Why Do I Feel More Anxious as the Seasons Change?
Have you noticed that your anxiety seems to pick up when one season starts turning into another?
Maybe your thoughts feel a little louder. Your schedule suddenly feels packed. You’re having a harder time settling down at the end of the day, or you feel pressure to get back into a routine after a different pace during the summer.
You might even be wondering, Why am I anxious? Nothing is actually wrong.
Seasonal transitions can affect us in ways we don't always recognize right away. And while we often associate seasonal changes with colder weather, you don't need to live somewhere with dramatic temperature changes to notice them.
Why can seasonal changes make me feel more anxious?
There isn't one explanation that fits everyone. Sometimes several small changes happen at once.
One is daylight. As daylight patterns change, so can the rhythms and routines built around them. You may spend less time outside, change when you're active, or notice that your days simply feel different.
Then there's your schedule.
Fall often brings the return of school, activities, fuller work calendars, family responsibilities, and routines that may have relaxed during the summer. Even changes you were expecting can require an adjustment.
If you're someone who feels better when life is predictable, that transition can feel particularly unsettling.
Can I have seasonal anxiety even if I live somewhere warm?
Yes. A seasonal transition doesn't have to involve falling leaves and winter coats to affect your routine.
Here in Puerto Rico, fall doesn't bring the same dramatic temperature shift someone might experience farther north. But school schedules change. Daily routines shift. Daylight patterns change. Family and work responsibilities may start looking different.
For someone in Cincinnati, Ohio, the transition into fall may include those routine changes alongside more noticeable changes in daylight and weather.
Either way, your surroundings and schedule are giving you new information to adjust to.
You may notice that you're more restless, worried, irritable, overwhelmed, or preoccupied with keeping everything under control.
Why does getting “back into a routine” make me anxious?
Routine can provide predictability. When that predictability changes, you may suddenly have more demands competing for your attention.
This can be especially noticeable if you tend toward people-pleasing.
A new season can bring new requests from work, school, family, friends, and community. If your automatic response is to accommodate other people's needs, you may find yourself filling your calendar before checking whether you actually have the capacity for everything you've agreed to.
You might look completely capable from the outside while thinking, “How am I going to keep up with all of this?”
For some people with a history of trauma, changes in routine or predictability can also feel particularly uncomfortable. That doesn't mean every uncomfortable reaction to change is related to trauma. It may be useful, though, to become curious about whether transitions and uncertainty tend to bring up stronger reactions for you.
Is it normal to feel more anxious during a seasonal transition?
It can be.
Feeling different for a period of time doesn't automatically mean something is wrong with you or that you have a mental health condition.
Your body and mind may simply be adjusting to changes in your environment, responsibilities, or routine.
Instead of immediately asking, How do I make this anxiety go away?, it may be useful to ask a more specific question:
What changed?
Maybe you're sleeping at different times. Maybe you're getting outside less. Maybe your calendar has become crowded again. Or perhaps you're spending so much time taking care of everyone else's needs that your own needs have slipped to the bottom of the list.
Identifying the change can give you a clearer starting point
What can I do when I feel more anxious as the seasons change?
You don't have to overhaul your life. Start by paying attention to the parts of your routine that help you feel more settled.
Give your days a few predictable anchors. Your entire schedule doesn't need to be rigid. A consistent wake-up time, morning routine, meal, or evening wind-down can provide a sense of familiarity as everything else shifts.
Spend time outside when you can. If the change in daylight has altered your routine, notice whether you're spending less time outdoors than you were a few months ago. Finding realistic opportunities to get outside during daylight may be one small way to support yourself through the transition.
Look at what you've agreed to. This one is especially worth considering if people-pleasing tends to show up when life gets busy. Before adding another obligation, ask yourself whether you actually have room for it.
Sometimes the most useful information isn't simply that you're anxious. It's noticing when your anxiety increases and what was happening around you at the time.
When should I consider talking to a therapist about anxiety?
A few unsettled days during a transition may pass as you adjust to a new rhythm.
If your anxiety continues for several weeks, keeps returning, or starts making it harder to sleep, work, maintain relationships, or move through your everyday life, you may decide you'd like some additional support.
Therapy can give you space to understand the patterns underneath your anxiety, including the pressure to keep everyone happy or the ways past experiences may affect how you respond to stress and change.
I provide anxiety therapy, support for people-pleasing, and trauma therapy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, including in-person sessions at my Guaynabo office. I also provide online therapy for clients in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Learn more about Anxiety Therapy
