anxiety fall!

The fresh crisp smell of the September air is one of my favourite type of mornings. You feel the sunshine warm your face slightly but the cool breeze makes you happy you wore that sweater. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with me. The transition into fall will be a tough time for those especially those her favourite months are the warm weathered ones. If you are a parent, your kids are now back to school, which should make any normal egg hatcher ecstatic! Some of you don't have teenagers, don't worry you will get my humour soon enough.  At work, meetings may now be more prevalent as vacation is over. Your agenda is once again overflowing with events that you have no idea how you'll fit them all in. You will now remember all those things on your checklist of summer fun and feel the anguish of those you did not check off. You start to notice that it is darker in the morning and gets darker after dinner. The end of summer blues will now really start to set in. 
Many who fight the beast struggle with a times up mentality concerning with all the plans they had for the season. I find myself getting anxious with the shoulda, coulda, but didn't thoughts. That dearth of time mentality can lead you down the path to the blues. Altering your thoughts to plans and ideas for finishing the year in the most achievable positive way may help you think in terms of prosperity instead. If you can't think of other great things that you did so far this year, plan to do something and DO IT!
Remember that without the change in the seasons you would be bored or complacent with the humidity and heat of the summer months. Think of it as a period of colder weather that will give you a renewed appreciation for the warmth of the hot months. Friends always talk about how sad they are to see summer leave and this will add to your despair at the arrival of Autumn. I like to think of the beginning of September as a new fresh start. I tend to "check in" with myself again. I think about my health, both mental and physical. I also clean sweep my home. Out with old. In with the new. Just like with Spring cleaning, I do Fall sweeping! 
While the effects of seasonal changes on our mental health can be profound you should not allow them to invite the beast in . Changes coexist the shifting of seasons such as the length of daylight, the intensity of the sun, out diet, our routine and our sleeping patterns. Even how we spend our time changes. When late Autumn turns into the cold winter or as many of friends call it, hell, it is very common for you to feel tired, depleted and very unmotivated. Your levels of anxiety will most likely increase because of these changes will create unsettled feelings. If you are really unfortunate, symptoms of depression will increase or start, if you have not had it previously.
 There is an actual name for these symptoms, called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Even the abbreviation is "sad". If you feel yourself slipping down the road of SAD, try these following tip to help heighten mental health with the changing seasons.:
*  A new routine that you create which helps you appreciate things despite the early darkness in the sky, (crafts, reading, board games etc)
*  Take brief or long walks throughout the day to stay in movement and use the stairs, stretch etc. to keep energy levels constant. 
*  Depending on your caffeine tolerance, stock up on a variety of coffees or flavored teas or even hot chocolate. The warmth of a hot mug is like a hug!
*  As always, with anxiety levels on the rise, be careful of what foods that you consume. Remember that your diet affects mental health. 
*  The absolute best thing to do is to find what you love about the season and be intentional about incorporating that into your world. If you love to skate, do it! Find an indoor rink to skate around. If you like to watch hockey, go to a game instead of watching it on the television. Hell, if you just like to drink by the fire, do it. If you don't have a fireplace, put the fake one on your television and fake until you make it!

Regardless if you love to be outside walking with the sounds of crinkled leaves that have fallen from the trees as if you say goodbye to summer and pave the path for winter, or you hate it, embrace life. We are only here on this round planet for a bleep in time, so enjoy it, force yourself. Just don't let the beast win every battle as you are a warrior.

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**** the above picture of hot chocolate is one my daughter made and it was as good as you think it was!