Embracing Change: It’s all in the Mind to Handle the New Season and the New Mood

Fall is in the air and with the change of seasons comes a change in feelings and emotions. NEW SEASON, NEW MINDSET. When the weather gets chillier and the days get shorter people tend to experience dry skin, low mood, low energy levels, less enthusiasm, irritability, feelings of worthlessness, fatigue and difficulty concentrating and getting things done.

With a change in temperature also comes a change in sunlight and some researchers have attributed these mood changes to the changes in the hours of daylight. Even if the state of sadness at the end of summer affects almost everyone, still not everyone is affected in the same manner and to the same extent. Some personality types just can’t help to be negatively affected by the arrival of autumn and they go really down the rabbit whole during the harvest season. for them this moodiness begins in fall and continues through the winter months. Some other personality types on the other hand, seem to be unaffected by the autumn blues and they love everything about this colorful, beautiful time of the year.

It is only natural that there are those of us who seem to thrive in the light while there are others who like the darkness of winter. The crisp fall mornings get me moving. I am very motivated to get up and get moving with the cold weather 

What is the difference? This is what this post will look a little into, to shine a bit of clarity on how mental (and emotional) flexibility is a skill that we can all learn and train, before giving full power to the morning chill and the falling leaves to affect our emotional functioning.

How Autumn Affects Our Body

Autumn is a time of change. The rhythm of the natural transition form one season into another affects both the natural environment and our bodies. In case of some people this change is stimulating isolation and bad moods while for others this change is an opportunity to rest and reset. The changing of the seasons can be the best opportunities for resetting our habits.

Diet -We are inspired to consume more Food

Evolutionally speaking, winter is the lean time when the earth is barren and food is scarce. Our bodies are hard-wired to want to consume more energy dense foods like fats and carbs and our metabolism can slow down in an attempt to store this energy for the coming winter season.

Simple changes in your seasonal routine can make all the difference in grounding and balancing yourself during the seasonal changes:

• Try feeding your body wholesome and nourishing food
• Stay active. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Moving your body on a regular basis often takes a bit of effort, but it has far-reaching, positive effects on your physical and emotional health. You don’t need to train for a marathon. Walking around the park, doing 20 minutes exercises at home, running around the playground with your children—these all have the same benefit.
• Drink plenty of water- dehydration is a common problem in the colder month because we tend to not notice so easily the impulses signaling thirst as we do during the hot summer days.

Sleep, Energy, Sunlight

When we talk about autumn and sleeping more what comes to my mind is a hibernating bear. You may find yourself sleeping longer than you were in summer. In fact, according to a study from Harvard Medical School, people average about 2.7 more hours of sleep a night in October, the highest of the year. This is thought to be because we take in less ultraviolet rays during the day in autumn and our so called circadian clock adjusts to less sunlight. In other words we are exposed to less sunlight during the day which affects the quality of our sleep during the night. How to help the body adjust in an easy and seamless manner to these changes?

• Getting the right amount of rest is crucial in the fall. So allow yourself the extra time for sleep. Try to rest more often and take power naps in the afternoon.
• Most jobs are done indoors and we tend to spend the rest of the day indoors too during the colder seasons. That is understandable, however our bodies absorb vitamin D, important to our health, from sunlight. The benefits of being outside are great, physically and emotionally. Get some fresh air and sunshine everyday if you can. A 15 minutes walk can boost your energy and mood considerably.

How Autumn Affects Our Mind

Autumn is synonymous with change. Everything is suddenly different: the temperature, the colors, the responsibilities. As Autumn arrives it brings about changes in schedules, routines, expectations, and even relationships. A well-organized lifestyle will bring you both balance and peace of mind. Embracing change is easier on certain days and harder on others and planning can help a lot to keep you one track.

Autumn is the season of change and it requires us to be more flexible and adaptable. Our ability to embrace change positively promotes our personal development and growth. Change allows us not just to move forward in life, but to develop courage, self-esteem and positive mindset. We all need to believe in ourselves and sometimes when change pushes us out of our comfort zones we realize that we are capable of new perspectives.

Autumn promotes a frame of mind that’s conducive to self-improvement and mental well-being. Fall is an annual reminder that change has pros and cons. When we are willing to accept that change is inevitable, than we could see autumn as a time of hidden benefits.  Change can be seen as a renewable psychological resource.

Simple changes in your autumn routine can make all the difference in grounding mentally yourself during the seasonal changes:

• Try to organize your lifestyle. I recommend using a planner all year, however it is especially usefull to use planners during autumn and spring for consistency and focus.
• Don’t only see autumn as the summer season ending, see it as a new season beginning with it’s own rhythm, flow and beauty. Every autumn brings with it the promise of a fresh start.
• A new season is the time for a new challenge, which could quite literally change the way you think 

How Autumn Affects Our Emotions

As Fall is a time of change it is only natural that your moods ebb and flow a little with the seasons. Honor the changes in the season and within yourself. Emotional flexibility is emotional freedom. Freedom is an aspect of change. When things are changing new paths and opportunities are freeing up. When one segment is ending, like a season, certain things go away and that frees us up from under certain influences. As the new impulses appear, as the new segment is starting we have a greater freedom to choose.

The autumn moodiness is not so much about the shorter days, less sunlight and the depressing darkness, but more about our current perspective on change, freedom, responsibility and making choices. How we approach these aspects of our emotional life influences whether we experience negative autumn moods or not , and it also affects the extant and duration of such moods.

According to clinical psychologist

The goal of emotional health is having the flexibility to experience a range of emotions in response to different situations but always being able to return to a neutral contentedness. So when you envision emotional health, consider it as an ability to respond to life experiences with emotions such as joy, sadness, anxiety, and anger but then being able to return to a more neutral state of contentedness that allows you to move through life without chronic emotional discomfort.

Adaobi Anyeji, Phd

Autumn is a great time to create and practice that neutral contentedness. Our emotional experiences influence how reality feels to us. You can use this time to turn inwards and reflect on the positive changes the year has brought so far. You can continue or start a new meditation, journaling and self care practice to support your emotional stability during this period. Reflect on all the amazing changes around you and how beautiful and easy the transition of things from one state to another can be.

Conclusions

I guess we can consider ourselves fortunate to live where there are actual changes in the seasons. This season change introduces a rhythm and flow to life and adds so much beauty, interest to our daily life. Every season has its special, unique things and there are no times without opportunities and challenges. We are more prone to respond to certain opportunities and challenges better that to others, so based on this we will prefer certain segments, seasons in this rhythmic change of nature around us.

Without a clear sense of who you are, you can be more easily influenced by the weather. Be kind to yourself and make allowances for the change in your body, mind and emotions. Don’t push yourself too hard with your to-do lists and schedule plenty of time for introspection, rest and self care.

Credits: Featured- RoonZ-nl;

Sources & Further Readings: Does Your Mood Change with the Seasons?; How do I want to feel?