It is officially fall.

After a long, incredibly hot Summer, the weather change is more than welcome. With October comes everything pumpkin spice, lots of layers, delicious food and apples in every form. However, sometimes fall can be a little overwhelming. You look around at all of these people who just “get” Fall. They’ve all got their clothes perfectly layered and their plaid perfectly complements the colors of the turning leaves. They seem to always have a steamy fall drink of some sort in their hands, and they are decked out with their homemade scarves, headbands, mittens, etc. Call it whatever you want, basic, mainstream—whatever. These people know how to do fall. Their instas portray a beautifully fall-colored life that apparently is stress + school free. Others, however, just cannot seem to “do Fall” like they wish they could (myself included). Here are a few solutions to help you fall right into step with this overachieving autumn crowd.

You don’t like pumpkin. Or PSLs. Or any lattes, for that matter.

For all my homies out there who also think coffee and lattes and the works are all kind of gross: we have options too.

1. Start liking these things. It all sounds good in theory, so you could potentially just psych yourself into enjoying the fancy coffee drinks. Also, start liking soymilk and extra foam. This will make you even more “Fall”.

2. Chai. If you’re anything like me and really just can’t stand the taste of coffee, there is a wonderful thing called chai. This warm, milky, spicy drink tastes like fall in a cup and comes in as many flavors as coffee does (even pumpkin spice!). Chai is also a cool word, so if someone says, “Oh what kind of latte is that?” and you say, “It’s a soymilk chocolate chai with extra foam sprinkled with cinnamon and the crystalized nectar of a Christmas Poinsettia,” you just won the fancy drink war.

3. Hot chocolate or some piping hot apple cider. Just add some caramel and whipped cream to your apple cider for an even more delectable experience. Also, keep in mind that everything comes in the same cup, so even if you aren’t drinking coffee, it’s still going to look like coffee, so really your job is done.

Just too many clothes.

If you feel like a sweater, flannel, vest, and chunky infinity scarf is just TOO MUCH, you’re not alone. Sure, everyone else looks great in their autumn getup but it’s just a little overwhelming for you. Here is a disclaimer: It is 100% understandable and expected for your feet to feel hotter than the surface of the sun if you are wearing fuzzy socks, leg warmers (crocheted by hand of course), and fur-lined Uggs. I promise you are not alone. Here are a few tips to handle the obscene amounts of clothes you are expected to wear at one time this season:

1. Wear a normal amount of clothing.

2. Poke little holes in all of your clothes like a baked potato as a sort of airflow cooling system.

3. Everything in moderation: maybe just try normal socks and boots. Or a flannel + vest. Or sweater + scarf. No need to max out the entire content of your wardrobe in one day. (Less clothes = less laundry = less water. Also = more time for the Netflix.)

You don’t know how to knit/crochet/bake/DIY anything, at all.

These skills are wonderful to have, and maybe you have one of them! That’s so good, I’m proud. However, if you are a member of the average population of America, you probably cannot do most of these things. We are the population that creates the faily-est of Pinterest fails. Here are some tips for you:

1. You could potentially learn one of these things. (But this will most likely not happen. Too many reasons not to.)

Therefore…

2. Sit back and enjoy the talents of those who have them. If I have a friend who wants to knit me legwarmers, why go and learn myself? Every cook needs someone to cook for. Let us band together and be a proud population of hungry, talentless people for whom the cooks can cook.

If, however, you do like pumpkin spice, you live for layers, you own 12 different flannel shirts, and you have mastered the art of the Dutch braid, the crochet, and the DIY, CONGRATULATIONS! It’s finally your season. For the rest of us, it’s time to break out the Snuggie and start back at the beginning of Friends, because May is a long ways away.

In the end, Fall is a time of year to sit back and enjoy the beauty. I hope more than anything, that you don't take this as me telling you to change yourself in order to fit in- in fact, it's quite the opposite. Fall is an amazing season of change and beauty and that's the perfect time to reflect and think about who you are in your own unique and beautiful way. It may be a stressful time of year for some, but make sure above all else that you don’t get so caught up in the stress of it all that you miss all of the beauty around you this season.