Autumn Well-Being Guide: How to Thriving Through Seasonal Change
Unlock the Potential of the Fall Season with Lifestyle and Dietary Tips
It’s that time and season of the year again. Although autumn can be wonderful and calm, this period can also have hidden pitfalls. It’s getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and we are more exposed to viruses and diseases. Due to all these factors our well-being and energy may decline which might end up ruining this beautiful autumn season.
In this newsletter, I’ll talk about what you can do to alleviate and positively influence the symptoms of changing seasons to enjoy this time to the fullest.
The autumn transition period is characterized by colds and viral illnesses, which are the result of a drop in the immune system due to colder weather and more viruses and infections circulating in the air.
At the same time, late autumn and the beginning of winter are marked by “Autumn Fatigue”, a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a very common problem worldwide. Experts estimate that the problem affects as many as 15% of the general population each year.
Symptoms of SAD
The disorder affects individuals differently and can manifest through a variety of symptoms: the most common are:
a drop in energy and fatigue,
lethargy and demotivation,
a drop in the immune system,
and an increased likelihood of colds and viral illnesses.
Some may also experience symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Usually, the symptoms don’t last very long and go away after the body has acclimated to the change of seasons. But we can speed up this transition and make the symptoms less severe and make them last less time.
Lifestyle Changes
We have to realize and be aware of the fact that we cannot beat Mother Nature.
Evolutionarily, autumn and winter are periods in the year to calm down, rest, sleep and rejuvenate, so we need to adjust our lifestyle accordingly.
1. Slow Down and Feel The Changing Seasons
Slow down and feel how nature and the world around you are calming down.
Feel the air cooling, feel its freshness and tenderness. Feel the season of peace and rest coming.
This autumn time can be awasome — we just have to allow ourselves to slow down, stop, feel it and live it!
2. Sun exposure and Vitamin D
Through evolution, our body has become dependent on the sun, which plays an important role in both our circadian rhythm and biological and cellular processes in the body.
Sun regulates our day-night cycle and tells us when it is time to get up, when it’s time to have energy, work out, and be active, and when it is time to wind down, relax, and sleep.
Reduced sun exposure due to shortened days can therefore cause irregularities in circadian rhythm, problems with energy, fatigue, loss motivation, and sleep problems.
Our body uses solar energy to produce vitamin D, which has many biological functions and is essential for our health. Some research estimates that nearly 80% of the population is deficient in vitamin D during the colder parts of the year.
We can positively impact vitamin D deficiency with more sun exposure, so try to get more sun, sunbeams, and skin exposure to alleviate the symptoms of SAD and vitamin D deficiency.
If you’re interested in how to optimize your circadian biology, check out
‘s newsletter Brighter Days, Darker Nights.
3. Allow The Autumn Dying
In Slovenian, my mother language, the words calming and dying are very similar:
calming = umirjanje
dying = umiranje
There’s just a j that differentiates the two words and that’s the reason why I like the phrase “jesensko umir(j)anje” (in English autumn calming and dying).
Evolutionarily, autumn and winter are periods in the year to calm down, rest, sleep, and rejuvenate.
“A tree must left go of its old leaves and let them die before it can grow new fresh ones.”
Just as the trees are letting go of their leaves, letting them fall, and allowing a part of them that doesn’t serve them anymore to die, we too can allow the parts of us that no longer serve us to die - we have to let go of control, stop fighting against “dying” and allow it to happen.
Autumn can be a great time for a change. Allow yourself to calm down and let the parts of you that no longer serve you die so that something new and better can emerge and grow.
3. Spend Time In Nature
Autumn can be a great time to spend more time in nature, but in our modern world, we have lost the connection with nature and, as a result, the positive feelings and vital energy that mother nature offers us. We often realize this only when we spend some time in it again and reconnect with it.
Try to find time and space in your schedule for some peaceful and non-work time in nature and feel how the world around you is also stopping and preparing to rest.
4. Spend Less Time on Social Media and News
We all know the negative consequences of social networks on our health, as they try to attract our attention with algorithms and change and influence our behavior — in the current period, also by instilling fear.
The same applies to news: we cannot live without them, but excessive exposure can only harm cabbage. The media lives on good stories, so they try to attract people by inflating things and scaremongering about current events.
Be aware of your use of social networks and news and keep in mind that excessive exposure can be very harmful to your well-being and health.
5. Spend More Time With People You Care About
Autumn can be a great time to spend more time with people we love and care about.
Reach out to a friend that you haven’t seen in a while. Call your brother, sister, or parents. Go for a walk with your best friend. Spend some time in nature with your loved one.
Autumn time can be quite magical when spending it in good company!
Diet and Supplements
We can also change our diet and add some supplements to alleviate potential negative symptoms of changing seasons and increase our well-being during this period.
1. Vitamin D
As I said above, we can positively impact vitamin D deficiency with more sun exposure. However, this is much harder in the fall and winter due to shorter days, less strong sunbeams, the angle at which the sun shines on our skin, less sun, and less skin exposure due to long sleeves.
We also can positively impact vitamin D in other ways:
By eating foods that contain vitamin D: e.g. fatty fish, shellfish and seafood, egg yolks, and grass-fed beef.
By adding vitamin D in the form of a dietary supplement.
Which vitamin D supplement should you take?
We distinguish between two forms of vitamin D: vitamin D2 and D3.
Dietary supplements and products labeled with vitamin D contain form D2, which comes mostly from plant foods. The D3 form is of animal origin: studies show that D3 is a slightly better form, as it creates more free vitamin D in the body, which is then better used. (source)
If you want to further improve the absorption of vitamin D in the body, choose a vitamin D3 supplement in combination with vitamin K2, which helps with better absorption and proper use of vitamin D in the body.
How much vitamin D should you take?
The recommended daily intake of vitamin D varies greatly.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), which is the official dietary guideline, has set the upper daily limit at 20 mcg (800 IU), which most agree is not enough.
The medical experts advise a maximum dose of 50 mcg (2,000 IU) per day, while other nutritionists and scientists advise a maintenance dose of 125 mcg (5,000 IU) over the winter, and up to 250 mcg (10,000 IU) for severe deficiencies and during certain diseases (eg Covid-19), which is a much higher dose than many supplements on the market.
It’s best to choose a product that contains at least 50 mcg (2,000 IU) of vitamin D per dose.
For maintenance purposes, one dose (50 mcg or 2,000 IU) per day is sufficient, and in times of deficiency, fatigue, or illness, you can increase the dose to 250 mcg (10,000 IU) per day for a short time.
When should you take vitamin D?
Vitamin D is best to take in the morning, as vitamin D mimics the sun and gives energy: if you take it too late in the afternoon, it’s likely that you will not be able to sleep at night since your body will think and behave as if it were still daytime.
Because vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it should be taken with a meal that contains some fat, because otherwise it will not be absorbed properly.
2. B vitamins
B vitamins are the main vitamins responsible for the production of energy in the body — for both physical and mental energy.
They are water-soluble vitamins, which means that the body cannot store them, such as vitamin D. During the transition period, B vitamins in the body are consumed even faster due to additional stress, and deficiency of B vitamins in the body can cause fatigue, skin problems, and general poorer well-being.
We can provide the body with enough B vitamins:
with a balanced diet: the best sources of B vitamins are organs, red meat, dairy products and green leafy vegetables,
with a good dietary supplement: a good B complex that has a high concentration of all eight B vitamins.
3. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a very important vitamin for our body, as it plays a key role in energy production, in overcoming stress and regulating the immune system.
Due to changes in wheather and season, more viral infections and dip in immune function we need more of vitamin C in the transition periods.
Fun fact: Many mammals have their own production of vitamin C in the body: in case of illness or increased stress, they can produce a large amount of vitamin C, which helps them prevent the development of disease. We humans have unfortunately lost this ability through evolution and we require it orally — either through food or supplementation.
Although official guidelines advise that the daily intake of vitamin C for adults should not exceed 2,000 mg, some studies prove that megadosing of vitamin C (between 3,000 and 8,000 mg per day) is not only safe but it also helps with illness and stress relief.
For better results, choose a liposomal form of vitamin C, which is released much more slowly than regular vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and our body can absorb it and use it much better.
4. Amino acid Tyrosine
Tyrosine is one of the 22 amino acids and it’s found mostly in high protein foods (meat, eggs, dairy products, some seeds, and nuts) and is very important for our bodies.
Tyrosine is involved in the production of adrenaline and norepinephrine. and it’s also the precursor of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that promotes focus and motivation, as well as well-being and energy.
Tyrosine deficiency can manifest as flu symptoms, lack of energy, and low mood.
Adding tyrosine in the form of a dietary supplement can help lift your mood, increase energy, reduce stress, and increase concentration and mental energy. If you suffer from some of the symptoms described above, take 1–2g of l-tyrosine twice a day — in the morning and in the afternoon.
5. Adaptogenic herbs
Adaptogens are plant extracts that help the body adapt — because of this the name adaptogens — to changes and increased stress resulting from stimuli from the environment — including changes in the seasons.
Although most adaptogens share the same basis — stress relief, strengthening of the immune system, improving the mood — each extract has its own specific functions. The most popular and known adaptogens are ashwagandha and ginseng.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha — also known as Indian winter cherry — is considered one of the most important Ayurvedic herbs. I’ve noticed that in the last year it has gained a lot of popularity among both young people and the general population.
Ashwagandha has a beneficial effect in reducing stress in the body, it helps regulate hormones, increases physical strength, and can also be a good support in healing some health problems.
Ginseng
Ginseng has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, and today the two most widespread versions are American and Siberian ginseng.
Ginseng is very popular with athletes as it increases strength, focus and improves physical performance.
Although ashwagandha and ginseng work on the same principle, the former has a more calming effect and the latter a more invigorating effect, similar to caffeine.
If you are one of the people who are affected by the changing season, don’t worry: you’re not alone and things aren’t hopeless. Now you can take the matter into your own hands.
Thanks for the shoutout, Jani! As Autumn rolls in, it’s a good time to maximize time outdoors in the extended sunrises and sunsets. While UVB will be less and less available, the infrared—which is always present in any kind of sunlight—makes cellular melatonin (among other benefits). And then the extended darkness offers greater opportunity for pineal melatonin. So, on a seasonal level the Fall represents a shift from UV and Vitamin D dominance toward infrared and melatonin as the major healing hormone. Here’s a great review on this that topic came out earlier this year: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u3v9ETZwvnPshQoWe_K0dMA0yiNVXoE7/view?usp=drivesdk