Autumn and Winter Seasonal Support

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In autumn and winter, the days are shorter, and it’s ultimately dark when we wake up and finish our day. For the last few years, our family has used some seasonal supports in autumn and winter, to help with our energy levels, and to help boost our immune systems and mood. None of our family naturally springs out of bed at this time of year, and we can find at times that our energy levels are a bit on the low side. 

One of the things we really love is light therapy. Each of us has a wake up light that gradually comes on about 15 minutes before we want to waken up, meaning that the room is already bright, and it feels more natural for us to want to get out of bed. On waking we have an apple and a bottle of filtered (lemon) water by the bedside and, usually with our eyes still closed, we eat the apple and drink the water. This helps to waken up our digestive systems, waken up our bodies and minds, and gives us a vitamin C boost first thing every morning. (We do the apple and water all year round, and add the lights in autumn and winter). 

We all also have a daylight therapy light on our desks and have this on while working, reading, or doing homework etc. These lights are designed to allow you to enjoy the simulation of sunlight even during the darkest of months. Our body’s natural circadian rhythm (body clock) uses sunlight to time various important functions, such as when you wake up, so lower light levels during the autumn and winter may disrupt your body clock and lead to certain seasonal symptoms.  In our house we experience this as finding it hard to get up in the morning and sometimes feeling lethargic during the day. Other people report symptoms manifesting as feelings of low mood or depression, or craving carbohydrates (which give us energy). The increased light from the lamp is said to encourage the brain to reduce the production of Melatonin (a hormone that makes you sleepy) and increase the production of the mood-boosting hormone serotonin.  We find that using the lights just helps to keep us in balance and increase our feelings of well-being. For us, the effects are better with regular use and are subtle. It’s more that we notice when we are not using them, or when we reach the time of year that we need to use them.

The next seasonal support may sound obvious, but we now try to follow nature, in accepting that doing less at this time of year helps us to stay well. The trees are shedding leaves and drawing energy inwards, and the daylight hours are shorter. We find that if we take this as a signal to do less ourselves, take more rest, and get more sleep, we find we are in better health energy, and moods over the autumn and winter months. Our rule is if it’s dark outside, we start to think about how early we can wind things down, and that means that some things just need to drop off the list, and be done another day. We live in the real world, and know that some things still need to be done; we are just more mindful of adjusting our routine, especially during the week, to prioritise sleep and some rest time.

In terms of exercise, I personally adjust my routine at this time of year. I always do a bit of strength, a bit of cardio and a bit of yoga, but later in the year, I shift the focus to be more strength and yoga focussed, using slightly heavier weights and lower reps. I still do cardio, but less at this time of year, because my body seems to respond better to strength and yoga.

Another thing is to try to get outside as much as possible and get the natural daylight when we can.  

These are just a few suggestions but they really help our family to feel well and enjoy the later part of the year.

#inharmonywitheverything, #inharmonywithnature, #seasonalliving #lighttherapy #sad #healthandwellness