Like many of us, at this time of the year I tend to experience more low moods - there’s a background hum of anxiety and I tend to over-think things or dwell on the gloomier aspects. Over the years, I have picked up a few strategies that help.

The first is to remember that a lot of this is natural - it is linked to the changes in light and it is a human response to the anticipation of the scarceness in winter. So, accepting it and knowing that there is a high chance it will pass, just as day follows night and spring follows winter, is part of it. But how can we help ourselves to not get too caught up in it and make sure we are still engaging with all that we need to do and enjoying the positives when they come?

We can start by looking at three intervention points for developing resilience: our environment, our thinking, and our physiology. This time of year is a good trigger to look closely at the habits we can control that will impact positively on any of these. For example, we might identify that we feel more tired. Maybe it’s a good idea to look at our habits around bedtime and audit those. I know I need an earlier bedtime during the winter months. Am I getting away from screens at an appropriate time to allow myself to wind down? Am I avoiding high sugar foods late at night? Being aware of our environment can boost our physiological resilience, but it can also make us feel more in control and therefore boost positive thinking.

Changing habits can be tricky, but its a good tip to try to attach a habit you want to something you already do in your life. For example, if I want to avoid sugary snacks in the evening, I can commit to brushing my teeth after dinner, which makes me less likely to eat again. Eating dinner in the evening is a regular thing for me, so I can tag one habit to another. Here’s another example - if I want to read a book rather than my phone in the evening, I can commit to putting my phone on charge by 9pm every night and making sure there is always a book ready next to my bed. Going upstairs to bed is a regular thing, so I can attach other rituals to it.

Movement outdoors in daylight is really powerful for helping mood, but not always easy to achieve at the time of year if you work full time. If you work in an office, can you make it out for a 20 minute walk at lunchtime? As a headteacher, I could offer to cover someone’s break duty whenever I can, and that would impact both of us positively!

As always, no matter how small the change you make, repeated habits over time it will have an impact. One early night will help. But a set of good habits round sleep will help us weather any storm. One walk outdoors may lift a mood. But a habit of choosing a quick walk whenever you can in daylight will help build longer term resilience.

Remember the five stress resilience strategies: movement, nutrition, recovery, protection and thinking. Are there a couple of habits you could change around two of these areas that would be a starting point? That way, a low autumnal mood can become a positive trigger for something better.