Autumn and Mental Health: 4 Signals Your Brain Needs Right Now

Why does it suddenly become harder to get out of bed in the morning when autumn arrives? Why do we crave pasta instead of salad, prefer spending the evening on the sofa rather than exercising, and often feel less productive despite getting enough sleep?

The answer is simple: Our brains are trying to adapt to the changing season while conserving energy at the same time.

From an evolutionary perspective, this makes perfect sense. For our ancestors, shorter days and falling temperatures meant one thing above all: winter was approaching. Food became scarcer, physical exertion more demanding, and energy a valuable resource. The brain responded with a simple strategy: it slowed things down. And many of us still feel the effects during the darker months of the year.

But our brains also respond to the signals we send them every day. And research shows that there are four strategies that can help improve mood and energy levels during autumn and winter.

1. Exercise Supports Mental Health

Exercise is about far more than burning calories or improving physical fitness. It can also provide lasting support for our mental health. Just how strong this connection is was demonstrated by a large systematic review¹ published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2023. The researchers analyzed 97 systematic reviews covering a total of 1,039 randomized controlled trials and more than 128,000 participants.

The findings: Physical activity can significantly reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress. The effects were particularly notable for depression. A wide range of forms of exercise proved to be effective, while higher exercise intensity also tended to be associated with greater improvements.

Exercise works on several levels. Even a brisk walk gets your circulation moving, reduces inflammation associated with depression, and stimulates the release of neurotransmitters that can boost mood and well-being. At the same time, it promotes the release of growth factors that may support the brain's ability to adapt.

Exercise doesn't have to be a major achievement. Even a short walk in the fresh air can make a difference — both for your body and your mood. Daylight and physical activity together are among the simplest and, at the same time, most effective ways to do something good for yourself. Whenever you feel like taking a few steps and have the energy to do so, that's the perfect time to get moving.

2. Nutrition: Good Mood Needs the Right Building Blocks

Until just a few years ago, nutrition was primarily discussed in the context of heart health, weight management, or diabetes. Today, the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry is increasingly exploring how food and micronutrients can influence our brain and mental health.

The reason is simple: Our brain is a high-performance organ. Although it accounts for only around two percent of our body weight, it consumes approximately 20 percent of our energy. At the same time, it relies on a continuous supply of amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and trace elements to produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine and keep nerve cells functioning properly.

Particularly interesting are the findings of a study² conducted by researchers at Australia's Deakin University. The researchers investigated how strongly a healthy, micronutrient-rich diet could affect mental health.

After twelve weeks, the group that adopted a Mediterranean-style, nutrient-rich diet — rich in vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil, and fish — showed a significantly greater improvement in depressive symptoms (32 percent) than the comparison group, which received no dietary intervention but did receive social support (8 percent).

The study provides important evidence that targeted changes to our diet may support mental health — and that the benefits of such changes may become noticeable within just a few weeks.

Nutrition and Exercise Are Particularly Powerful Together

Another study³ from Australia's Deakin University demonstrates how powerful the combination of nutrition and exercise can be. The researchers examined 182 adults to determine how effectively a combination of healthy eating and physical activity could reduce depressive symptoms compared with cognitive behavioral therapy.

After eight weeks, both groups showed significant improvements: Depressive symptoms decreased by 42% among participants in the lifestyle group, while the psychotherapy group experienced a 37% reduction.

The findings highlight the important role that a balanced diet and an active lifestyle can play in supporting mental health — and suggest that they may be a valuable complement to existing treatment options.

3. Get Enough Daylight

Before you even have your first coffee, it is worth taking a look outside. Light is the most important regulator of our internal body clock. Specialized cells in the retina detect the brightness of our surroundings and transmit this information to the suprachiasmatic nucleus — the brain's central biological clock. When sufficient light reaches the eyes in the morning, it suppresses the release of the sleep hormone melatonin and sends the body a clear signal: the day has begun.

As the days grow shorter and it is still dark in the morning, this rhythm changes. Melatonin remains active for longer, the morning rise in cortisol is often weaker, and many people feel less motivated and energetic. What may feel like a lack of motivation is often, at first, simply a normal biological adaptation.

The solution: Get outside and soak up some daylight! This can help your body adjust to the changing season more quickly. The fascinating thing is that even on a cloudy autumn day, the light intensity outdoors is many times higher than indoors. That's why it's worth spending time outside as early in the day as possible — or getting some daylight during your lunch break — to boost your energy and improve your mood.

4. Stay Connected with Others

Today, we know that our brains process social relationships not only emotionally but also biologically. The so-called Social Baseline Theory suggests that simply being in the presence of people we trust can reduce our brain's stress response and create a greater sense of safety.⁴

Conversely, social exclusion leaves measurable traces in the brain. A well-known fMRI study⁵ by Eisenberger and colleagues showed that social rejection partially activates the same neural networks that are also involved in processing physical pain.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development has reached a similar conclusion over several decades: Close, stable relationships are among the most important factors associated with long-term health and life satisfaction.⁶

Especially during the darker months of the year, it is therefore worth making a conscious effort to maintain social connections — not only to boost your mood, but also to strengthen your resilience to stress.

Conclusion

Autumn does not change our personality — it changes the conditions under which our brain operates. Understanding this allows us to see fatigue, low motivation, and the winter blues in a different light: not as a personal failure, but as a biological adaptation that we can actively influence.

Daylight, exercise, a balanced diet, and meaningful social connections are therefore much more than general health advice. They provide our brains with the signals and building blocks they need to remain energetic, resilient, and emotionally balanced — even during the darker months of the year.