Summer is about to end. The world will now become cold and dry once again.
The months of November through February are the most-awaited months for some because there’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and Valentine’s. However, there’s a group of people who dread them because they are associated with autumn blues. It’s September now and for those people, the gloomy days are approaching.
What Are Autumn Blues?
Fall blues may feel like depression, but it’s not depression nor is it a mental health issue. But it can lead to depression if it’s not controlled. In fact, autumn blues is also called seasonal depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Some people really feel more down than usual during the winter season.
But how can you know if you’re just feeling blue or it’s already depression?
Basically, if you are depressed, there is always a reason why. It could be because you just broke up with your significant other, someone in your life has died, you are stressed out because of the pressure people put on you, you just failed at something, you’ve experienced something traumatic, and many more.
Those who experience fall blues feel down simply because of the season, or for reasons that are trivial. It could be because they look back on what happened in the last months and they aren’t satisfied with it, or it could also be because the leaves are falling and they feel like everything around them is falling down, too, even though it’s not.
There are also things that happen at the end of the summer season. For one, students are getting back to school. That can cause some parents to experience autumn blues because their children are going to leave the house. They are going to be missed.
What Causes Autumn Blues?
As mentioned earlier, autumn blues isn’t caused by a destructive or painful experience in one’s life. The most common causes of fall blues are Vitamin D deficiency, the overall changes that occur in life, and low serotonin levels. Let’s talk about them in more detail.
1. Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D is also called the “sunshine vitamin” because the main source of it is the sun. There was a study conducted way back in 2020 that shows the effects of Vitamin D on people with major depressive disorder. They concluded that Vitamin D was helpful in improving the mental health of the participants.
We can also look at the connection of Vitamin D deficiency to autumn blues in this way: If someone is always in the dark, that will make them feel dark inside, too. Their outlook will be affected, and they will feel down. The sun is bright, so it is associated with happy emotions. But you’re surrounded by darkness, so you feel gloomy.
Why not step out and expose yourself to the sun to put yourself in a positive mood?
2. Changes in Life
Whenever something changes in our life or the world, it’ll make us feel anxious or sad to a certain extent, especially if the changes that occur aren’t what we are expecting. There are a lot of things that go on during the winter season. It’s a busy season for some, a quiet season for others, and a sad season for those with seasonal depression.
3. Low Serotonin Levels
Having the right serotonin levels in your body can make you feel content. It is the chemical that plays a key role in our happiness and overall mood. Those who are sad, depressed, and feeling blue have low levels of serotonin. That could be the reason why you are dealing with autumn blues.
According to Healthline, you can boost your serotonin in many ways, including eating eggs, cheese, salmon, nuts, seeds, and, well, turkey (Thanksgiving is near). You can also try to have a healthy social life and spend time with your friends, or do some physical activities as that triggers your body to release serotonin.
How Can You Skip This Nasty State?
If you’ve been dealing with fall blues since you knew about it, you know by now how you should deal with it. If it is truly a seasonal thing for you, then after February you will probably come back to the normal you, so you just have to wait. But for some who aren’t used to being in this nasty state, here are some things you can do.
1. Do Physical Activity
We’ve said it before that doing physical activities can boost your serotonin levels, which is a chemical in our body that plays a key role in our mood. But more than that, if you don’t move the whole day, it will have a bad effect on your blood circulation and it could lead to hypertension.
There are other health issues that you might get if you don’t move enough, and the health issue plus the medical bills could take a toll on your mental health and turn your autumn blues into severe depression.
2. Meditation
When you’re feeling blue and you dwell on the negative emotions that you feel, you will feel more down. If you don’t pick yourself up and relax your body and mind through meditation, you might drown in those negative emotions and not find a way out. Focus on the positive things if you want to skip this nasty state as soon as possible!
You can do this in a quiet room in your house. Simply sit down on the floor and clear your mind, and take deep breaths.
3. Eat Properly
You need sufficient amounts of vitamins and nutrients in your body in order for it to work properly. That includes your mood and mental health. Food is what fuels your body, so if you don’t eat, your body system will either function slowly or not function at all. That will lead to you feeling down. Your body is so weak.
You can also take food supplements to give your body more power.
