Falling Back with Care: Five Tips to Help you Adjust to Daylight Savings Time

As the clocks “fall back” and the days grow shorter, many people notice subtle (or not-so-subtle) shifts in their mood, energy, and focus. The transition out of Daylight Savings Time can feel like gaining an extra hour of sleep - but for many, it also brings disrupted sleep patterns, sluggish mornings, and a heavier emotional tone as darkness creeps in earlier each evening.

Even if you don’t experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), this time of year can still impact your circadian rhythm, energy levels, and emotional balance. The change in light affects our body’s natural production of melatonin and serotonin - two key hormones that regulate sleep and mood. So, if you’ve been feeling off lately, it’s not “just in your head.” Your body is actually recalibrating.

Here are 5 less conventional ways to take care of yourself as you adjust to shorter days and longer nights:

1. Create a “light ritual":

Instead of only relying on bright lights in the morning, turn it into a small ritual. Open your curtains slowly, stretch by the window, or sip your coffee while facing the sunlight for a few mindful minutes. The goal isn’t just light exposure - it’s grounding yourself in the start of a new day. Consider using a sunrise alarm clock that gradually brightens your room before waking, mimicking natural dawn.

2. Bring nature inside:

When sunlight is scarce, our nervous system craves sensory reminders of nature. Add living plants, natural textures (wood, stone, cotton), or even a small indoor water feature to your home or workspace. These elements can help regulate mood and bring a quiet sense of vitality into darker months.

3. Make comfort intentional:

As the weather cools, it’s natural to crave coziness, but rather than passively falling into comfort (like endless couch scrolling), design it with intention. Build a “comfort corner” or find a time in your day where you cozy up with a soft blanket, your favourite book, or soothing music. Create rituals that feel restorative, not numbing.

4. Connect through shared coziness

On the topic of coziness - it goes without saying that, as darkness falls earlier, loneliness can increase. Invite a friend for a “warm drink check-in” - a short chat over tea or hot cocoa where you each share one thing you’re letting go of and one thing you’re grateful for. You can find comfort in community. It’s a simple, grounding way to stay connected during a season that often turns us inward.

5. Adjust your expectations:

Many people feel pressured to maintain the same productivity level year-round. But just as nature slows down in the colder months, it’s okay for you to recalibrate too. Give yourself permission to honour your body’s seasonal rhythm - perhaps by allowing gentler mornings, slower evenings, or smaller to-do lists. This is a form of self-compassion that often goes overlooked.

The fall time change can stir up more than fatigue - it can amplify emotions, slow motivation, and affect how connected you feel to yourself and others. It may not feel great, and it's easy to be hard on ourselves for not being able to function at the same pace as we may have just a few months ago. However, remember that this is a natural response to environmental change. With intention and care, you can move through this seasonal shift with a sense of steadiness and softness toward yourself.

Therapy can be a great space to help you learn more about your reactions to change to help you understand yourself better, can be a space to help you process the changes you may be going through, and it can be a space where you can learn about new ways to adjust to change.

To help get you started, you can book your free consultation with us through our booking link here: https://infinitehorizonspsychotherapy.janeapp.com

We offer therapy at various times of the week/day, at various price points depending on your situation, and either in-person from our North York office or virtually across Ontario and most Canadian provinces.

Ready to start therapy but not sure which of our therapists to go with? This is exactly why we've created our very own matching tool - this will take less than 30 seconds of your time, and match you with the appropriate therapist(s) based on your preferences and availability. You can access the tool here: https://form.typeform.com/to/X4qxr6mD

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