Suffering Autumn Anxiety? Why You May Feel More Stressed In Fall

The winds of change are blowing. Autumn brings colder temperatures and the onset of windy and chilly nights.

If you are unprepared, autumn can also trigger higher anxiety levels.

Read more to find out why, and how to cope.

Colder Temperatures

Colder temperatures stimulate the nervous system. They also increase tension in the muscles.

The remedy for cold anxiety is simple: Keep warm.

But staying warm is not always easy. In early autumn, the midday sun is still hot, which can tempt you to shed too many layers, only to find yourself shivering several hours later.

Instead, prepare in advance. Keep several layers of clothing nearby in anticipation of the drop in temperature. Don warmer pajamas or keep a sweater next to your bed at night - a drop in temperatures can leave you tossing and turning, sleepless.

Frayed Nerves & Drier Blood

Nerves need plenty of fats to stay calm.

But in autumn, fat levels drop in the blood. This causes the sensation of 'frayed nerves'.

Throughout autumn, your body uses up fats in the bloodstream to build up an insulating layer of fat in the skin. These insulating fats not only moisturize your skin and reduce signs of aging in the fall, the thicker skin will protect you and your immune system when the temperatures plummet in mid October.

However, building this layer depletes your blood of fats, and this is what aggravates your nervous system, and causes internal dryness throughout the body.

Autumn dryness depletes the liver. Your liver is an important organ that manages blood chemistry. When the liver is depleted, blood chemistry becomes altered, and this further irritates the nervous system and can make your mind feel anxious and spacey.

Fortunately, your body will be craving sweeter, oiler foods that nourish your blood. If you're Vata, follow and enjoy following these heavier cravings to support your nervous system and replenish depleted fat levels in the blood.

Nerves & Constipation, Gas & Bloating

Unless adequately hydrated, digestion will be weak. Dehydration can lead to weak appetite, gas & bloating. However, if you are well hydrated, a robust appetite and a strong digestion will return with the cooler temperatures this time of year.

Constipation due to dryness is a common fall complaint - especially for Vata types.

Gas, bloating, and constipation create toxicity in the body. These toxins irritate the nervous system contributing to illness, anxiety, and the feeling of being scatterbrained.

You may even suffer from insomnia this time of year, which is often related to constipation and dryness.

Heed warning signs of gas and dryer, darker stools to reduce anxiety, stay healthy and prevent bigger illnesses from surfacing.

Adequate fats, salt, fluids and sour taste can help keep digestion strong and elimination regular.

Mild, sweet laxatives such as tamarind and salt, licorice root, jujube berry, and cooked applesauce mixed with ghee can be supportive for regular elimination.

Change of Season & Routine Create Stress & Tension

In summer, you naturally feel more energetic and extroverted. The extended daylight hours of summer make for a fun season of barbecues, pool parties, and other festivities late into the night.

But when fall comes around, the playfulness of summer begins to give way to focus as new projects begin. School starts back up. Work is back in full swing.

It's time to slow down. Take preventative measures to reduce unnecessary plans and the number of activities you partake in on a given day. Avoid the scattered energy that comes with bopping around from one place to another.

Instead, Be gentle with yourself. Enjoy the natural sleepiness of fall as you snuggle under a blanket at home. Take care of yourself more often than usual, away from the pressures of social life, and conserve your energy.

Follow the three pillars of a strong routine in the fall:

• Eat your meals and go to sleep the same time each day
• Plan fewer activities
• Make your life cozy
• Get enough sleep

By following these guidelines, you'll feel the more inward, reflective, and protective qualities of fall emerge.

Depending on where you live, you might begin thinking about winter preparations. Traditionally, fall is a practical time of year to line up your ducks in a row before the long, hard winter.

Lastly, Sedatives

Ayurveda emphasizes the root of the problem, to provide a complete, deeper healing.

However, it is also useful to reduce the symptoms of anxiety directly through sedative relaxant recipes as well as herbs such as poppy seed, pumpkin, mushrooms, california poppy, ashwagandha, and hops.

Ashwagandha is particularly helpful because it also improves stress tolerance (as an adaptogen) and is nourishing.

Summary

Whereas summer is dispersive, fall marks a time of coming together and tending the hearth if you allow the season to draw you inward. Fall brings new reverence for the familiar, and to re-establishing routines. You may experience a sense of nostalgia.

Try not to resist this inward pull. Supporting your body in September is essential to strong immunity and resilience all winter long. And, to staying grounded as fall anxiety naturally increases.

Warm clothing, a steady routine, a sweeter, oilier, and heavier diet, mild laxatives, and relaxant foods and herbs will all combine to help you stay grounded this autumn.

Read more in the Ayurvedic Diet for September