Accept... and love
Before I get to the methods derived from our biology to cope with autumn blues, I will mention just one very important thing: giving ourselves permission to have a “worse time”. When struggling with autumn blues, one of the worst things you can do to yourself is to refuse to recognise the issue and act as if it didn’t exist at all.
The level of happiness, satisfaction and overall life energy is not (and never will be) constant. It depends on a great deal of factors, which are in part universal for people (e.g. weather-related), and on the other hand – individual. The sooner you realise that your mood is variable – and don’t expect it to be constantly high – the better chance you have of coping with autumn “gloom”.
Give yourself the space to do so. After all, it’s only natural that when you return from your holiday trips, when the weather starts to deteriorate and the day becomes short and dark, different emotions may arise, and not only the positive ones. You are not a robot so that this type of lifestyle change will have no effect on you.
Diet for autumn blues
A couch, a blanket, your favourite TV show, a packet of crisps, your favourite ice cream and warm cocoa... sounds like the perfect autumn evening? Not exactly. Although highly processed “recreational” products can indeed temporarily improve your mood, over time they will begin to have a damaging effect on you, disrupting your brain biochemistry, among other things, and this will negatively affect your mood.
A much better option is to enrich the diet with unprocessed products with high nutritional value, rich in magnesium, B vitamins, probiotics, antioxidants, dietary fibre or omega-3 fatty acids. In the long run, it is the abundance of these ingredients that will improve your mood and help you overcome autumn blues.
Happiness begins in the gut – this is where about 90 percent of the happiness hormone serotonin is produced. Consequently, what we consume basically has a direct effect on our mood. A healthy gut means proper production of serotonin, and in turn, the health of the gut depends largely on the bacteria that inhabit it, which rely on our choices not only in terms of food, but related to lifestyle in general. Alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, highly processed foods low in fibre, and insufficient hydration all affect the gut microbiota. If you want to get on well with your gut bacteria, enrich your diet with sources of fibre: vegetables, fruits, whole grain cereal products, oatmeal or coarse-grained groats. Add sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as oily sea fish, flaxseed, chia seeds and rapeseed oil, which have anti-inflammatory effects.
For more information, read the article: “Diet for the Gut or for a Healthy Gut – Which Is Better for Athletes?”.
Also take care of your brain – after all, its condition determines, among other things, your mood. Adopt eating habits that improve brain health – avoid foods high in sugar and trans fatty acids, keep alcohol to a minimum (or preferably give it up altogether), and make sure to get sources of B vitamins as well as antioxidants and magnesium. Bet on green leafy vegetables, berries and whole grain cereal products. If needed, you can include supplementation of these ingredients in your diet.
And don’t forget about vitamin D – its production in our body significantly decreases in autumn, and in addition to bone health, it affects many other systems in the body, including the nervous system. In Poland, adults should supplement vitamin D at a dose of 800 to 2,000 units per day during autumn and winter.
Read also: “How to Soak up the Sun All Year Round”.
Get moving to improve your mood
Physical activity has a benign effect on the entire body – not only on the musculoskeletal system, but also on the nervous system. Studies clearly show that movement is very significant in the context of prevention and treatment of mental illnesses, such as depression. Many people also know this from experience – physical activity can effectively “clear the mind” and positively affect mood.
The type of physical activity is of secondary importance here. Whether you choose weight training, running or fitness classes, any movement will have a positive impact on your physical and mental health. However, it is worth taking up activities that you actually enjoy doing. Forcing yourself to do a particular type of workout can do more harm than good, so choose enjoyable activities.
Of all the sports available, outdoor activities, such as running, biking and walking, especially in green areas or near bodies of water, deserve special attention. According to studies, contact with nature has a positive impact on mental health and has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Despite shorter days and lower temperatures than in summer, it is worth investing in good quality thermal clothing so that you can enjoy the benefits of spending time outdoors all year round.
Biological clock
We are all creatures of nature, and regardless of the development of technology, we still function according to its clock. During periods of limited psychosocial resources, it is worth paying special attention to circadian rhythm.
The right amount of sleep in the right interval of the day is crucial for recovery and health. Sleep should last 7-8 hours a day, preferably between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. After waking up, in order to stimulate your body to work, it is a good idea to expose it (and especially your eyes) to natural daylight, so that a strong stimulus of the current time of day reaches your brain. The winners here are dog owners – a 10-15 minute morning walk effectively “winds up” their internal biological clock. If you don’t have a dog, you can provide such exposure, for example, by going out on the balcony or home garden. In the evening, we should also pay attention to the light – before going to bed, do not overuse devices with screens (phones, computers, television sets) and do not turn on all the lamps available in the house. The lower the light intensity (preferably one that is comparable to candlelight) closer to bedtime, the easier it is to fall asleep later.
Ask for help
In some cases, the above-mentioned ways will not have the desired effect, and autumn blues, instead of subsiding, will be exacerbated. If your symptoms significantly interfere with your functioning or become more pronounced over time, do not hesitate to ask for help and do not downplay the situation. In addition to talking to a loved one, you can seek the help of a psychologist or make an appointment with a psychiatrist.
116 123 – Emergency Helpline for Adults
116 111 – Helpline for children and adolescents
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References:
1. Naidoo Uma. Dieta dla zdrowia psychicznego. Jak jeść, kiedy męczą cię: mgła mózgowa, natrętne myśli, depresja, ADHD, stany lękowe, bezsenność i wiele innych. Wydawnictwo Feeria, 2021.
2. Schuch FB, Vancampfort D, Richards J, Rosenbaum S, Ward PB, Stubbs B. Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis adjusting for publication bias. J Psychiatr Res. 2016 Jun;77:42-51.
3. Bratman GN, Hamilton JP, Daily GC. The impacts of nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012 Feb;1249:118-36.