’s rainy in Seattle, it can be cold. Either way, the mastery of layers is something that comes out in the fall and winter in Seattle. This for me means my thrifted Wilson Leather Jacket comes out, alongside my sweaters and my rain coats. 
  6. Serotonin booster: Every fall I do my annual rewatch of Criminal Minds because I know it will make me happy. Find something that brings joy, whether that be a movie or a tv show.  Finding that little show, movie or something that brings that joy. 
  7. Friends! I am a workaholic. You can often find me slaving away at homework assignments, trying to get ahead and being an absolute perfectionist. However, something that brings the most joy in gloomy days is hanging out with friends. I cannot count all the thrift trips, coffee runs and study dates that turn into talking for hours leaving me feeling uplifted. 

This is my list of Serotonin boosters and life savers for the gloomy, rainy Seattle weather from a Seattleite. Hopefully a good lip balm and some vitamin C will save your fall!

Lilja Purs

Washington '27

Lilja Purs is a first year writer at Her Campus at the University of Washington chapter. She enjoyed writing about sports, fashion, sustainability, thrifting, and food. Outside of Her Campus, Lilja is a the Vice President of Finance of her sorority. She is a second year at the University of Washington majoring in Journalism and Public Interest with an intended double minor business administration and Law Societies and Justice. In my free time, Lilja enjoys thrifting, trying new coffee shops and restaurants, binging Criminal Minds and Law and Order: SVU. Currently she is watching Yellow Jackets!