Why autumn triggers anxiety and how to tackle it
Why autumn triggers anxiety and how to tackle it.
Autumn can be a very beautiful time of year, particularly here in the UK. We benefit from a diverse range of woodland, meaning wooded areas like parks and forests can have a gorgeous colour palette of reds, oranges, golds, and browns. The lower angle of the sun in the sky allows for a golden glow in the morning and afternoon, bathing these diverse colours in a radiant warmth.
Autumn, however, can also be a difficult time of year for many of us.
Reduced Daylight:
While there is ample beauty to be found in autumn, it can also amplify feelings of anxiety and tension. Shorter days and longer nights reduce your exposure to sunlight lowering your serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your mood and sleep, it is often referred to as a “feel-good” chemical for the positive impact it has on your mental and physical well-being. Low levels of serotonin can be associated with conditions like depression, generalised anxiety disorder, and irritable bowel syndrome. And the impact of the lack of sun does not stop there; the reduced daylight hours can impact your circadian rhythm. This is your body's natural internal clock that controls physical, mental, and behavioral changes. Disrupting this rhythm can lead to issues with sleep, appetite, mood, and metabolism.
Seasonal Affective Disorder:
Seasonal affective disorder, also referred to as SAD, is a type of depression that comes and goes with the changes in seasons. It is most common for symptoms to be more apparent and more severe during the winter and less apparent during the summer. This has led to SAD also being referred to as “winter depression.” However, some people do experience the reverse, having greater symptoms in the summer and feeling better in the winter. Here is the NHS article on Seasonal Affective Disorder: http://bit.ly/47fhiB5
Back-to-School / Work Stress:
Autumn is a transitional period in nature, and this is very apparent with the changing colours of foliage before most trees eventually shed their leaves until the coming spring. It is also, however, a transitional period for many people. Younger people are heading back to schools, universities, and colleges, but autumn is also representative of the start of a work year for many of us, a few years past school. Lots of people choose the summer to take their holidays as it's easier for families to travel together without breaking the school year for children and young adults. As such, the autumn period is seen as a time to start again and knuckle down to work.
How to help deal with the new season:
Well, we have looked at why autumn triggers anxiety, depression, and other such things, but what can we do to help counter this? Well, there are a number of things we can look to implement in our day to try and help us through this period. First of all, try to increase light exposure, get out when you can, particularly in the morning and the middle of the day, to help maintain your circadian rhythm and boost mood. Remember, we don’t have the long summer evenings anymore, so it's probably best to get out earlier and then get back home before it's too dark. In addition, it's important to try and maintain your routine of sleep-wake cycle to help support your body clock.
Exercise and eat well:
Physical activity helps to relieve stress by reducing adrenaline and cortisol production and boosts serotonin levels, helping you feel better. Exercise can also enhance your self-perception and increase your sense of self-worth. Partnering exercise with eating well is the best way to see results, fatty fish like salmon are rich in the vitamin D we are probably missing from the sunlight at this time of year. Seasonal berries and fruits are rich in nutrients and help to support mood and immunity. Unfortunately, this part is where we talk about reducing our intake of that oh so addictive “junk food”, and try to replace processed foods with whole foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins.
Self-care:
While self-care by definition somewhat covers exercise and diet, we also wanted to highlight the importance of mindfulness, being in the moment, your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings rather than just coasting through. Consider meditation or journaling to process your thoughts and feelings, try not to get caught up in the rush of life, and allow time for consideration of yourself, your situation, and your feelings.
I myself have found that group walks are a particularly good way of combining a few of these points together. It allows me an enjoyable way to get some exercise, in the outdoors and in a group setting. This helps me get outdoors, getting exercise and in a social group way with people, allowing me to unburden myself somewhat. For things like this, I would encourage looking at Meetup or WeMeet apps.
