Many people notice their mood starts to shift this time of year, or they notice changes in family or friends around them.  Fall is a common time of year to experience some increased anxiety and depression symptoms.

Whether this is something to worry about depends on the severity of the symptoms and your metal health history.  For most people, the changes are a normal part of the ebb and flow of emotions in life. There are many common reasons symptoms may increase this time of year, including:

• Transition back to school with increasing stress and decreasing time outside.
• Changes in light during the day and evening, both which impact sleep.  When sleep is disrupted, it has an impact on our mood and our health. 
• Fall and winter are times where we may feel like things are coming to a close as we wrap up another year.
• Often the holidays can bring joy and time with family, but also memories or grief and sadness for the experiences and people we wish we had with us. 

So should you be worried about this?  For the most part, no. 

Taking good care of yourself during this season and accepting the variety of emotions that come with this time of year can be very helpful.  Spending time with friends and taking quiet time to yourself for reflection are also great ways to process the thoughts, feelings and memories bubbling up.  

Activities that can help:

• Prioritize healthy sleep habits.  This is critical for stabilizing mood and mental wellness. Try to keep bed and wake times consistent, and protect your time for enough sleep at night.
• Prioritize nutrient dense foods.  If you aren’t interested in giving up your favorite treats right now, that’s ok.  Try adding nutrient dense foods first to feed your body and mind. Then if you’re still interested, enjoy your treat.
• Take some quiet time to let your mind and body process your thoughts and feelings.  If we don’t allow any time during the waking hours for quiet and processing, our mind will be busy trying to do the work at night, keeping us awake. This might be as simple as taking a quiet walk without music or a podcast in your ear, journaling for 10 minutes, sitting quietly with eyes closed doing some relaxing breathing exercises for 15 minutes.
• Exercise and do movement of any kind.  Keep your body moving every day and throughout the day!  This isn’t just getting steps in, it could be hanging lights outside (which I did really early this year in the warmer weather), cleaning out your gardens, rearranging living or garage spaces, or even doing 2 minutes of squats and pushups between meetings.  If there are times you need to shake off some hard emotions, get moving first. Movement is much more effective at processing emotions and calming the body and mind than trying to escape them through screens, food, or other unconscious habits, which often only pause emotions for them to return later.   
• Reach out and be honest with friends and family. Don't try to pretend everything is fine if it's not. We all need support, and if you worry that you need more support than friends or family can handle, therapists can help. That's what we're here for!

So when should I worry about mood changes?

The mood changes that are worth some extra attention and possibly medical care include:

• Sleep that is severely disrupted, such as being awake much of the night with racing thoughts or anxious energy.
• Mood so low that it’s causing you to sleep too much, and it feels stuck and stagnant versus an ebb and flow throughout the day or week.
• Fatigue where it takes too much effort to get through each day.
• Isolating to where you are not engaging with family or friends.
• Inability to complete necessary tasks at home or work.
• Any serious thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

Some mental health conditions like Major Depression, Bipolar, and even some Anxiety Disorders, can have cycles throughout the year regardless of life stressors or changes. The spring and fall are common times for an “episode” to arise and for extra support to be needed temporarily. 

If you are concerned about more serious or persistent changes in mood, or you know you tend to struggle this time of year, reach out to your doctor or therapist for support so you can stay well this season. We are here for you.

Journal Prompts:

What memories and emotions does this time of year bring up for me?

How am I coping better with hard memories than I did the year before?

What do I enjoy this time of year that I can be grateful for?

What is the hardest part of this time of year for me?

If I were to do one thing to help me through the harder moments, what can I promise myself I’ll do?

If I were to reach out to someone for support, who would that be and why?