Hello, Autumn: The Seasons Within Us
On seasonal shifts, inner cycles, and learning to turn inward.
Dean Village, Edinburgh in autumn
The light shifts almost before we’ve noticed it — evenings arrive earlier, mornings feel slower, and the air carries a different weight. For some of us, this change stirs a sense of comfort, a welcome release from the intensity of summer; for others, it brings heaviness, dread, or an ache we can’t quite name. Therapeutic perspectives remind us that just as nature moves through seasons, so do we.
Cycles & our brain: How light shapes wellbeing
Our bodies run on rhythms: heartbeat, hormones, sleep, and digestion all follow finely tuned patterns coordinated by the brain. For most of human history, these rhythms were guided by the simplest of signals: daylight. When light enters our eyes, it reaches the brain’s master clock — the suprachiasmatic nucleus — which keeps our rhythms in sync internally, and in line with those in the world around us.
When that synchrony slips, our wellbeing suffers. Emerging research shows that misalignment in our body’s internal timing is linked to many cases of poor mental health (Carpenter et al, 2025). Some even experience an ‘internal jet lag’—when the clock regulating sleep, hormones, and temperature fall out of sync. These mismatches are associated with deeper depressive symptoms, which is why interventions that restore rhythm — light exposure, steady routines, social connection — can be so powerful.
Seasonal adaptations: Ancient patterns in modern life
As nights grow longer in winter, melatonin naturally rises earlier and lasts longer, nudging our bodies toward more rest. The pull we feel within the darker seasons toward ritual, coziness, and togetherness is not just a commercialised “autumn vibe” (complete with cinnamon-spiced coffees in branded cups), but an ancient and important adaptation.
In pre-industrial life, colder, darker months meant fewer calories, more risk. Slowing down, staying close to kin and firelight, and favouring starchy foods was adaptive. Today that can feel like lower drive, carb cravings, and “stick-close” instincts (Rosenthal et al, 1980): an innate energy budgeting strategy.
Modern research adds depth to this picture: thousands of human genes — especially those linked to immune function and metabolism — vary significantly in activity across the year (Dopico et al., 2015). What feels like “slowness” or “lack of motivation” can be understood as biology doing its seasonal work, and warrants curiosity and self-compassion rather than criticism.
Seasonal mental health struggles are real (but not universal)
Our internal clocks evolved under sunrise and sunset, cold and hunger cues. Today, we live under LEDs, constant temperature, endless access to calories, and year-round work schedules. This decoupling — especially evening light combined with sedentary indoor days — can leave body clocks misaligned, amplifying low mood and poor sleep in autumn and winter.
It is unsurprising, then, that research has uncovered links between seasonal change and mental health. A large Danish study, for example, found an 11% rise in depression diagnoses in the weeks after the autumn clock change, likely due to the sudden earlier sunset (Hansen et al., 2017). The term Seasonal Affective Disorder was coined to describe the most severe form of this pattern.
But not everyone feels worse in winter. Population studies suggest overall shifts are modest, which highlights something important: how we culturally respond to seasonal change shapes its impact on our wellbeing far more than we often acknowledge.
Shifting with the season: Practical ways to support your mental health in autumn
Cultural traditions that embrace seasonal change highlight a truth we often forget: wellbeing comes from moving with our rhythms, not against them.
A few gentle ideas for autumn:
Chase the morning light: sipping your morning coffee wrapped up in the fresh morning air, or even a short walk outdoors helps reset body clocks.
Protect your evenings: dim lights, reduce screen glare, and allow melatonin to rise.
Feed your brain: Make considered choices when it comes to your nutrition, prioritise daily movement, and consider investing in an SAD lamp for daytime if you work indoors. Supplementing vitamin D is often advised, although research does not support a link with improved mental health.
Ritualise rest: lean into earlier nights, slower mornings, or reflective practices like journaling and gentle movement like yoga.
Lean on connection: humans have always gathered in the dark months; make time for shared meals and intimate conversation.
Let go deliberately: ask yourself, what am I ready to release this season? What do I need at this time of turning in? How can I manage my expectations of myself when the demands on me remain constant?
For some, intentional reflection through journaling or talking therapy feels especially helpful at this time of year — it’s no coincidence that many therapists notice enquiries rise each September.
Closing thoughts: Autumn as a teacher
Autumn shows us that change is inevitable, rest is necessary, and letting go is not a weakness. Trees shed their leaves not because they’re unable to cope, but because conserving energy is wise and adaptive. In therapy, we often explore the same principle: growth doesn’t always look like striving forward.
‘New Year’s Resolutions’ began as rituals of renewal, but in our culture they’ve become tied to constant attainment and productivity. Autumn offers a different lesson: sometimes the healthiest step is to release what no longer serves us, to pause, and to trust in cycles of renewal — even as the world urges us to keep going until we burnout.
References
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Carpenter, J. S., Crouse, J. L., Hickie, I. B., … & Scott, E. M. (2025). Evidence for internal misalignment of circadian rhythms in youth with emerging mood disorders. Journal of Biological Rhythms. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/07487304251349408
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Dopico, X. C., Evangelou, M., Ferreira, R. C., Guo, H., Pekalski, M. L., Smyth, D. J., … & Todd, J. A. (2015). Widespread seasonal gene expression reveals annual differences in human immunity and physiology. Nature Communications, 6, 7000. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8000
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