Can the Change in Seasons Affect Your Anxiety?
You may expect fall to bring cooler weather, changing leaves, and a slower pace.
Instead, you feel more anxious.
Maybe your sleep changes. Your thoughts feel harder to quiet. You have less energy, or you find yourself worrying more than usual.
Can the change in seasons actually affect anxiety?
For some people, seasonal changes can coincide with noticeable shifts in mood, energy, sleep, and behavior. Anxiety can also occur alongside Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Why Might Anxiety Feel Worse in the Fall or Winter?
There isn’t one explanation that applies to everyone.
Shorter days and changes in daylight can affect your body’s sleep-wake rhythms. Your daily routine may also change as you spend less time outside, exercise differently, or socialize less.
For someone already prone to anxiety, these changes may make symptoms more noticeable.
What Can Seasonal Anxiety Look Like?
You might notice:
- More frequent worrying
- Restlessness or irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Changes in sleep
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Avoiding social activities
- Racing thoughts
- Increased physical tension
Anxiety can also occur alongside depression and other seasonal mood changes.
Don’t Ignore Changes in Your Routine
Sometimes the season itself isn’t the only issue.
Your schedule may become less active. You may spend more time indoors. You might stop doing activities that normally help you feel grounded.
That’s why maintaining some consistency can be helpful.
Try to keep a regular sleep schedule, get outside during daylight when possible, stay physically active, and continue making time for people and activities that matter to you.
What If This Happens Every Year?
Pay attention to the pattern.
If you notice that anxiety or other mood changes consistently become worse during a particular season, tracking your symptoms can help you recognize what’s happening.
SAD is characterized by a recurring seasonal pattern, and professional evaluation can help determine whether your symptoms are related to SAD, an anxiety disorder, another mental health concern, or a combination.
When Should You Talk to a Therapist?
Consider reaching out if anxiety is interfering with your sleep, relationships, work, daily activities, or ability to enjoy your life.
Therapy can help you identify triggers, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, and develop strategies for managing anxiety when seasonal changes make things more difficult.
Therapy for Anxiety in Fuquay-Varina, NC
At Carolina Counseling Services, our contracted therapists and psychiatric providers help individuals navigate anxiety, depression, seasonal mood changes, stress, relationship concerns, and other mental health challenges.
Therapy can provide a supportive place to understand why your anxiety may be changing and develop strategies that work for you.
Providers are in network with many major insurance plans, including Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), Tricare, Medicaid, Medicare, and many additional insurance plans.
If you notice your anxiety changing with the seasons, you don’t have to simply wait for it to pass.
Understanding the pattern can be the first step toward changing how you experience it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can changing seasons cause anxiety?
Seasonal changes can coincide with changes in anxiety for some people. Changes in daylight, sleep, routines, and activity levels may all play a role. Anxiety can also occur alongside seasonal depression.
Why does my anxiety get worse in the fall?
There can be several contributing factors, including changes in daylight, sleep, daily routines, activity levels, and social interaction. If the pattern repeats each year, discussing it with a mental health professional may be helpful.
Can therapy help with seasonal anxiety?
Yes. Therapy can help you identify patterns and triggers, develop coping strategies, and address anxious thoughts and behaviors that may become more difficult during seasonal transitions.
The Teacherage offices are Accessible with an Accessible restroom.
PO BOX 9909 Fayetteville, NC 28311