Facing New Seasons... and New Moods
Just like that, it’s fall again! With that comes the ever anticipated changes in weather and shorter daylight hours. The feeling of waking up before sunrise or ending the work or school day after sunset can feel like you’ve suddenly lost the whole day. It can be much harder to find the drive to go out, engage in activities, or complete daily tasks when it feels like nighttime before you’ve even had dinner! So it's understandable that this is the time of the year where as the temperature drops, so does mood and motivation. If you’re also feeling more tired, unmotivated, or noticing changes in your general mood, you are not alone.
Why do we feel this way?
There are, of course, a multitude of factors that can go into why our mood changes with the changes of the seasons. Sunlight is a powerful source that can affect levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and have an impact on our circadian rhythm. In other words, levels of sunlight exposure can influence overall energy, sleep, and mood. This can do with sunlight influencing our internal clock, where the early sunset can signal its time to sleep earlier than in summer months. Sunlight also assists in the production of vitamin D which may also impact serotonin levels, which work to stabilise mood, sleep, and feelings of happiness. So with less daylight hours, the mechanisms helping our mood and sleep may be a bit less present than in the summer months. With all this, it is completely understandable that motivation to do things can also be affected. Tiredness, mood changes, and maybe even a dislike of the cold can influence our intrinsic motivation to complete tasks, run errands, or even go out for enjoyment.
What can we do?
While there are some things that can help counteract the effects of our seasons, the first thing is to start by giving ourselves some grace. Changes in sleep or motivation are not a reflection of you, but could just be a symptom or your surroundings. Some things you can do at home include light therapy, increasing vitamin D intake, and adjusting personal routines. Light therapy entails sitting in front of a bright, UV filtered light for a few minutes each day to make up for the decrease in exposure to sunlight. Increasing vitamin D intake either through supplements or targeted meal planning can also help make up for the lack of vitamin D produced through sunlight exposure. Lastly, understanding your changes in mood or motivation can help with planning a new weekly routine or allocating a bit more time for rest, self care, or to complete tasks to accommodate new levels of motivation. When your mood changes begin to impact your ability to complete daily tasks, affect your relationships, or generally leave you feeling unlike yourself, it may help to reach out and talk to someone. Don’t wait till you're completely burnt out to reach out for help, through psychotherapy, you can begin to understand changes to build new patterns and coping mechanisms to get through these cold months ahead.
