Hey there, welcome to Good Thoughts Monthly – your go-to spot for a little dose of positivity and wellness! Eat good food, drink lots of water, and think good thoughts! 🌿✨

October symbolizes transition—from summer to autumn, with nature shifting and preparing for winter. Whether you’re experiencing the weather shift, switching up your wardrobe for the new season, or just starting to set up new routines now that summer has finally slowed, it’s a poignant time of year that represents change.

With October’s mantra of the month: “Change is Growth,” I encourage you to set out this month to embrace whatever changes are happening in your life, whether big or small, and see them as opportunities for personal growth. Keep reading for some tips on how to adjust your self-care this season for more adaptive wellness routines as the seasons change.

October Intentions & Reflection

As we head into the final quarter of 2024 (!!!), October is a great time to reflect on the year so far, honor what you’ve accomplished, and set intentions for how you want to end the year on a good note.

• Q4 Goal Check-In: If you didn’t set goals at the beginning of the year, it’s not too late! Open your calendar today and mark off a day in the next week to reflect on your year so far, revisit any goals you did set, adjust and refocus, and/or create a few new achievable goals for the next few months. As shared last month, you can use my detailed vision organizer; but don’t worry — if that feels like too much, I’m already planning to create more bite-size goal-setting resources before the end of the year. 🤝

• Gratitude Practice for October: In honor of World Mental Health Day on October 10th, I am challenging myself to practice gratitude all month long. An easy way to introduce a gratitude practice into your routine can be setting a daily reminder on your phone to pause for 30 seconds and say out loud 3 things that you are grateful for. Practicing a gratitude mindset can help lower cortisol, reducing stress and anxiety; it can improve your mood and sleep, increase happiness, and reduce feelings of depression.

• (Re)Building Confidence: in alignment with my journey at the moment, I also am encouraging you to investigate your self-confidence this month. Especially if you ever feel prone to the winter blues, now is a great time to think about rebuilding self-confidence after any setbacks that may have come throughout the year, and getting ahead of what may come to weigh you down when the cold weather snaps. For a few confidence tips, check out one of my latest articles on Medium.

Wellness Trends For October

Grounding Rituals

I’ve been continuing to lean into my routines, and am looking forward to enhancing the relaxation effect as the weather cools. Grounding techniques refer to any practice that can help you feel more present and in control. Grounding rituals can help with stress, anxiety, and other negative feelings. Try incorporating warm baths with Epsom salts, essential oils for relaxation, or journaling in by candlelight. I am obsessed with my one-line-a-day journal, referenced in another recent Medium post, and have this adorable reading light on my bedpost that creates such a vibe when I want to read or journal.

Immune-Boosting Habits

With the change of the season, it’s always a great time to step up your immunity routines. There are a lot of ways to strengthen your immunity such as focusing on vitamins, incorporating healthier recipes with fall produce, or even emphasizing more mindful drinking as we start to inch closer to the holidays. I am a big tea drinker, but especially when it starts to get cooler, you can find me drinking tea morning and night. My go-to is Throat Coat because I love the taste and the ingredients! Make sure to pick up the version that includes lemon echinacea which helps your body fight infections.

I also take supplements all year round, but there are a few that can be especially great to add in during the change of seasons. I talk often on my Instagram about Armra colostrum. This is a one-stop-shop super supplement that I swear was the key to staying healthy throughout the winter last year when I was traveling every other week! I also take Zinc, which helps the body fight off viruses and bacteria, and sometimes add in Vitamin D as the weather changes. Vitamin D helps promote the growth of immune cells. Although, I am a big believer in getting as much natural Vitamin D as possible, even during the winter, so I only keep this on hand if I feel I absolutely need it. Keep going outside, facing the sun, and soaking it up! ☀️

Seasonal Exercise Tips

Speaking of continuing to get outside, I’ll say it again - keep going outside! 🙂 Running and other outdoor workouts can still be so much fun in the fall. Maybe even more fun if you appreciate the cooler temps. I’ve been sharing bits of my workout routines on Instagram, but wanted to include a quick one here for you to try. This can be done anywhere you can find space outdoors — in your backyard, or at a park, and you can do it with no or minimal equipment.

And for fun, I will be doing a special giveaway this month only for newsletter subscribers! To enter, after you complete this workout, tag me in a story post when you’re done and I’ll choose a few winners at the end of the month! 🥳 

For visual guidance, check out a quick video of the workout on Instagram, which will be shared today (Friday, October 4). Below are the details!

What’s Keeping My Vibration High:

I wanted to include a section that shares what I’m loving lately. With so many different sharing platforms these days, I am hoping this newsletter can be a one-stop-shop for a digest on so many helpful and insightful resources, as well as a quick hit of the things in my life currently bringing me thoughtfulness and joy.

Note: there is a link at the end of this month’s newsletter to invite you to share feedback on what you’re loving (or want to see more/less of). Please check it out and let me know your thoughts! 🙏🏽

• What I’m watching/reading/listening to:

  I listened to the audiobook and then watched “The Perfect Couple” on Netflix last month. It was an interesting plot, but surprisingly I thought the show was better than the novel! The novel had a twist at the end that separated it from the way most thriller/murder mystery stories resolve, but the show did a way better job of developing the characters and the storyline. I’ll pretty much watch anything with Nicole Kidman in it so it was worth the quick binge for me, but the book you could skip.

  We also just started a Netflix show called “Nobody Wants This,” which is so refreshing and cute! I also love the actors in this one. I was a pretty big O.C. fan back in the day so watching Adam Broody romance Kristen Bell is 15-year-old me reliving my Seth Cohen crush glory days. I’m only a few episodes in, but so far I've been impressed with the overall quality and thoughtfulness of the show. It’s the fun and flirty rom-com we’ve needed for so long and I can already tell I’ll be sad when it’s over.

• What’s inspiring me:

  Last weekend we attended The Poetry Festival in Columbus, which was held in the Museum of Art. It’s always inspiring to see art in action; meeting and mingling with artists and listening to their stories. I considered myself a writer in college, as I studied English Literature and took a lot of creative writing courses. I was even published several times in my early twenties. So getting to reignite that passion and watch others showcase theirs was incredibly motivating and special. If you’re in Columbus, I highly recommend checking out the Museum of Art - it’s free on Sundays!

• What I’m Loving Lately:

  Lately, I’ve been all about my skincare. Especially with the weather changing I’ve been stepping up my regimen and making sure I’m sticking to my routine. This year I made a handful of swaps from drugstore and Sephora skincare to more high-quality products and I think my skin has appreciated it! I’ve also completely switched my makeup from Tarte (which I learned was not great for acne-prone skin) to Rare Beauty. A few of my top skincare products I can’t go without include Clean Skin Club Towels, Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid Exfoliant, and Naturium Retinol Complex. They’re all linked on my Amazon storefront, including more products from my regimen.

Wear Good Thoughts!

Final Thoughts for October

What are your thoughts?

With this only being the second issue of my newsletter, more experimentation is definitely in store. I’d love to know what’s resonating, and what’s not.

Please take a moment to complete a quick survey about the newsletter here.

Over the next several weeks, I will be collecting questions and requests for what type of content and resources you’d like to see! You can write in your ideas on the last question of the above survey — or feel free to reach out directly by replying to this newsletter, emailing me at [email protected], or through a direct message on my Instagram.

Some topics to look forward to in the next few issues:

Have a fun, safe, and spooky month ahead! 👻✨🎃

Let’s Connect!

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