How to make early sunsets suck less

Hot Tip's guide to leaning into coziness as the days get shorter

I learned something quite obvious and extraordinary this week, which is that mindless scrolling really is counterproductive? Case in point: I set a time limit on Instagram and am now 27* pages into a new script, I’ve been reading books before bed, my brain is overall working better…give me a few more days sans social media and I may figure out how to get Andrew Cuomo to finally just leave us all alone!!! (NYC, you have the chance to do that in your city next week. Make good choices xoxo.)

This weekend brings the dreaded end of daylight saving time, aka the “fall back” whereafter it’ll get dark at 4:30 PM and you’ll question existence at 4:31 PM. So I decided to curate a list of ways to take care of yourself and find small joys through the upcoming shortest days and darkest months of the year. For those of us who suffer from seasonal affective disorder, obviously nothing is a cure-all; I’ve learned it’s more about making yourself as cozy and comfortable as possible in the discomfort, knowing it’s going to be there (shout out years of therapy!!!), especially in this chaotic and overwhelming moment in time. So on that note—

IN THE KITCHEN

• Spice up your coffee, literally. This can be as simple as adding a dash of cinnamon (or perhaps this delish Chai blend from Burlap & Barrel.) It could also be a seasonal creamer like this gingerbread latte one—or perhaps an oat dark chocolate peppermint is more your speed.

• Simple Mills box mix muffins and breads are a breakfast lifesaver. They’re gluten free, have fiber + protein, and all you need are eggs, oil, and water. Then add whatever seasonal mix-ins you’re into, whether dark chocolate chips, apples, cranberries, coconut, hazelnuts, etc.

• Have an array of teas at home at all times. Chamomile, peppermint, licorice root, and ginger are staples, but mix it up. I also love the Yogi Tea Elderberry Lemon Balm Immunity + Stress, especially when trying not to catch anything.

• Bake a ton of cookies and keep them in the freezer for the whole season. I recently made these molasses crinkles from a cookbook belonging to my aunt and they are, no exaggeration, the perfect accompaniment to a cuppa.

• Go for big bowl foods. Soups, casseroles, stews, pot pies, chilis, beans, roasted potatoes, homemade bolognese. Cook your way through an entire cookbook, like Winter in Tuscany by Amber Guinness.

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AROUND YOUR HOME

• Get a lil gadget (this one comes in a 2-pack) to measure indoor humidity, so you’re not constantly getting zapped when you touch literally anything. And if the air is dry, get a humidifier (I have and love this top-fill one from Levoit.) Your skin, sinuses, and general distaste for being shocked will thank you.

• Lamps! Oh baby, do I love lamp. I love lamp all year long, but I love lamp the most when the outside dark feels extra creepy. Overhead lights are a no-no this time of year, so lamp the f up with warm bulbs. I’m into this simple, inexpensive one from Ikea or this zig zag floor lamp from West Elm.

  

• Light a scented candle. The TJ Maxxeverse has so, so many. Don’t want to burn ‘em or landlord will kick ya out? Use a cute candle warmer. Hot Tip (+ local LA) fav P.F. Candle Co. has a seasonal bundle of candles currently on sale.

• Make winter flower arrangements. Something I learned from my grandmother, who always reminded me to buy flowers when I was feeling down. Because bouquets aren’t just for spring: Roses, calla lily, hypericum, ranunculus, and whatever else you can find at Trader Joe’s are a perfect pop of color and joy in the wintertime. I love to buy three or four kinds and make a series of small bouquets to post up around my apartment. Hot tip: It’s also a great time to dry flowers, and you can keep those more permanently.

• Change things up in your space. You’ll be spending more time inside, so make it a place you can’t wait to be in. Do the gallery wall. Move your furniture around. See what’s on Facebook Marketplace. Hang up string lights. Get a new blanket, sheets, or throw pillow. Paint an accent wall, security deposit be damned. They were going to charge you for painting, anyway.

  

  My very own nightstand and accent wall and as-yet-unread book.

• Keep your home clean. Vacuum regularly. Wash your sheets every week. Open a window for fresh air. Dust. Replace your air filters. Don’t let dishes pile up in the sink. Little things can make a huge difference.

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IN YOUR BATHROOM AND ON YOUR BOD

• Make your bathroom a haven. I’m talking shower steamers and bath bombs (these are from one of my favorite small businesses, Old Whaling Company.) Get a Mrs. Meyer’s seasonal hand soap (or the whole collection) and a sophisticated bathroom night light.

• Lean in to skin/body care that takes time. Always wanted to try one of those terrifying LED light masks? Buy one. I have a random one from Amazon and genuinely think it makes my skin glow, placebo or not. I also love exfoliating my face with this peel and my scalp with this sea salt hair scrub.

• Keep moisturized. This includes your face, your body, your cuticles, etc. When it comes to my face, I’m a simple CeraVe girl through and through, and I love love love spritzing my face with Caudalie Grape Water. For body, I love this First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. Megababe Apres Shave to avoid ingrowns post-shave. And don’t forget your lips. My fav Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (very much for daytime use, too) has a Hot Cocoa flavor for the season!!!

• A good robe goes a long way. Mine is this one from Brooklinen.

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TO-DO LIST

• Use your hands, even if whatever you end up with isn’t perfect. Always wanted to learn to paint? There are ten thousand YouTube videos for that + a trip to Michael’s calling your name. Need to stare at something that isn’t the news? These gorgeous puzzles from Piecework are a dream.

• Rotate hosting weekly(ish) game nights with your friends. As a host, you’ll be forced to clean up, prep snacks, and generally get out of your head and into your physical space. As a guest, you’ll get to play games with your pals, get out of your house, and not have to clean up. Win-win for everyone.

• Set a time limit for mindless scrolling, and don’t ignore it. It truly does you no good to know every detail of your college roommate’s ex boyfriend’s wedding in Portugal. Do literally anything else.

• Get an AMC A-List subscription and go to the dang cinema. It’s nearly awards season, and it costs $28/month for (up to) 16 movies. I said what I said.

• Call your pals who live far away. Chances are, they miss you too!

• Sauna. Studios have popped up everywhere and I always feel better afterward. I’m partial to Pause, but there are tons of options that range in price.

• Do something nice for someone else. This always feels good, but especially when our brains are in a dark place. Drop off soup and a Covid test for a sick friend, or check on your elderly neighbor, or leave your favorite book in a little free library with a cute sticky note to the next reader.

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SET A ROUTINE

• Morning walk, if you can. Even just around the block to get your body moving and some Vitamin D. If it is a blizzard and/or too fuckin cold out there, do some morning pages—for the non-writers here, that’s basically just stream-of-consciousness word vomit journaling first thing to clear out the cobwebs from your brain.

• Exercise, whatever that means for you. I am a Peloton app devotee (shout out Callie Gullickson, Jess Sims, and Emma Lovewell, without whom I wouldn’t be me), but any movement is so crucial in the darker, colder months. It could be a walking pad at home or a YouTube dance cardio class or hot yoga at a new neighborhood studio or Bala Bangles while you’re cleaning or just a brisk long walk. Just move move move and stretch stretch stretch!!!!

• Build a nighttime routine—or if you already have one, elongate it. I recently started using this heated eye compress (technically for chronic dry eye, but hey, it ain’t prescription and it feels nice!) and I love spending 10 or 15 minutes chilling and listening to a podcast with it on.

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LETS TALK SCREENS

• Lean in to your comfort show, and have it on in the background as needed. Modern Family, New Girl, Cheers, 30 Rock, whatever it may be. Unless it’s something dark and fucked up, then maybe try something else. Laughter and predictability are queen from November-February, capiche?

• Hot tip: Your childhood classics are cozy af. I’m talking Aristocats. 101 Dalmatians. Mary Poppins. Cinderella. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The goofy stop-motion holiday classics.

• An incomplete list of holiday comfort (and or winter cozy) movies: The Holiday. Elf. Home(s) Alone. The Holdovers. The Family Stone. Groundhog Day. When Harry Met Sally. You’ve Got Mail. Love Actually. Bridget Jones’ Diary. How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Little Women. Happiest Season. Cool Runnings. Harry(s) Potter. While You Were Sleeping. The Grand Budapest Hotel. Knives Out.

• If you are going to be on your phone, make it something mindful. New York Times Crossword/Wordle/Spelling Bee/etc. or a podcast (my current favs are Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware and So True with Caleb Hearon.)

Together, we will HAGW and/or KATW. Got any additional tips? Put ‘em in the comments.

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Previously on Hot Tip:

Sunday recos + reads

Does anyone have eyes on Matt Damon?

Fall's hottest tips from my hot and interesting friends