Autumn Anxiety

24 / 4/2023

Natasha Nicholas | Lead Therapist and Practioner

4 min read

Why you may be feeling overwhelmed this season

Although our developments in technology and agriculture have seen our modern-day Western culture become estranged in its relationship to the natural world, many cultures still closely observe and honour our connection to the natural world and the effect the seasons have on us. Eastern cultures embrace the idea that humans are biochemical formations of atoms, molecules, and cells. Within our deepest fibres, we share the same footprint of surrounding nature.

Research supports that people report higher levels of overwhelm, worry, anxiety, and sadness in Autumn and Winter.

Medical experts in the Northern Hemisphere propose that some of this heightened anxiety may be due to the commencement of the school year and the lead-up to the holiday season, however, the increase in reported anxiety levels is uniform across the hemispheres where school terms and the prelude to Christmas doesn't align with the fall. 

Dr Clare Morrison, medical advisor at MedExpress confirms that Autumn Anxiety is a re-occuring pattern and unlike other forms of anxiety, there is not always a clear external trigger, as the sunshine and longer days leave us, this emotional shift creeps in.

Patricia Thornton, PhD, a licensed psychologist in New York City, agreed that changes in the season can bring about mood changes and anxiety, however, she refers to the this "shift" in terms of the more recognised construct known as SAD — seasonal affective disorder. The days are shorter, the nights are longer, the weather is getting colder and this transition can have an impact on mood and mindset.

Interestingly, Eastern cultures have always observed and acknowledged Autumn to be a time of increased anxiety and possibly sadness and explain this phenomenon through the frameworks of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.

Ayurveda considers a seasonal routine an important cornerstone of health year-round. Balancing the nature of your local climate with lifestyle choices that offset the potential for seasonally-induced imbalances is one of the simplest ways that you can protect your well-being. Autumn brings with it a predominance of the air element, and prana is abundant in the atmosphere and is considered a “Vata” season. Vata season iembodies the attributes that characterize vata dosha: dry, light, cold, rough, moving, and air-like. This season harbors a certain emptiness that can leave us feeling exposed, ungrounded, and a little raw, but it is also filled with possibility—a time when we, too, can strip down to a quiet essence of being and savor the simplicity. Establishing simple daily routines, which we call Dinicharya (Ayurveda) can support your well-being and provide a road map to stay grounded.

Autumn is also is a time of transition. Many trees and shrubs are quietly undressing in preparation for the winter and invites us to explore practices that guide us inwards, to take inventory , to reflect and to start to let go of what no longer serves us. Exploring practices such as journaling, walking meditations, and Yin Yoga will facilitate reflection and release. 

By observing your environment from this qualitative perspective empowers you to respond to both daily and seasonal changes in your local climate. By making diet and lifestyle choices that counter the effects of each season, you can better maintain your internal sense of equilibrium throughout the year. If we consider the Ayurvedic principle that opposites balance, vata season will be less aggravating if you fill it with warmth, oiliness, deep nourishment, loving relationships, and a sense of stability and routine.

Finding balance in Autumn:

Ayurveda is about restoring balance and in Autumn we seek to soothe and balance the vata energies of feeling ungrounded, cold and dry, and depleted. Here are some easy Ayurvedic tips:

·      Create a Dinacharya ( a simple morning and evening routine)

By creating simple morning and evening routines, and setting times of the day for eating, working, exercising, and sleeping, you provide "vata' energy with a structure. Routines are also recommended by Western Healthcare professionals to bolster well-being and mental health.

·      Self-Massage ( known as Abhyanga)

Abhyanga is a massage (self or practitioner) using warm, nourishing oils. This not only invites you to press pause and cultivates relaxation ( an antidote to the anxious energies of vata) but will also support the lymphatic system, boosting immunity coming into flu and cold season.

·      Slow down and Press Pause.

Constant motion and multi-tasking increases vata and promotes a scattered mind. Take moments to press pause and bring your mind to one thing. Try to reduce transit times if you can, especially in busy cities like Sydney. Introduced restorative movement practices such as Nourishing Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga, Tai Chi, or Qi Gong, or even Slow Vinyasa if stillness is too much. Or simply have a nice warm cup of tea and do nothing except enjoy it for a few moments.

·      Slow Deep Breathing (Pranayama)

Breathing is the best bio-hack to down-regulate the nervous system. There are many yogic pranayams but simple breath exercises such as square breathing, belly breathing, and extending your exhale for a few rounds will help you reset.

·      Nourish

 Clean up your diet by choosing more real foods. This is not about cutting out and cutting back foods. Vata is a depleting energy that we are seeking to balance, so it is no time to follow restrictive diets. It is about choosing better. Choose real food with fewer chemicals ( vata inputs), warm and mildly spiced foods, eat healthy fats, and stay hydrated.

Autumn Can Be A Time Of Sadness:

Traditional Chinese Medicine also recognises Autumn as a time that emotions like sadness can be aggravated. The five-element theory framework aligns seasons to an element and to organs. 

The organs in Chinese medicine are more than just a physical representation. The organs include not only their physiological function but also mental, emotional, spiritual, and elemental qualities that align with nature and the seasons.

 From a seasonal perspective Autumn is the season of the lungs, so this is the season where it is most important to take care of this delicate organ so that we can avoid colds, flu, and allergies. From an emotional standpoint, It is the season when we should become a little more introspective and concentrate on resolving or at least coming to terms with any underlying emotional issues and letting them go. This will allow us to make new space to bring positive emotions into our hearts and lives. Walking in nature, and breathing in the crisp, dry air will help immensely in this process.

The Emotional Aspect of the Lungs

The lungs are associated with clear thinking and communication, openness to new ideas, positive self-image, and the ability to relax, let go, and be happy. When the lungs are out of balance you may have difficulty coping with loss and change, a sense of alienation, and experience a prolonged sense of sadness that does not dissipate. The lungs are also associated with attachment, so if you have a hard time letting go of people, objects, or experiences or spend a lot of time reliving the past, this can point to a deficiency of the lungs. 

The lungs are responsible for taking clean, oxygen-rich air into the body, and breathing out air full of harmful carbon dioxide. They are responsible for taking in the new and letting go of the old, the constant cycle of life.

Every Organ in TCM has a partner organ. One is yin, the other yang and they work together to keep the body in balance. The lungs are yin and their yang partner is the large intestine. The lungs take in the new, and the large intestine releases the waste. Therefore, our abilities to accept and be open to new experiences, and to let go of things that are painful or harmful is important to both our emotional and physical well-being.

The recommendations for supporting Lung Chi in the Autumn, align neatly with both Ayurveda and even Western healthcare to some extent. TSM reinforces the importance of a warming nourishing diet,  slow mindful movement and reflective practices, deep slow breathing, and massage to bolster lymphatic flow are also recognised.

And finally, if we turn to our Western Therapeutic frameworks to find balance in a season that presses the anxiety button, healthcare professionals offer the following tips:

·      Get More Light

Start by spending more time outdoors to make the most of what sunlight there is.

·      Daily Exercise

·      Change your diet to warm foods and seasonal produce

·      Simple Routines.

 ·       Reframe Your Outlook

Enlist the support of a registered professional if you need to.

Whatever the lens, we can all agree that the evidence suggests that Autumn is a time when overwhelm and emotions such as sadness can get the better of us. We will benefit from taking the time to become self-aware and change our lifestyle practices with the season. We might need to make an effort to maximise sunlight and time outdoors, which gives us the gift of being able to take some mindful walks and pay attention to the shift in the natural world around us. Time in nature has been proven to support mental health and promote a positive mindset. Always see a registered health professional if the feeling of overwhelm, sadness, or anxiety persists or disrupts your daily living.

Autumn brings us the gift of supporting the process of taking inventory and letting go of what no longer serves us. It reminds us that we always have the opportunity to shed old ways and renew.

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