Seasonal Thoughts for October 2025
The observant amongst us will notice this being published in late November, and in some ways, this is indicative of how the months of October and November can and did progress.
October is a month of change affecting everything around us. The temperature drop and humidity increase is an unwelcome surprise, it becomes too chilly to hold off heating the home, and it becomes dark outside at a time of day that is noticeable.
In the UK, the clocks also go back, which may be a softer change than the clocks going forward, but it’s a change to routine all the same.
In terms of jobs that may need doing around the house and outside, October is a month that reminds us that the past six months of fair weather is about to change. It’s time to think about pipes freezing, tidying up the garden, and getting in that one last mow of the grass before winter.
The focus shifts inwards to ensuring the home is cosy and habitable for long periods, which may be a change from the summer months when the outside was the main form of entertainment and relaxation.
The food in our fridges and cupboards may start to change, from lighter salads to heartier meals. We may build up a contingency of food for multiple day or week periods to avoid travel disruption in adverse weather or whilst being snowed in.
As the days become shorter, we may try to find ways to create our own light around our home and garden. One method of acceptance of darker nights for me has been to light up trees in the garden using low power LEDs that can be seen from the warm and comfy sofa. I can still observe nature, the wind blowing the leaves, and the rain or snow falling. The outside has no longer been taken from me, and instead, I view and embrace it in a different way.
There may be many invisible demands on our energy in October, having recovered during September from the summer warmth and loss of sleep, it is easy to get carried away catching up on life. Summer can lead us to pause some of our hobbies or routines whilst we are enjoying the longer days, with temperatures that give us freedom to do more, and be impulsive with the minimum of preparation. Preparation for this transition may help ease the negative effects of the Autumn and Winter seasons.
It is this time of year that I find myself burning out, partly through taking less time off, as I usually wait until I take a long break off over Christmas and New Year. It’s easy to look at this as a destination, but having breaks in between will hopefully allow me to pace myself between now and then.
Taking regular rest breaks is also important. We may associate breaks with nature and being outside, even if that is was a stroll around the garden or a coffee in the sun, but October may abruptly change that routine. Planning alternative destinations or activities that are suitable for restful lunch and short screen breaks will help your energy levels, stress, and concentration.
It’s interesting that I consciously plan in my activities around the October increase of roaming spiders during their mating season and see it as a deadline to getting the roof space tidy. There is a small space of time between this and it being far too cold up there in the loft. Ironically, I have seen 99% more spiders in the garage than the loft, but that doesn’t seem such a problem. Irrational fears are interesting to observe.