Whether you have been living in the Netherlands for only a semester or your entire life, you might have noticed; Dutch people LOVE to complain. And the one thing they love to complain about the most is definitely the weather. 

Although there isn’t really a standard favorite or least favorite season, I do feel like autumn is the easiest season to complain about. This is probably because autumn comes directly after summer and as summer is associated with good weather and no school, it’s pretty hard to beat. It also doesn’t help that it rains a lot during this time of the year and that the weather is very unpredictable. 

Recent studies have shown that 6% of the Dutch population struggle with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), and 20- 30% get a milder form of SAD, also known as ‘winter blues’. This can heavily affect your school performance, and most importantly, your mental health. 

To help you feel your best during this cooler season, I have collected some reasons why Autumn is great and some tips and activities to boost your mood. 

The best seasonal food

Every season has some great food, but autumn by far has the best food of all, with its star spice; cinnamon! With Halloween at the end of October, all the delicious treats are in overflow. And not long after the Halloween decorations are down, Sinterklaas, the Dutch cousin of Santa Claus, will enter the Netherlands. Which means you can finally fill your cabinets with pepernoten (hard cookies made of spiced biscuits) and chocolate letters, even though I know most of us have been doing it ever since the first week of September (oops).

A great activity to do is making pepernoten yourself. You only need a couple of ingredients and you will have your own batch of delicious cookies in no time! Click here to see the recipe.

The lovely nature

The changing colors in October and November is something that amazes me every year. The leaves that were once green have now faded into a yellow, orange, and red color. The trees are left empty while the ground is covered. It has something symbolically beautiful. This process is often associated with death, which shouldn’t be seen as a negative thing. It is just a simple and healthy reminder that nothing lasts forever, and we should appreciate everything we have at that moment.

Walking in the park is a great way to help your mind relax and boost your mood. What makes it even better are the crunchy leaves on the ground. Nothing beats standing on a crunchy leaf in the middle of autumn. The sound, the feeling, the look, it is simple perfection and a straight shot of serotonin. I’m definitely guilty for walking like a crazy person, just to make my foot crush the leaf perfectly. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make it worth living.

If you’re looking for a quick walk, I’d say Valkenburg park is the place to be. You almost can’t miss it, as it is on the border of the city center. Mastbos is a great place to go if you’re interested in a longer walk, it is in the south of Breda and only a 23-minute bike ride away from the BUas. 

Time to look fashionable

Now that the sun has disappeared and the chilly weather has returned, it’s finally time for some layering! Where in summer you just want to wear as little clothes as possible. In autumn you finally have the ability to wear more than just a T-shirt and not die of the heat. Try to experiment with seasonal fashion, it can get boring to wear the same clothes all year long. 

Something I like to do once every few months is to work through my whole closet and see what I want to get rid of. After I have done that, I meet up with my friends who have done the same and do a big clothing swap. They also organize this at BUas once every few months, so keep an eye on the socials if you’d like to participate. This way you won’t necessarily have to spend money to have a new winter wardrobe you love. 

Cozy vibes

In the warmer months we spend most of the time outside until the late hours, while in autumn we move our life more inside. We can finally sit on our couch with a warm blanket, watch our favorite series or read a good book. A lot of people don’t like it when it gets dark earlier in the evening, but I think it adds even more to the cozy feeling of autumn. 

To make your place cozier I would suggest hanging up fairy lights and lighting some candles. This really transforms your place into something magical, if you want this magic to come alive even more you can watch one of the series mentioned in this article. 

Two names

Last but not least, it is the only season that has two names. Autumn and Fall! 

Unfortunately, you can’t change the seasons, and everyone can feel a little bit down during these cooler months, but that is okay. You can take a look at this article whenever you’re feeling blue and try one of the things suggested, it will make your autumn great!