Autumn & the Mind - How Seasonal Shifts Shape Our Wellbeing

As the clocks go back and the mornings grow darker, many of us feel the shift. The air cools, routines tighten, and there’s a collective slowing that can feel both comforting and heavy.

For some, autumn brings excitement - golden leaves, cosy evenings, fresh starts. For others, it’s a subtle sense of sadness, fatigue, or restlessness that’s hard to name. If you’ve noticed your mood or motivation dipping lately, you’re not alone - and it doesn’t mean something’s wrong. It means you’re human, responding to change.

1. Why the Season Affects Us All

Our minds and bodies are finely tuned to light, rhythm, and connection. When daylight hours shrink, our internal clock - the circadian rhythm - shifts too. Less sunlight can affect the production of serotonin (our mood stabiliser) and melatonin (which regulates sleep).

This can lead to changes in sleep, appetite, and energy - what many describe as the “autumn blues.” Some people experience this more intensely, as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), but in truth, we all live on a continuum of seasonal sensitivity.

Even animals adapt to the rhythm of the year - sleeping more, slowing down, or storing energy to get through the colder months. My chickens seem to be spending more time in their house and going to bed a lot earlier; their familiar clucking is muted in the mornings. They seem a lot less enthusiastic about life. In many ways, these seasonal changes are nature’s way of protecting us, urging us to rest and restore. We’re part of that same cycle.

And it’s not just biology - our environment changes, too. We’re indoors more, social plans reduce, and the pressure of the year’s end can weigh heavily. According to the ONS, worries around finances, health, and wellbeing rise steadily through the colder months.

So if you’re finding it harder to get going, or you feel emotionally flatter, you’re not weak - you’re adapting.

💡 A small but important note: With reduced sunlight, many people also become low in Vitamin D, which supports both mood and immune function. A simple daily supplement (as recommended by the NHS during autumn and winter) can make a real difference.

2. The Ripple Effect — Parents, Children and Seasonal Wellbeing

For parents, this time of year can be especially tricky. You might notice your own energy dipping just as family life ramps up with school, work, and winter commitments. Children and teenagers often feel these seasonal shifts too - though they might express it as irritability, tiredness, or withdrawal.

Here’s the key: children learn how to respond to emotional changes by watching us. When we model awareness - noticing our own needs and adjusting kindly - they see that feeling low energy or needing more rest is normal, not shameful.

A few gentle ways to model this:

• Name it kindly: “I’m feeling a bit slower today - I think I need some daylight and a stretch.”

• Keep connection easy: Warm chats on the sofa, a walk with a hot chocolate, or cooking together.

• Normalise rest: Show that taking things slower isn’t giving up, it’s tuning in.

  
  

When parents ground themselves in these rhythms, children feel steadier too.

3. Practical Ways to Support Wellbeing Through the Season

Light: Get as much natural light as possible - especially in the morning. Even 10 minutes outdoors can lift mood. Open curtains wide, use warm lighting in the evenings, and consider a daylight lamp if mornings feel especially tough.

Movement: When motivation dips, keep it gentle but consistent. A walk, dancing in the kitchen, or stretching together as a family keeps both body and mind active.

Connection: As days shorten, isolation can creep in. Schedule low-pressure social moments - coffee with a friend, a family board game, or simply sitting together without screens.

Routine & Purpose: Structure helps the brain feel safe. Small, meaningful goals - like a “Sunday reset” or a shared weekly ritual - anchor us through uncertainty.

Kind self-talk: Replace “I should be coping better” with “I’m adjusting - and that’s okay.”

Warmth and Comfort: Staying warm doesn’t have to mean high bills.

• Electric over-blankets are an affordable game-changer - perfect for curling up under while watching TV. (A lifesaver for me and my children when we lived in an old, hard-to-heat house!)

• Layering clothes, using hot water bottles, and closing curtains early can all help retain warmth.

• The slow cooker is another autumn hero - easy, budget-friendly, and welcoming to come home to after work. Throw in ingredients in the morning, and by dinner you have something nourishing waiting.

4. The Role of Home - Creating a Sanctuary

Our homes play a huge role in how we feel through the darker months. They can drain us - or they can hold us.

A calm, nurturing environment doesn’t have to mean perfection or expensive design. It’s about warmth, light, and a sense of belonging. Spaces that feel safe and personal support our nervous systems to settle and recharge.

This is also the season of preparing - a deep, almost instinctive human urge. There’s genuine satisfaction in getting things ready for winter: collecting leaves, tidying the garden, packing away summer furniture. Research shows that this kind of seasonal preparation gives us a sense of control and accomplishment — it’s nature’s version of the “spring clean,” but turned inward and slower.

Think soft lighting, tidy corners, warm textures, and familiar scents. These aren’t just aesthetic choices - they’re psychological ones. When our homes support calm and comfort, we feel more able to face the world outside.

That’s why I love the growing conversation around how design affects wellbeing - and why I’ll be tagging www.Nestopia.io for their work in enabling people to find homes, whilst truly caring for the people within them.

5. Closing Reflection

As the year tilts towards winter, we’re invited to slow down — not to withdraw, but to realign. This season reminds us that rest, rhythm, and reflection are essential parts of growth.

So as you move through the coming weeks, notice what changes for you and your family. Allow gentleness where you’d usually push. Let home be a haven that helps you adapt and restore.

“The darker months invite us inward — not to hide, but to reconnect with what truly sustains us.”