Autumn anxiety is a form of anxiety you get seasonally, often between the end of summer and beginning of fall. Different people get it for different reasons, though it is often a type of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Preventing it comes down to understanding what it is, and what you believe is the cause for you specifically to get this disorder.

Here are some tips to help you prevent autumn anxiety, or at least reduce its effects.

Don’t Make Things Harder for Yourself

It can be hard to accept at first, but sometimes you are doing things unintentionally to make your anxiety worse. If you have had autumn anxiety before, and you fear it happening again, try to rationalize what these fears are. Do they come from a place of experience, or unrealistic fears? Are you overly stressed out and not taking care of yourself? Have you stopped going to therapy? These and many other choices can possibly make your anxiety worse and increase the risk of it coming back this season.

Release Anxious Thoughts with a Journal

Another way you might be able to prevent some of your seasonal anxiety is to write in a journal more often. When you turn this into a regular practice that you do each and every day, it can really help you to stay de-stressed and reduce some of the generalized anxiety. At the very least, start writing in your journal near the end of the summer when you start experiencing those anxious feelings.

Switch Up Your Daily Routine

Getting a jumpstart on your new fall routine might be just what you need to prevent the dreaded autumn anxiety. Start around the end of the summer, when your schedule starts changing, you get the kids ready for school, and you consider how your own routine is going to change. This is a good time to embrace what you love about fall, find some fun activities for the family, and put some of those anxious thoughts aside.

Get as Much Light as Possible

This is going to be really important throughout the fall and winter seasons. Many people associate their autumn anxiety with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which means similar treatments can help. If your anxiety seems to be from the extreme weather shift and lack of sunlight, then you know what to do – get more light! When it’s a dark and gloomy day, try using a light therapy box indoors.