15 Little Ways to Reset Yourself This Fall

Some say September is the other January-it's just as good a time as the new year for a clean slate. Girding for school to start again, for work to pick up? We have ideas to boost your energy, shake up your routine, and get you sparkling. Ready, set, reset!

- SARAH Z. WEXLER

1 Add more nature to your decor.

What makes a home feel homey? A 2021 study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology tried to pin down those subjective factors. A major commonality was "greater naturalness." (Maybe that explains why December's holly and Christmas trees give us all the cozy feels.) As summer fades and we stay inside more, harness the power of nature by bringing the outdoors in-with houseplants, a bowl of river rocks on the table, dried flower arrangements, or a stack of wood next to the fireplace. For even more ahhh, don't forget throw blankets, says Breegan Jane, an interior designer in Los Angeles and HGTV host. "If you're looking to give your home an extra dose of autumn goodness, one of the easiest things to do is incorporate fall colors from nature," she says. "Put away the bright, summery hues and bring out those thick knitted throw blankets in earthy sienna, green, and auburn."

2 Switch up your apple game.

We're serious! See, there are more than 100 apple varieties in U.S. grocery stores, and around a dozen new ones are introduced every year-many bred specifically to beat the classics (sorry not sorry, mealy Red Delicious). So drop the McIntosh (OK, just gently put it down) and mix things up! For a greater balance of sweetness, acidity, crispness, and juiciness, try Cosmic Crisp, developed at Washington State University, and SnapDragon and RubyFrost, bred at Cornell University, suggests Lane Selman, a professor at Oregon State University and the director of the Culinary Breeding Network, which includes plant breeders, farmers, and culinary pros. Or go to usapple.org to see what's available in an orchard near you. Once you stock up, store the apples in a paper bag in your fridge's crisper drawer. They should last for weeks, even months.