There is something about autumn, that sense that we are preparing to hibernate. Of course, because I don't go out very often, it could be viewed that I hibernate all year round. Yet look at any city in rush hour and it's obvious that most people aren't slowing down for the season at all. Nevertheless, that feeling of preparing to retreat from the world and settle in for the colder months somehow sustains. So I thought I would talk about some of the things that autumn means to me as a spoonie.
Why I Look Forward to Autumn
The colours of the season
All seasons are beautiful, but there is something extra about autumn. It is a strange thing because I have always been a lilac, baby pink, baby blue and aqua kind of person. Think of the colour scheme from Frozen. I still love these colours an awful lot. In fact, orange and brown were always my least favourite colours, and when it comes to something like the decor in my creative room, they still are.
But over the last couple of years, I have noticed a change. Like a lot of other people, I have jumped on the trend of finding out which seasonal colour palette suits me. Just using an app, mind you. I'm not going to actually leave the house and pay someone to do this!
I actually briefly looked into it when I was in my late teens or early twenties, and at that time I seemed to be a Spring. With age, my hair has naturally deepened in colour and even my eyes seem to have developed more interesting colours in the iris. Now I am a Soft Autumn, the season of ish: warmish, neutral-ish, soft-ish. Interestingly, a couple of my favourite tops, which I used to get compliments on, are in the Soft Autumn palette.
Of course, being a spoonie, I don't often wear makeup and I mostly wear pyjamas. So I don't have much of a wardrobe to lean into this colour theory anyway. Then there is the fact that clothing manufacturers and retailers, especially at the more affordable end of the market, tend to cater more to current trends than seasonal colour palettes.
Time to get cosy
It comes back to that feeling of hibernation again. This is the time of year when candles, or their battery-operated versions, come into use. The wax warmer can finally be switched on without it simply being too hot to contemplate. Just what essential oils do you need to evoke the feeling of a forest or a cosy cabin? Screensavers change, a few autumnal touches creep into the decor, and soft woollen blankets and socks start calling to me. Of course, wanting to get cosy and actually being able to do so don't always go hand in hand, as I'll come back to later.
Being at home feels more normal
During the summer, it can feel as though everyone is out and about while I am inside, watching Facebook and Instagram show me all the things other people are experiencing that I am missing. As autumn arrives, something shifts. Suddenly, lots of other people would rather be inside too, and having a chronic illness can feel a little less othering in the colder seasons.
Think back to the pandemic lockdowns, when artists and entertainers suddenly started creating content specifically for people to enjoy at home. What was an exceptional experience for much of the population was already an everyday one for many of us.
The end of heatwaves
British heatwaves can be difficult to live with. I have watched Americans and Australians online laugh at us for saying it is hot here, only to visit during one of our hot spells and discover just how uncomfortable British heat can be. Air conditioning isn't standard in our homes, or even in many public buildings; traditionally, we simply haven't needed it.
Unless we have an unusually warm spell later in autumn, hopefully the worst of the heatwaves will be behind us. The summer of 2026 has been especially difficult in the UK, with repeated heatwaves accompanied by exceptionally dry conditions, drought and wildfires. It has been truly heartbreaking to see our green and pleasant land bleached pale yellow and blotted with the blackened debris left by sweeping fires.
Autumn Isn't Automatically Easier With Fibromyalgia
Colder days and nights
For some people with fibromyalgia, colder weather can mean increased pain. Research doesn't suggest that everyone with fibromyalgia responds to temperature in the same way, but altered temperature sensitivity is recognised, and some of us certainly notice the difference as the seasons change.
My own body seems to have a particularly strange relationship with the cold: my muscles like it, but my bones don't. I can be standing on the doorstep chatting with a neighbour and feel as though I am doing quite well, until somebody spots that my nail beds have turned blue. Once I have returned to the house and started “defrosting”, my bones take on a deep ache that can take a long time to ease.
Changeable weather
Autumn, like spring, can bring very changeable weather. One day it feels as though summer is still hanging on; a day or two later, judging by the temperature, you could swear winter has arrived. I am British, so talking about the weather is practically a national pastime, but I've talked a little more about how these changes can affect fibromyalgia in my post about Changeable Weather.
Shorter days / less daylight
One of the things I find harder as autumn progresses is losing the daylight. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a recognised form of depression that usually occurs during the winter months and is thought to be linked to reduced daylight. I don't believe what I experience reaches the level of SAD, but I certainly notice the effect that darker days have on me.
For all the cosiness that candlelight can add, those extra hours of darkness can feel gloomy, especially in late autumn before the Christmas decorations go up and cheer things up. This is made worse by the fact that I often have painsomnia at night and don't get to sleep until stupid o'clock in the morning. When I finally do sleep, it can be until lunchtime.
As autumn progresses, the amount of daylight I actually experience gets smaller and smaller. Thankfully, it hasn't yet reached winter levels, when I can sometimes feel lucky if I've truly appreciated three hours of sunlight through a window.
When getting warm isn't as simple as adding layers
When the weather turns cooler, it is time to reassess what I wear. Clothing itself can sometimes be painful for me, so needing more of it brings its own problems. I have real trouble with the seams in socks; just a millimetre out of place can become unbearable. I can't often wear something like jeans because the fabric is too rough. I do have an emergency pair of jeggings that are a little softer and, importantly, don't have any metal studs.
This isn't really a seasonal issue, but don't get me started on being well endowed and unable to wear bras with any metal, not just underwires but even hooks. The best I can manage is a sports bra, and I am definitely not a sports bra shape!
I mentioned it earlier, but realistically I spend the majority of my time in pyjamas. They are usually soft enough not to cause me any problems. Ironically, I can't actually wear them in bed because I get tangled up in them as I toss and turn, so they may as well get worn during the day.
As someone who has hyperhidrosis, I really struggle to regulate my temperature. Even when I have the desire to get cosy and my extremities are a little chilly, adding another layer can quickly leave me dripping wet. Often, I am better off putting on a pair of fingerless gloves, if I need my hands, rather than adding another layer, however much my soft fleece clothes are calling to me.
The Strange Thing About Having an Online Spoonie Community
What season is it?
OK, this is only a small one. Much of the spoonie community is connected through the internet and dotted around the globe. While some of us are focusing on autumn, others are discussing fall. Then we have our friends in the Southern Hemisphere heading into spring and wondering what on earth we're going on about. However much my brain understands the concept, my sensibilities still struggle to acclimatise.
Spoonie-Friendly Ways I'm Enjoying Autumn
Box sets & movies
With Halloween in the middle, autumn is a great time to embrace spooky season. I enjoyed watching The Mayfair Witches and I'm part way through Grimm. Then there are the autumn favourites: it's always a good time for a Gilmore Girls rewatch or maybe a Harry Potter marathon. Best of all, this is one seasonal pleasure that works just as well when my body decides that sofa time is really needed.
Autumn creativity
My favourite crafts this year have been diamond painting and adult colouring. Over the summer, the heat from my diamond painting light board became quite uncomfortable. As the weather cools down, though, that same warmth becomes rather pleasant. I've also been enjoying more seasonal projects, and you can see some of my autumn creations on the Autumn page.
Seasonal recipes
Is it even autumn without a crumble? That question may well be lost on our American friends! After a lot of salads over the summer, it is time for the slow cooker to get busy with melt-in-the-mouth casseroles. Due to my limitations, I am not the cook in our household. I'm sure Michael appreciates being able to throw something into the slow cooker when he has a bit of time, rather than being stuck by the stove in the evening.
With IBS being one of the co-conditions I deal with, there is always a balance between the comfort foods I crave as autumn arrives and what actually works well for me. Unfortunately, the foods my taste buds associate with comfort and the foods my digestive system considers a good idea aren't necessarily the same thing!
Enjoying Autumn Without Having to “Make The Most Of It”
When a new season is upon us, I often find myself thinking about the quarter ahead and what I would like to achieve. It's a nice ambition, but as we know, our bodies don't always work to a schedule. Making a little list of things you would like to experience is one thing; feeling that you have to get all the things done is quite another.
Sometimes, looking out of the window and watching the leaves flutter in the wind as they make their journey to the ground is enough. Curling up with a seasonal favourite TV show or getting lost in an atmospheric book might be just the right amount of autumn for you.