Finding Balance in the Season of Letting Go: Mental Health and the Autumn Equinox
There's something profound about this time of year, isn't there? As we cross the threshold of the autumn equinox, you might find yourself naturally drawn inward, perhaps feeling more contemplative or even a bit melancholy. If you're noticing shifts in your mood, energy, or emotional landscape as the days grow shorter and the leaves begin to change, you're not alone – and you're not imagining things. Your psyche is responding to one of nature's most powerful transitions.
The wisdom of seasonal rhythm
The autumn equinox marks that perfect moment of balance when day and night stand in equal measure, before the scales tip toward longer darkness. For our ancestors, this was a time of harvest, preparation, and honoring what was ending to make space for what was to come. Your modern mind might not consciously track these ancient rhythms, but your body and nervous system absolutely do.
Many of us in our always-on, artificially-lit world have lost touch with these natural cycles, but they continue to influence us whether we're aware of it or not. That sudden urge to organize and declutter, the desire to spend more time at home, the way certain memories seem to surface more readily – these aren't random occurrences. They're your psyche naturally aligning with the season's invitation to turn inward and reflect.
The psychology of letting go
Autumn is nature's masterclass in letting go. Every tree demonstrates the beauty and necessity of release – how holding on to what no longer serves actually prevents new growth. For many people, this season brings up complex emotions about their own need to let go of relationships, situations, old versions of themselves, or dreams that no longer fit.
If you're feeling particularly emotional or contemplative right now, it might be because this seasonal energy is activating your own readiness to release what's been weighing you down. Sometimes we resist this natural inclination toward letting go, fighting against the very process that could bring us relief and renewal.
When seasonal shifts trigger mental health challenges
For some people, the transition into autumn can intensify existing mental health struggles or awaken dormant ones. The decreasing light can affect serotonin and melatonin levels, potentially contributing to depression or anxiety. The symbolic nature of things ending and dying – even naturally, beautifully – can trigger grief responses or existential concerns.
If you notice your mood dropping, your anxiety increasing, or old patterns resurfacing as we move deeper into autumn, please know this is common and treatable. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects millions of people, but even those who don't meet the clinical criteria often experience some degree of seasonal mood changes.
The gifts hidden in autumn's challenges
While the mental health challenges that can come with seasonal transitions are real and deserve attention, there are also unique opportunities for healing and growth during this time. The natural slowing down that autumn invites can create space for therapy work that felt too overwhelming during busier seasons.
Many clients find that therapy is more accessible in autumn – perhaps because the season itself is modeling the release and letting go that trauma work facilitates. The shorter days create natural boundaries around activity, often making it easier to prioritize self-care and emotional processing.
Working with autumnal energy in healing
If you're in therapy or considering starting, autumn can be an especially powerful time for deeper work. The season's natural rhythm of reflection and release aligns beautifully with therapeutic processes. You might find yourself more willing to examine difficult experiences, more ready to let go of patterns that no longer serve you, or more open to the kind of internal harvesting that therapy facilitates.
Art therapy can be particularly resonant during this season – working with the colors of autumn, creating images that represent what you're ready to release, or making art that honors both the beauty and sadness of endings. The visual richness of this season provides endless metaphors for the complexity of human emotion.
Creating your own seasonal mental health practices
Rather than simply enduring the challenges that autumn might bring, you can work with the season's natural energy to support your mental health. This might involve embracing the darker, quieter aspects of this time as opportunities for rest and reflection rather than fighting against them.
Consider creating rituals that honor the season's themes of gratitude, harvest, and release. This could be as simple as writing down what you're grateful for from the past year and what you're ready to let go of, then safely burning the second list. Or it might involve spending time in nature, noticing how trees release their leaves without struggle, and contemplating what in your own life might be ready for graceful release.
Light, darkness, and balance
The equinox reminds us that both light and darkness have their place and purpose. In our culture's tendency to pathologize sadness or melancholy, we sometimes forget that darker emotions serve important functions. They can slow us down when we need rest, help us process losses, and create the kind of fertile emptiness that allows for new growth.
If you're feeling more introspective, sad, or contemplative right now, consider that these feelings might be seasonal wisdom rather than problems to fix. Sometimes what feels like depression might actually be your psyche's natural response to environmental changes, calling you toward the kind of inner work that can only happen in the quiet, darker spaces of the year.
Virtual therapy and seasonal accessibility
For many people, the autumn and winter months make getting to in-person therapy appointments more challenging. Weather, shorter daylight hours, and the natural desire to stay home can create barriers to maintaining therapeutic support just when it's most needed.
Virtual therapy can be especially valuable during seasonal transitions, allowing you to maintain consistent support while honoring your body's natural desire to hibernate and turn inward. You can engage in healing work from the comfort of your own cozy space, perhaps with autumn light filtering through your windows and a warm cup of tea nearby.
The promise within autumn's melancholy
If this season is bringing up difficult emotions for you, please remember that autumn's melancholy carries within it the promise of renewal. The trees that look bare and lifeless in a few months will burst forth with new life in spring. The experiences you're processing now, the patterns you're releasing, the grief you're allowing yourself to feel – all of this creates the space for whatever wants to emerge in your own life.
Seeking support during seasonal transitions
If you're noticing that seasonal changes are significantly impacting your mental health, reaching out for professional support is a sign of wisdom, not weakness. Whether it's therapy, medication, light therapy, or other interventions, there are many effective ways to work with seasonal mental health challenges.
The autumn equinox reminds us that balance is possible, that light and dark can coexist, and that letting go is often the pathway to receiving something new. If you're struggling right now, consider that you might be in your own season of necessary release, preparing for whatever beautiful new growth is waiting to emerge in your life.
Your sensitivity to seasonal changes isn't a flaw – it's evidence of your deep connection to the natural world and its wisdom. Trust that your system knows how to navigate these transitions, and don't hesitate to seek the support that can help you move through them with greater ease and self-compassion.
