Why autumn can affect your mood and energy

A particular kind of Sunday evening feeling shows up every year around this time. The light changes, the evenings draw in a little earlier, and something in us shifts too. If you've noticed you feel a bit flatter, more tired, or unexpectedly emotional as summer winds down, you're not imagining it, and you're certainly not alone.

As a therapist, this is one of my favourite times of year to talk about. Not only for the reappearance of Gilmore Girls and pumpkin spice lattes, but change is apparent in every part of our lives. This can show up in the food we’re eating, our wardrobe getting warmer, and even our fitness routines changing. 

The seasonal shift reminds us of something we all have to do again and again in life: letting go of one chapter and adjusting to the next.

Why the change from summer to autumn can feel difficult

Summer often carries unspoken pressure and expectations to be sociable, spontaneous, outdoors, and “on”. When the season ends, you may feel a quiet sense of loss, even if the summer itself was ordinary, exciting, or even difficult. It's common to feel:

A dip in mood or energy

Shorter days mean less natural light, which affects our body clock, sleep, and serotonin levels. If you find yourself more sluggish or low from September onwards, that's a physiological response, not a character flaw.

Anticipatory anxiety

Autumn often brings back-to-school energy even for those without children, shown by wanting to return to routine, regaining structure, and "getting back to it”. For some people, this is grounding, but for others it stirs up old pressure to perform or achieve.

Grief for the summer version of yourself

We often feel more relaxed, playful, or connected in summer. Noticing that version of you receding can bring up sadness that's easy to mistake for something being “wrong”. The opportunities we have over the summer don’t have to stop because it’s raining. This shift in seasons can be a chance to reconnect to comfort through an autumnal lens.

Comparison and overwhelm

Social media in September is full of fresh starts, new routines, and productivity energy. If you're not feeling that pull, it's easy to feel like you're falling behind before autumn has even properly begun. A reminder that social media is only a brief window into what someone wants us to see.

None of these reactions means something has gone wrong.

They mean you're a human responding to change. Even gentle and expected change asks something of our nervous system.

How to cope with the transition into autumn

The good news is that what helps us move through seasonal transitions can be small, practical, and rooted in how we already know good change works.

Name it before you manage it

There can be relief in simply naming what's happening: "This is a transition, and transitions can bring up a lot. That’s allowed”. 

From a CBT perspective, part of what makes difficult emotions harder to sit with is not understanding where they're coming from. We can end up distressed about the distress itself, layered on top of whatever triggered it. For example, naming the experience such as, ”this is autumn stirring up grief, anxiety, or overwhelm, and that makes sense," doesn't shrink the feeling, but it often makes it easier to sit with.

Let your routine change gradually, not all at once

Rather than overhauling everything on the 1st of September, adjust one or two things at a time. Your morning light exposure, your bedtime, one anchor point in your week. Big, sudden structure can feel like a demand, so small, steady structure feels more supportive.

Get outside earlier in the day

Morning natural light is one of the most evidence-backed ways to support your circadian rhythm and mood as daylight hours shrink. Even ten minutes on a walk before you're at your desk can make a measurable difference.

Let go of the "productive autumn" narrative if it doesn't fit you

You are allowed to ease into this season rather than launch into it. A person-centred lens reminds us there's no single "right" way to move through a transition. Your pace, your needs, and your capacity this year are valid, even if they look different to last year's.

Stay connected to what grounded you over summer

If certain relationships, activities, or rhythms felt good over the summer months, notice what made them work and see if a smaller version can travel with you into autumn. This could be a weekly call with a friend, an evening walk, or cooking a meal without rushing.

Be gentle with your feelings, not just your schedule

If sadness, low mood, or anxiety linger and start to affect your day-to-day functioning beyond a few weeks, that's worth talking to someone about. Seasonal transitions can be a genuine trigger for low mood, and you don’t need to wait until it feels "bad enough" to reach out for support.

A gentle permission slip

You don't have to leap into autumn with a colour-coded planner and a five-day-a-week gym routine. You're allowed to arrive slowly. You're allowed to grieve the summer a little. And you're allowed to ask for support if this transition, like any transition, brings up more than you expected.