Creative Self-Care for Fall
Leaves falling, scary movies, football Sundays, cozy blankets, 50 degree days, and pumpkin flavored everything.
Fall is here, and it can be a difficult transition for some to go from Summer to Fall due to transitioning back to school or work after having the Summer off, less sunlight, colder days, and more.
Self-care and coping skills are important year round. It can be helpful to get creative with your self-care, so you don’t get bored with your self-care routine.
Have you heard of a pumpkin smashing party? No? Well, once you learn what it is, you’re going to want to do it asap.
A couple of weeks ago, one of my clients came up with the great idea to have a pumpkin smashing party.
It was such a great idea that I wanted to share it here, along with the importance of therapy as a safe space to come up with such ideas.
My husband and I at Bust-N-Stuff in Milwaukee, WI.
Pumpkin Smashing Party
In response to a discussion about anger and healthy ways to cope with anger, my client and I talked about the idea of going to a rage room.
A rage room is a place where you go to throw various items, like dishes and filing cabinets, or hit those items with various other items, like hammers, sledge hammers, golf clubs, and baseball bats.
My husband and I went to a rage room in Milwaukee last year, and it was so much fun.
It’s called a “rage room” for good reason. Physical exertion is a healthy way to process anger (as long as it’s directed towards appropriate things and not people).
Throwing and smashing old filing cabinets and already chipped dishes was fun and a great release.
As my client and I were talking about this, she thought about making her own “rage room” by buying pumpkins and smashing those.
I loved and encouraged this idea as it’s: festive for Fall and a budget-friendly option.
How to Have a Pumpkin Smashing Party
Buy pumpkins from a local pumpkin farm, farmer’s market, or store.
Gather items to smash the pumpkins.
This step is not necessary, as you could choose to throw the pumpkins, but you could use items, such as bats or hammers, to smash the pumpkins, as well.
Write on the pumpkins.
This is another optional step that could add to the therapeutic effects of this activity. You might write difficult emotions, thoughts, worries, or anything else you want to release.
Find an appropriate place to smash the pumpkins.
Such as a public, open field where animals can come to eat the pumpkins after they have been smashed
Invite friend(s) to join you.
This step is not necessary but can be a fun option to make it a social outing.
Importance of Therapy’s Safe Space
I often hear or read comments on line from people stating that therapy is “just talking” or “just listening to people all day.”
I believe these comments are from people who have had poor experiences in therapy or who have not tried therapy at all because those who have a good therapy experiences know that therapy is so much more than just talking and listening.
Therapy offers a safe space to:
Be authentically you
Share anything without fear of judgment
Make mistakes
Process all of your emotions
Explore thoughts, ideas, and suggestions
This is not to say that my client would not have thought of having a pumpkin smashing party outside of therapy but having a safe space to do so may have helped.
My clients often say things like, “I just thought of this right now” or “I haven’t thought about it that way before.”
Many people don’t have spaces or relationships outside of therapy that allow them to think in the ways that they do in therapy sessions.
The safety of therapy can help you discover new parts of yourself, including the part of you that can come up with creative ideas, and think in different ways.
Pumpkins on sale at my local Walmart as of October 16th, 2023.
Final Notes
A solo or group pumpkin smashing party can be a great way to have fun while processing anger in a healthy way.
Therapy is a safe space that is so much more than “just talking” or “just listening.”
Therapy allows for processing emotions and openly sharing thoughts and ideas that might not come up outside of the therapy room.
I believe this is because the safe environment created in the therapy “room” (virtual or in person) and in the therapeutic relationship allows for and encourages more vulnerability and thinking and feeling more freely.
I encourage you to try a pumpkin smashing party or otherwise get creative with your self-care this Fall.
For more Fall self-care ideas, check out my Fall Self-Care Calendar here.