According to statistics, one out of every five people in the world feels worse in the fall than in any other time of the year. Common symptoms include melancholy, lethargy, and lack of energy. Most of us want to stay at home and not communicate with anyone – and this causes a feeling of isolation. The sum of these experiences is called the autumn blues.
We talked with the gestalt therapist and psychotherapist of the Yasno service Maria Melnik about what this feeling is and how to deal with it at the first symptoms.
Maria Melnik, psychotherapist in the Yasno ward
A natural cause of a decrease in mood and energy in autumn is a decrease in daylight and a change in temperature. The level of vitamin D in the body decreases, some people may have a decrease in hemoglobin and ferritin, which affects mood. Many resources are needed to adapt to these changes, so even when you’re not particularly overworked, it seems like there’s no power.
Autumn is the time when many begin to work hard: they combine work and study, take on new projects, attend courses, and hope to finally fill their lives with achievements and activities. The body, just starting to rebuild for the cold season, is not always ready for such loads. Therefore, people with increased demands on themselves, oddly enough, may encounter the blues more often. They work overtime and do not have time to recover, which leads to physical and mental fatigue.
Answer three questions to find out if autumn blues is threatening you. Did you manage to relax in the summer? Do you enjoy at least one day a week comfortably? Do you think lying and doing nothing is important and not laziness? If there is at least one “no” answer, you should consider how you are doing your personal time allocation and pay attention to recovery.
Autumn blues pass easily, don’t confuse them with depression. But do not forget to take care of yourself: if a bad mood does not pass for more than two weeks, the usual pleasant things cease to please, sleep and appetite are disturbed, this may indicate a subdepressive or depressive state. In this case, it is worth contacting a psychotherapist – the depression itself does not go away.
In the fall you want to sleep longer and stay home more often. However, moderate exercise three times a week has been proven to help even with depression. And walking in the fresh air, no matter how cliché it may sound, reduces stress and keeps you from focusing on heavy thoughts.
You can eliminate sadness if you create enjoyable and satisfying activities for yourself. What could be good this fall? Maybe you’ve put off buying a projector to watch movies with your friends or travel to a neighboring city – now is the time to do it.
Do you remember the songs you wanted to dance, smile and sing along to? Although it has been viewed millions of times, which movie do you like so far? Or maybe it’s time to update your wardrobe for the new season and you have a shopping day ahead of you? Answering questions about things you enjoy doing can help you create a self-support plan.
And if you don’t know what you like, look for clues in your childhood. Of course, you can spend hours collecting Lego, inventing and telling stories, drawing or dancing. And just because we’re getting old doesn’t take away the opportunity to do what pleased us in childhood.
Source: People Talk
I’m Roger Gritton, and I’ve been writing for the The Fashion Vibes for over 5 years now. My specialty is beauty news; I’m passionate about covering the latest trends, products, and innovations in the industry. In my time there, I’ve become known as an authority on all things beauty-related.
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