What is Autumn Anxiety?

Anxiety is a type of mental health disorder that affects millions of people, from 
generalized anxiety disorder to panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. 
Different people get anxiety for many different reasons, year-round. However, there is 
one type of anxiety that mental health professionals are seeing more often, which is 
anxiety that starts around the fall season.

A therapist in Wales known as Ginny Scully has named it Autumn Anxiety, after seeing 
countless patients experiencing heightened anxiety symptoms between the end of 
summer and beginning of fall. It is very closely linked to seasonal affective disorder 
(SAD), though is more about anxiety, and less about depression.

Here are some things to understand about autumn anxiety.


Fall Anxiety VS Seasonal Affective Disorder

While they are not the exact same thing, there are some similarities between SAD and 
anxiety you experience in the fall. First of all, the main difference is that SAD is usually 
more about depression in the fall and winter seasons, as opposed to anxiety. However, 
there are some things that are often similar, such as:

The time of year these occur. While you can get SAD at any time of year when the 
seasons change, it is much more common in the fall and winter when weather gets colder 
and there are less sunny days. The same is said for autumn anxiety, which is a type of 
anxiety that many people experience as summer turns into fall.

Your signs and symptoms. Many symptoms between anxiety in the fall and depression 
you experience this season are similar. This might include being lethargic and tired, 
isolating yourself, losing interest in your favorite activities, experiencing signs of panic 
attacks like a racing heartbeat and tunnel vision, and changes in your mood like agitation 
or irritability. 

How it can affect your life. Both autumn anxiety and SAD can affect your life and reduce 
your quality of life. Suddenly, summer is over and you no longer want to see friends, you 
spend more time alone indoors, and you have a hard time adjusting to the changes in your 
schedule. While this can be completely normal, you should still seek professional help if 
you feel out of control with your symptoms.


Autumn Anxiety for Highly Sensitive People

Another type of person who might be prone to autumn anxiety is someone on the “highly 
sensitive persons” spectrum, as detailed by Elaine Aron, PhD. She believes that people 
who are extremely sensitive may take the sudden changes of seasons, habits, and daily 
routines much harder than other people, which is why it leads to them experiencing 
worsened anxiety.

If you are a highly sensitive person who also has generalized anxiety disorder, it is really 
important that you are aware of this and prepare before fall begins.


What You Can Do About Autumn Anxiety

Autumn anxiety can mean some changes in your mental health in the fall season, but it 
doesn’t have to define you. You can try using a light therapy box if it is cold and gloomy 
where you live, as well as start taking a vitamin D supplement. Anxiety-relieving activities 
like meditation, breathing exercises, physical exercise, and finding activities you enjoy can 
also help tremendously.


