It goes without saying that physical self-care is often talked about more than it is practiced. We all know that we need to take care of our bodies for the sake of our physical and mental well-being and yet it seems so difficult to do at times, especially when we are struggling with mental health challenges. In the segment on Putting Self-Care Tips into Practice in a Sustainable Way, there was an emphasis on Behavioral Activation and Goal Directed vs. Mood Directed Behavior. Simply put, Goal Directed Behavior is practicing following through on doing things because of setting the goal and intention to do so, rather than backing out because of how you are feeling at the time. Not only do you feel more successful and personally rewarded, but also more fulfilled and happier over time. This is only one important factor in sustainable, physical self-care, however, and there are many other ways to nurture our best self from the inside out. When transitioning from Summer to Fall months, it comes with many extra barriers to maintaining our physical well-being that have some simple solutions to overcome.

Living in the Pacific Northwest has more blessings than one can count, and we need to simply look around at our surroundings to come to that conclusion, though there are challenges to living in our region, as well. Many residents of Washington struggle with low Vitamin D levels, lack of adequate exercise in the Fall and Winter months, disruption in sleep and wake cycles, and changes in appetite often leading to overeating. Though it is common to fall into a pattern of self-blame, it is important to remember that all of these things are normal parts of going through changing seasons and seen in multiple human beings and animals. The behavior is referred to as seasonality and though there is not really a known cause, there are ways that we can take control of ourselves during these more difficult months. Keeping a guard around our routines, our sleep, and our self-care is necessary to our health and to making a healthy transition during the Fall and Winter months, especially when struggling with mental health symptoms. There are lots of practical ways to take a proactive stance to ensure readiness for the, sometimes, difficult transition of the seasons.

Today is the first day of Fall and is a great time to start preparing ourselves for the transition to our darker weather and colder months if this was not started a little bit earlier in the Summer. By practicing some mindfulness skills and self-reflection, it is useful to identify the areas that you struggle with the most during the Fall and Winter months. Perhaps it is mood, or sleep, or eating too many tempting comfort foods. Once you identify the ways in which you struggle, you can identify the ways you can compensate for those areas and nurture yourself to allow for you to have what you need, while also not harming yourself in any way. For instance, if you enjoy eating comfort foods in the fall, perhaps, scheduling in extra workouts would be an effective approach. The workouts would also boost serotonin and reduce the affects of seasonal changes and mood shifts that occur. If you struggle with getting moving in the mornings because of the cold, perhaps a hot cup of coffee or tea to go and a warm neck wrap, or hand warmers could help get you going. Using a light therapy box of some sort can be an inexpensive and great way for many to help regulate mood and sleep and wake cycles by reducing the effects of less light absorbed through the eyes. There are even alarm clocks with lights that are programmed to mimic the natural rise of the sun that can be quite effective in helping with getting up out of bed in the morning. Identify the areas in which you struggle and give yourself what you need to successfully get through them.

Making sure you are taking care of your health is also important, in fact- a top priority. Whether that means having your vaccines, or getting your checkups, it can be useful to see a primary care doctor to ensure you are healthy and that you are at your best baseline for the Fall and Winter months. If you struggle with fatigue and/or low energy, having your Vitamin D level checked can be quite helpful and ensuring you are taking a supplement, as indicated, is of equal importance. This not only impacts your physical health, but also impacts your mental health and overall mood, and energy level. Being able to stay healthy during these months is important as physical health directly impacts mental health and vice versa. Regular exercise is important and tantamount to this. With the changing weather, it is a good idea to get outside as much as possible now if you know you are going to miss this later. This can help build the positive memories to hold on to during the Winter months. If you do not go out much due to the cold weather, make sure you are getting physical activity inside, even if it is fifteen to twenty minutes of yoga a day.

Transitioning from the Summer to the darker and colder Fall and Winter can be difficult in the Pacific Northwest and lead to changes in mood and decline in mental health, as well as physical health due to self-neglect. To maximize on sustainable self-care, identify the areas that you can target more than one thing at a time with only one simple action. Exercise will target physical and mental well being, as well as allow for more comfort foods during the holiday months. Having a checkup will make sure to check your Vitamin D levels and other labs and take care of any underlying health problems. Practicing relaxation and keeping a regular routine to support sleep will also support all areas of health and wellness. Implementing a few tricks now will help get sustainable habits in place that will make the transition to the Fall and Winter months much more manageable and less detrimental to our mental health and may even get a routine down that becomes more sustainable to support vitality year-round.

© September 22, 2021