The fall and winter in Phoenix don’t really announce themselves. We have had a lot of gloomy rain and flooding lately, but nobody’s out scraping a windshield. The signs are just quieter: my hair feels stringy, it’s insanely hard to get out of bed in the morning, and it’s basically dark by the time I’ve closed my laptop.
If you live somewhere with actual weather, especially snow, go ahead and roll your eyes. I’d roll mine too.
But my point is, things that wear you down for the next 3 months don’t need to be a blizzard. Dry air, short days, and a body that has sat in front of a computer screen for eight hours show up here, too. We just get better sunsets.
This isn’t a seasonal overhaul of my wellness or beauty routine. It’s six small rituals. Four are already heavily in my rotation, and two are on my list to give a go this year.
Stretching & Mobility Kits
Bands, a block, or a foam roller. All of the above. Nothing about this is that exciting, and that’s the point.
Here is the first of my core wellness routines in this post.
On a 40-something-degree morning, my body feels 7,000 years older than it is. Ten minutes on the floor fixes more than a second cup of coffee ever does. There is genuinely nothing better than a stretch with the bands. If you’re a fellow Pilates girlie, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Whether you buy an entire stretch kit or a Pilates kit, you’ll get the extra mile from it. If you’re just looking for one piece, the foam roller is probably your best bet. It just comes down to personal preference.
Acupressure Mats
This one is on my list. I can’t really remember why I wanted to give this one a try, but surely it just makes sense.
Acupressure Mats have hundreds of tiny plastic spikes which you willingly lie on. Everyone who owns one says the first two minutes are miserable and the next ten are oddly blissful.
Each mat’s tiny plastic spikes apply a gentle, targeted pressure to key meridian points along the spine. The body reacts quickly to the pressure by flooding the area with fresh circulation and releasing endorphins and oxytocin.
The acupressure mat melts away muscle tightness and shifts the nervous system out of “fight or flight” mode. It’s great for a pre-bed nervous system reset. Just 10 to 15 minutes can help release the day’s tension for a deeper rest. It’s also beneficial for stimulating circulation, waking up sluggish energy from sitting all day, and even releasing neck and jaw pain. The pillow portion is great for targeting the base of the skull, where stress headaches love to hide.
Red Light Everything
I use a red light therapy bed once a week, and it’s the best 12 minutes of my week. I can’t go anywhere. I have to sit still and relax, and there are real benefits to it, too.
When sunlight becomes scarce, our skin and energy levels are the first to dip. Red light therapy works by penetrating beneath the skin’s surface to stimulate the mitochondria of your cells. The result is boosted collagen production, calmed inflammation, faster muscle recovery, and a noticeable “lit-from-within” glow that I can vouch for.
Upgrading to a red light therapy shower head is certainly on my list, but you can also keep a compact red light panel in your bathroom for the same effect. Turning off the harsh overhead bathroom lights and showering solely under the warm red glow protects evening melatonin production and eases sore muscles.
Hair & Body Mist
Wellness isn’t just purely physical. It’s sensory too. As the days get shorter and colder, swapping out crisp summer scents for something warm and grounding is one of the easiest ways to shift the mood and romanticize the daily routine.
A lightweight hair and body mist acts as an instant nervous-system reset without feeling heavy or overpowering like a traditional perfume.
Post-shower mist lightly through damp hair and over unscented body lotion. The warmth of the skin locks in the scent and signals to your brain it’s time to unplug. You can also spray it on your favorite chunky sweaters, throw blankets, and to beat the 3 PM slump reset. Mists are the perfect two-second sensory pick-me-up when afternoon brain fog hits.
Magnesium Spray
Magnesium is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including muscle relaxation, stress regulation, and sleep quality. Most of us run low on it, especially during stressful, colder months. While oral supplements can be hard on the stomach, sprays can deliver concentrated magnesium chloride directly through the skin right where you need it.
It’s a fast-acting, effortless ritual that eases tight muscles, calms restless legs, and tells an overstimulated nervous system that it’s safe to just chill the f out. I spray a few pumps on the soles of my feet 20 minutes before bed, but it also works great for targeting shoulder and calf pain from sitting down all day.
A Sunrise Alarm Clock
Nothing jolts your nervous system quite like a blaring smartphone alarm going off in a pitch-black room. As daylight hours shrink, waking up before the sun throws off the circadian rhythm, leaving you groggy and depleted before your feet even hit the floor.
A sunrise alarm clock mimics a natural dawn by gradually brightening your room with amber to white light over 20 to 30 minutes before your wakeup time. The gradual light cue gently suppresses melatonin and encourages a natural rise in cortisol, helping you wake up rested rather than startled.
Most models also include a “sunset” mode that slowly dims warm red/orange light over 30 minutes while playing soft brown noise or rain sounds, signaling to your brain it’s time to power down.
Use its warm, low-blue-light glow as your bedside lamp during dark autumn nights so you can wind down without disrupting your sleep hormones.
So what’s your fall/winter thing?
I’ll be back once I try the acupressure mat. It’s a damn spike mat. If it’s torture, you’ll hear about it. In the meantime, tell me what’s in your cold-weather rotation, or your sorry-it ‘s-70-degrees rotation? I’m always looking for the next thing to try.
