Have a Self-Care October! Here are 31 pumpkin-perfect self-care ideas. Are you ready for the challenge? How many will you complete? No pressure, I never finish all 31 myself! Feel free to as few or many as you like, in any order you choose. Download the Spooky Self Care Tracker and color in a pumpkin for every challenge you complete.
1 Enjoy a pumpkin spice latte on Pumpkin Spice Day.
2 Visit a farmer’s market early in the day and buy fresh fall produce. In season: pears, apples, figs, grapes, greens and squash.
3 Pumpkin workout! Take these exercises slowly and use a pumpkin that is the right weight for you (a faux pumpkin counts!). Repeat each exercise 10 to 15 times, then repeat the circuit.
4 Today is National Taco Day. Here is a Hello Fresh recipe for black bean and sweet 
potato tacos I have made that I really like. It features a lime-infused avocado crema that it is a cinch to make and adds so much flavor. And did you know that cilantro is good for you? The black and orange colors are just right for the Halloween month of October.
5 Unplug from screens for a while and relax with a fall-scented candle, maybe outdoors, if you have a yard, deck, balcony or patio.
6 Today is the New Moon, which is taking place in the relationships-loving sign of Libra. Foster positive, harmonious high vibrational energy in yourself and your relationships by creating a space of honor in your home on a bookcase or mantel. Decorate it with photos of your loved ones, living and passed, autumn leaves you find, flowers, fall-colored candles or crystals, pumpkins or Halloween decorations. Whatever makes your heart happy!
7 Just as trees let go of their leaves, fall is a good time to let things go in your life that no longer serve your needs. Spring is for organizing but fall is for decluttering. Here is excellent advice on how to do it. Decluttering a kitchen would be a smart move the month before Thanksgiving.
8 Sew or buy a fall-themed face mask to wear in all the public indoor places you go. You can wear them over your surgical mask or N95 mask for more protection with panache.
9 Learn the name of a constellation and locate it in the sky tonight on Astronomy Day.
10 Make pumpkin pancakes for Sunday breakfast. Just add 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin puree, brown sugar and cinnamon to pancake mix.
11 Eat dinner by 6 p.m. and take an after-dinner walk for 30 minutes Monday – Friday to fall asleep faster and stay asleep.
12 Tighten your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles by doing Kegel exercises and belly rolls/contractions during red lights while driving.
13 Mindfully color a Halloween picture.
14 Do you suffer from seasonal allergies? Get rid of allergens that hitch a ride on your hair! If you are out and about or raking leaves, wear a hat (and a mask) to minimize getting pollen on you. Wash your face and brush your hair before bed to remove pollen.
15 Extend the time you spend outdoors in cool weather by cozying up to an outdoor fire pit or campfire. Check with your local park authority for campfire nights.
16 Visit a pumpkin patch or garden center.
17 October gratitude list! Light a candle and make a list of all the things, events and people you are grateful for in October.
18 Try a Halloween-themed Yoga workout for Mindfulness Monday.
19 Make a pumpkin smoothie. Pumpkin is a low-calorie food that is full of nutrients, 
including vitamins C and A. Here’s a recipe. In a blender, add
- 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (or substitute coconut milk or oat milk if you are don’t use dairy)
- A big dash of cinnamon
- A small dash each of nutmeg, ground ginger and ground cloves
- 1/2 cap of vanilla extract (pour extract into cap to measure)
- A splash of apple juice or water
- 6 ice cubes
- Sweetener to taste: 1 to 2 tsp honey, brown sugar, maple syrup or regular sugar
- If desired, add a little turmeric to boost anti-inflammatory power (careful, it stains)
Blend until smooth and pour into glass. If desired, top with whipped cream (from a can) and a drizzle of Hershey’s caramel syrup or extra shake of cinnamon.
20 Take a moonlight stroll. Because is there anything bewitching than the full moon in October? If after-dark walks aren’t your thing, take a daylight stroll; fall leaf color should be at its peak now.
21 Mail Halloween greetings to children, family and friends.
22 Have a “Pumpkin Spa Night.” Place some drinking water, “spa water” (wth cucumber or lemon) or herbal tea in a non-breakable cup or container to hydrate during your bath. Draw a bath (Bath and Body Works has lots of seasonal fragranced products if you life fragrant bubbles). Add some Epsom Salts for healing and calming magnesium and set a few water-safe crystal buddies (quartz, carnelian, citrine) along the edge of your bath. Six drops each of red and yellow food coloring turns the bathwater pumpkin orange! Light a Pumpkin Chai candle ($1, Dollar Tree). Listen to music, ambient sounds or a guided meditation while you relax in your candle-lit bath for about 20 minutes. Or try one of these homemade pumpkin mask or scrub recipes.
23 Relax with an autumn guided meditation.
24 Take a haunted walking tour. Don’t have one near you? Here is a virtual one to enjoy.
25 Make a Drip Art Pumpkin on Art Day.
26 Today is National Pumpkin Day. Watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”
27 Throughout history, many women (and some men) who were healers or just a little different were accused of being witches. Stories and movies about witches often explore themes about power, wisdom, age and the less than conventional choices some women make. What do you think? Watch a witchy movie today, like Practical Magic, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch , episodes of Charmed, Hocus Pocus, Mistress of Spices, The Witch, Witches of Eastwick, Bell, Book and Candle, Stardust, Worst Witch, Harry Potter or The Witches. Black hat optional.
28 Pile in the car and go on a “Spooky House Tour.” That’s when you drive around and check out the Halloween jack-0-lanterns, lawn decorations and lights in the neighborhood.
29 Stretch like a cat on National Cat Day.
30 Reading for 20 minutes a day is good for your brain function and your memory. Curl up with a spooky story tonight.
31 Happy Halloween! Devote some time today to catch up on any self-care challengesy you’ve been meaning to do. Here is a playlist of jazzy, vintage Halloween songs to accompany your celebrations this evening.
#BESTLife Workshop 