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SUMMER IS FAST drawing to a close, and how very dare she when it feels like the season never really got a proper foothold.
Very obvious signs of autumn are everywhere; little tweaks having crept in, seemingly overnight. It’s properly dark at 9.30pm now with a noticeable drop in temperature. There’s more deadheading than I can keep up with in the garden and my socials are flooded with “fall fashion.”
I’ve seen swallows gathering on wires preparing to migrate. Plump clusters of purple and red blackberries compete for space amongst the elderberries in the hedgerows. Already brown and golden leaves are drifting to the ground and collecting at the kerbside. Halloween merch is on shop shelves.
But perhaps the biggest tell of all are school uniform clad young people milling about everywhere. Further proof that autumn is indeed upon us.
She’s a good-looking time of year but she’s got a bite to her all the same.
And I’m not ready.
Me and autumn go way back. We’re lifelong frenemies. I struggled with this particular seasonal transition for most of my twenties and it would be a few years later before I recognised that feeling for what it really was – the first signs of depression. Over the years, I’ve learned to “lean in” and go with the flow, taken all advice on board and tried hard not to swim against the tide. But sometimes the big feelings are just too difficult to overcome and the fog descends.
Environmental factors such as colder weather, less exposure to sunlight and lifestyle adjustments can trigger low mood at this time of year. We are mammals after all, and innately primed for hibernation.
For some people, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) features heavily during the later months of the year, continuing straight through to late spring. Which is why taking a vitamin D supplement from October to March is recommended.
Serotonin, often called the happy hormone, is a neurotransmitter carrying messages between nerve cells in our brain and throughout our body. Playing a key part in body functions like mood, sleep and digestion amongst others, when it is in short supply, it impacts heavily on mental health and general well-being. Serotonin levels are affected by how much sunlight we get and research suggests that those suffering with SAD produce higher levels of melatonin and lower levels of serotonin during winter months.
It can be a difficult time for many, but this is where an autumnal reset might help.
I have seen suggestions that now is the ideal time to do your big declutter. Another article floated the idea of moving outside of your comfort zone and taking up a hobby, like ballroom dancing or Zumba (who are these people?). I am here to tell you we don’t need energetic folk like that in our autumnal space.
A further piece of advice was to create a morning routine. I went on high alert immediately. The last time I read something similar, I was supposed to get up at the crack of dawn to exercise and journal, followed by some time spent meditating. And all of this before preparing a healthy nutritious breakfast. And the real kicker? I wasn’t allowed go back to bed afterwards. What was I meant to do with my exhaustion then?
Yet another strategy advised making changes at work. “Talk to your boss,” it read. “Tell them how you feel. If you are afraid to speak your mind, things may stay like this for another year.”
Yikes! In my ‘Autumn Reset Contract’, this would read more like: “Talk to your kids. Tell them you are tired and fed up. If you continue the way you’ve been going, this will be the rest of your life forever until the end.”
I was losing heart and interest faster than you could say hit the snooze button.
Even if we are resisting bidding adieu to summer, the good news is we have plenty of things to look forward to in autumn.
I’m a big fan of a lot of them, even welcoming one or two. For example, I can revert to my original factory setting of lazy article and disappear the shaving razors. I will be swapping out summer salads for hearty stews. I am looking forward to becoming reacquainted with red wine and breaking out the cosy pyjamas and snuggly sweaters. I cannot put into words how calm and relaxed I feel being inside when it’s raining outside.
The pocket psychologist on Instagram imparts succinct and, most importantly, easy to incorporate into your day steps on how to reset your thoughts during a mental health blip. She includes eating well, staying hydrated and getting a sufficient amount of sleep.
Another proposal is to reach out to a “safe person” so you are not alone in your own head with ruminating thoughts. My favourite recommendation is her counsel on slowing right down and doing only what is absolutely necessary during this time.
Taking it easy and being kind to myself are two things I can definitely embrace during the shorter, darker days.
The shift in the seasons is not the time to be hard on ourselves. autumn is all about cosy evenings and taking the opportunity to rest up a bit more. There will be no shortage of good stuff to binge watch on the telly. Make it your business to catch up with a favourite author and/or boxset. Revisit the comfort of an old friend. Find a pub with an open fire and spend an afternoon there. Perhaps bring that old friend along.
If anything, autumn presents us with the perfect opportunity to take stock and prioritise our mental and physical health following the chaos of summer. Any gardener worth their salt understands the crucial reasons our gardens take a break during the autumn and winter. They might look drab and dreary, but what they are essentially doing is storing up vital energy supplies for the following year. We are not so different.
Even Taylor Swift has weighed in. Although possibly not regarding an autumn reset. Her words, however, resonate. “Think of your energy as if it’s expensive. As if it’s a luxury item.”
Words to live by this autumn.
Gwen Loughman is the gatekeeper of four boys, one husband and a watcher over two dogs.
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