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Join today<\/a><\/p>\n \n Already a member? After the hottest summer on record in the UK \u2013 with five heatwaves <\/a>between May and August, temperatures have started to drop from highs<\/a> of 30C or more \u2013 the summer is now a distant memory. <\/p>\n Storm Boelo is due to hit<\/a> the UK<\/a> this weekend, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to large parts of the country, the forecaster said. Not only that, but it\u2019s chosen to arrive just as the clocks are going back, giving a jolt to our circadian rhythms in the short term, followed by darker mornings and evenings in the long term.<\/p>\n For a sunshine person like myself, with these yellow weather warnings, a darkening mood<\/a> is already on the horizon. I\u2019ve always suffered winter blues<\/a> and now autumn is here; it already feels more extreme. I\u2019m craving carbs and overeating, socially withdrawing, feeling depressed and suffering from fatigue. <\/p>\n And with warnings that the super El Ni\u00f1o will likely bring stormy<\/a> and wet autumn weather and possibly epic flooding and an ongoing \u201cdanger zone of extreme weather\u201d according to the UN, I feel gloomier than ever.<\/p>\n So I am interested to know if moving between seasons after an extremely hot summer is creating a sort of maxxed-out downward spiral effect on our brain and body. I especially want to know, if you are someone who experiences seasonal affective disorder<\/a> (SAD), will it be worse this year?<\/p>\n Dr Caroline Hickman, a climate psychotherapist and researcher in people\u2019s responses to climate change<\/a> globally, says that nobody yet understands the impact of heatwaves<\/a> on SAD \u2013 or winter blues \u2013 because \u201cit\u2019s unprecedented\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have a blueprint on how it is going to play out \u2013 but what we can say is it\u2019s unpredictable because the seasons are out of whack.” <\/p>\n SAD is a type of depression that usually happens in the winter, and according to the NHS<\/a>, it\u2019s thought to be primarily linked to reduced levels of daylight, which may cause changes to brain chemicals like melatonin and serotonin that affect your mood and circadian rhythms, sleep patterns and mood. And it is because of this that Cathy Wyse, a chronobiologist with research interests focused on understanding the effects of disruption of circadian rhythms on physiology and behaviour, says the heatwaves won\u2019t directly impact SAD.<\/p>\n However, according to the experts, the wobbles I am feeling already are not something I am imagining either. Trevor Harley, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Dundee, Scotland and author of Head in the Clouds: How the Weather Affects Our Minds and Mental Health, says that at this time of year, around the autumn equinox, as the hours of daylight are shortening at their fastest rate, people suffer from something called \u201canticipatory anxiety\u201d. And our experiences of the hot summer and the talk of mega El Ni\u00f1os will, he says, \u201cfeed this anticipatory anxiety even more\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are worrying about how we are going to feel a little later in the year. And some people might be detecting the first signs of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) \u2013 which affects about 10 per cent of the population \u2013 which really gets going in November.\u201d<\/p>\n On the other hand, the one per cent of the population who suffer from \u201creverse SAD\u201d, who feel worse in the summer, are starting to feel better at this time of year, he says, \u201cso it\u2019s not bad news for everybody!\u201d<\/p>\n We don\u2019t have a blueprint on how it is going to play out \u2013 but what we can say is it\u2019s unpredictable because the seasons are out of whack<\/p>\n Dr Caroline Hickman, climate psychotherapist<\/p>\n It is the unpredictability and change that people find most unsettling, so as the weather becomes more extreme, so could the transition between seasons. But this is psychological rather than physiological. Harley says: \u201cThis year is particularly striking because we\u2019ve had a particularly long settled spell, really from the middle of May onwards. So yes, it will be worse for many people\u2019s mood and anxiety levels this autumn and winter because we\u2019ve adapted to dry, pleasant, sunny weather. I know that too dry and too hot can be bad. But, in terms of light, we will notice the lack of it more, and that might lower some people\u2019s mood even more than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n Roland Zahn, professor of Mood Disorders and Cognitive Neuroscience at London\u2019s King\u2019s College, says weather changes have long been known to affect our mood states and even people with non-seasonal mood disorders often notice the impact of the shorter daylight hours towards the autumn, increasing their depression vulnerability, he says. And extreme weather is causing new changes to emerge.<\/p>\n \u201cThe relevance of weather changes is quite variable for different individuals … and it is often difficult to disentangle effects of sleep rhythms and sunlight exposure from reduction of outdoor activities people care about,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cTo add further complexity, many people in our affective disorders services have found this year\u2019s heatwaves quite difficult to cope with and have found relief from the cooler weather which is starting to emerge.\u201d<\/p>\n Hickman says that many of us are \u201chotwired\u201d in the UK to think that any sunny days are fantastic \u2013 and there will be some kind of comedown from it. \u201cSome people don\u2019t want to face the awfulness of climate change because it\u2019s terrifying \u2013 and it\u2019s easier to act like we\u2019ve had a wonderful summer \u2013 the hottest on record,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n However, she says there is an alternative view that we should be paying closer attention to. This year, she has also been inundated with cases of people in distress about the UK heatwaves. \u201cFor a lot of people, the heatwaves are unbearable,\u201d she tells me. \u201cPeople who come to therapy for climate anxiety hated the heatwave<\/a>. They couldn\u2019t go outside and now they are just happy to see rain.\u201d<\/p>\n But as there is also the potential for a terrible winter coming with El Nino<\/a>, people may soon transfer their climate anxiety onto storms or flooding instead. \u201cSAD and winter blues will continue to exist for people, but climate anxiety will become a bigger psychological problem,\u201d she says. \u201cWe haven\u2019t faced climate change before, and quite honestly, we don\u2019t have a clue how to manage it emotionally,\u201d she says. \u201cThere is no quick or easy solution.\u201d<\/p>\n As all seasons are likely to become more extreme, Hester Parr, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Glasgow, says that looking ahead, the UK needs to be better prepared for the mental health impacts of big seasonal contrasts. <\/p>\n \u201cWe know that climate-changed winter weather in the future will get wetter, warmer and wilder. We need to be more prepared for the consequences of this change, especially in terms of our mental health,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople with SAD in the UK already adapt to low light in winter every year, but in the future more of us may be affected by low winter mood due to increasingly wilder weather, and we will need more innovative ways to manage this.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course exactly how mood is affected depends on how late autumn pans out. At the moment the signs are of a warm, sunny, settled spell, which will cheer many people up, but then people might feel even worse when really bad weather does set in. <\/p>\n Nobody yet understands the impact of heatwaves on SAD \u2013 or winter blues \u2013 because it\u2019s unprecedented<\/p>\n Dr Caroline Hickman<\/p>\n The good news is that recognising those changes early allows people to put supportive strategies in place before symptoms begin to impact daily life. \u201cHealthy habits support resilience throughout the year,\u201d says Ella Kaur Maan, registered nutritionist and Practitioner Lead at supplement brand, Dr.Vegan<\/p>\n While there\u2019s no single solution for SAD, she says, one area that is often overlooked is the connection between gut health and mood<\/a>. \u201cAround 90 per cent of the body’s serotonin, often referred to as the \u201chappy hormone\u201d, is produced in the gut, which is why supporting a healthy gut microbiome can be an important part of overall mental wellbeing,\u201d she tells me.<\/p>\n To improve gut health she suggests eating fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut, alongside a varied diet rich in plant foods. Vitamin D is also another important consideration. As sunlight exposure decreases during winter, many people in the UK struggle to maintain optimal vitamin D levels. <\/p>\n \u201cRather than looking for a quick fix, it\u2019s important to focus on the basics. Eating balanced meals, prioritising sleep, staying hydrated and remaining physically active can help support both body and mind throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n But ultimately there are concerns that SAD will pale in comparison next to climate grief and anxiety<\/a>. Dr Louise Edgington helps people to live well with their climate emotions, which include a whole array including eco-grief, eco-anxiety and climate distress. \u201cAlthough SAD is real, the multiple impacts on our mental state from knowledge of climate change and ecological loss \u2013 including food shortage as and disease outbreaks \u2013 are going to be a lot more severe, significant and wide-ranging. <\/p>\n The emerging climate distress will she believes, be \u201cless about mood\u201d and \u201ca whole coming to terms with ecological collapse \u2013 and societal collapse \u2013 \u201cand that is scary\u201d.<\/p>\n Within that, there are confronting issues of personal responsibility too. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about paying attention to the world as it really is \u2013 not being stuck in denial\u201d, she tells me, and these eco feelings are not something we really want to get rid of. Instead, it\u2019s about moving through difficult eco-emotions and not being afraid \u201cto feel your feelings\u201d. <\/p>\n Feeling you are part of a community doing practical things can help with climate grief too. Rebecca Nestor, co-chair of Climate Psychology Alliance, tells me that this summer\u2019s \u201cbrutal\u201d weather has caused a sharp rise in the numbers of people wanting to attend climate cafe\u0301 listening circles \u2013 \u201cwe have had to double the number of these supportive gatherings\u201d \u2013 and also in the numbers asking about the individual therapeutic support for the psychological impacts of the climate crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n There is no cure for climate change anxiety, but getting support from someone who understands that climate distress is real, rather than treating the concern itself as irrational, can help calm anxiety about what is happening to the planet and what may come next.<\/p>\n While we have always known the weather can affect our moods and emotions, whether it is SAD or climate grief, this year\u2019s wild weather means there will be more of us than ever bracing for the storm ahead. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? 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\n Log in<\/a>\n <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-2291711100-17dab93b.jpeg\")
A woman walks across the wet pavement as rain falls in the city of Huddersfield (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2291717377...jpeg\")
Two paths: many are happy for the extra sun, but Dr Caroline Hickman has also fielded enquiries from those who feel helpless amid a climate catastrophe (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"Professor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_9187.jpeg\")
Professor Trevor Harley has written about \u2018anticipatory anxiety\u2019, which can kick in when the day gets shorter (Trevor Harley)<\/p>\n![\"Professor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Picture-6.JPG\")
Professor Hester Parr says the UK needs to be better prepared for the mental health impacts of such seasonal constrasts (Martin Shields)<\/p>\n![\"Dr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792983504_804_image0.jpeg\")
Dr Louise Edgington says that SAD will pale in comparison next to climate grief and anxiety (Louise Edgington)<\/p>\n