How Autumn Affects Your Mood

People come to my office stating the fall is the most challenging for them emotionally. At first glance it may be due to the upcoming holidays, and potential stress and expectations that come with that. Which is definitely a factor, however a larger factor that we have little to no control over happening is that we simply experience less daylight in the fall. Daylight helps release serotonin in our brain, and with more people going to work in the dark, and coming home in the dark we are simply missing out. Also the lack of Vitamin D also plays apart, Vitamin D is often sourced for most people by the sunlight, and when Vitamin D is lacking we often feel lethargic and potentially less motivated.

Finnish researchers have found that the transition to daylight savings time reduces both our sleep duration and efficiency. Having our circadian rhythm thrown off having us potentially sleep longer than normal, having us disoriented about what time of day it is, which may led to missed appointments and further stress. Research has show that following the Autumn daylight time change an 11% increase in hospitalizations for depression in the weeks after the daylight savings transition to standard time.

If you already have sleep issues, know that a time change in either direction can aggravate your sleep disorder. Stick to a strict routine of going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. The night before the time change, try to go to bed an hour early if you can.

Here are some tips to follow for the Autumn time change.

• Resist the urge to change the times in which you wake and go to sleep. Consistency is key, especially this time of year.

• Avoid alcohol and excessive caffeine the day before the time changes. Both can mess with your natural sleep patterns, and you don’t want to add more confusion to the mix.

• Try to take a walk mid-day even if only for 10-15 minutes to get a daily dose of Vitamin D, and experience the daylight you do have.

• Increase use of coping skills since there is less daylight to do activities that you were used to do during the spring and summer months.

Risk Averse, What Are We Giving Up?

Being risk adverse is often seen as a cowardly way of dealing with life. Perhaps it turns into a list of pros and cons, and then later a list of rules in which to live by. Feeling as though things need to be measured in order to avoid error can become a source of neuroticism. Leaving making a decision especially and unplanned one may cause disruption in life. 

There are three different emotional states that can influence decision making: Your current emotional state (i.e. How do you feel while you are making a decision?) Your past emotional state (i.e. How did you feel anticipating your decision?) Your future emotional state (i.e. How will your decision affect how you feel in the future; What effect will the decision have on your emotional well-being?). This can drive someone to not make a decision at all, or once they make one, continue to remake the same decision so the results are expected. 

Bringing me to my point about how fear can lead to feeling a strong need to be in control, and stay in control in each circumstance that you can. This can often lead to issues like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, addictions, and overall poor mental health. 

Which brings me back to the question "What are we giving up?" when we deeply want control, to avoid risk, to have nothing unplanned?  Off the top, happiness, the willingness to be flexible, cooperative with others, freedom to make a mistake, failing forward, and so many other positive things that can bring more peace.

Yet, those that are risk averse won't allow themselves to experience these things due to the fear of not being in control is so overwhelming. 

Here are some things to practice to be less risk averse/controlling:

1. Practice trusting yourself

2. If you make a mistake, remember you are doing the best you can

3. Remind yourself the world won't fall apart when you let go of control

4. Allow others to help you manage things/help you

5. Try something different the next time a decision needs to be made

Taking over: Your Summer, Your Life. Guide to Letting Go of Expectations and Enjoying Yourself

While summer can be so bright and happy for many, it may also have other tasks or mindsets associated with it, such as; time to take a vacation, time to reorganize my life so winter will be less stress, time to go outside in less covering clothes, time to have more fun, time when the kids are at home, etc. With all of that may come stress about finances, anxiety/anticipation to figure things out, body shame, time management stress and possibly other feelings about keeping up with the Jones'. 

When we have exactions for ourselves and for others we are setting ourselves up to be disappointed at times, and acknowledging that as an inevitable situation is key. The question than comes then to, what is reasonable to anticipate or expect, perhaps its that we are doing the best we can, and so are other people. The pressure to afford a huge summer family vacation or sign our kids up for activities or get our bodies in the best summer shape or reorganize our life during "downtime from school" can have angles or edges that don't feel so great. Perhaps it feels overwhelming, anxious from anticipation, or full of guilt and shame.

Of course Mindfulness is always a go-to, just sit with your emotions and let yourself experience them without holding too much attachment to your thoughts and the situations that present themselves. Practicing this can help you separate yourself from the thoughts, feeling and behaviors, while taking ownership for them. However that can feel perhaps a little too contained or intellectualized for some people. Also, its unrealistic for us to do that all the time, and we may find ourselves judging ourselves from falling away from that practice. Its bound to happen, taking a non-judgmental stance to both yourself, and the world around you can be incredibly beneficial as you radically accept the here and now for exactly what it is. Because we are creatures of habits, and we will become overly emotional and unwound at times, let that happen from time to time. Lets face it, we can't be perfect, and we will find ourselves landing left or right of center.

Let your children make mistakes, let yourself and your partner make mistakes. If you fall short of making that magical vacation happen, or slim down to that certain size, or don't prepare yourself for going back to school in exactly the way you wanted to,  or all the other summer goals you've created, thats okay. Enjoying your time, and your space each day is what makes a life worth living.

Yogic Breathing Exercise for Anxiety and Depression

According to research 80% of the time Anxiety and Depression are co-occuring, and can impact the functioning of the person that is experiencing the symptoms that coincide with those diagnosis. Cause the person to have a lack of motivation and as if your mind keeps going in these negative thought loops. Yoga can be a way of balancing your body and mind, so the state of the mind is calm and clear and the body feels more energy. 

Here is a simple yogic breathing exercise to practice at home: Come into a standing position, your feet parallel and one fist’s width apart for stability. Draw your tailbone down. Lift your shoulders up to your ears, inhale to 2/3rds capacity and hold in the breath for 3 counts and then exhale. Make fists of your hands, tighten the muscles of your face, and hold your breath for 3 counts and then exhale. Now stretch your arms out in front of you. Inhale and make fists of your hands. Exhale and relax. Close your eyes and feel the effects of the breathing exercise.