Seasonal slides
Thoughts on the "October slide" and other cyclical shifts
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Hello, dear friends,
I learned recently, in Jessica Slice’s wonderful newsletter, about the “October slide,” a term for an annual decline in health as colder, darker seasons arrive.
As Jessica writes: “For some reason, it’s a well-known phenomenon that those of us with sensitive bodies tend to feel particularly bad this time of year.”
Have you heard of the “October slide”?
The phrase was new to Jessica and new to me.
(When I searched PubMed and Google Scholar I found very little on the “October slide,” except this cursory mention in a 2010 Cambridge Press article on dysautonomia. So the phrase has been around for at least 15 years!)
The broader idea of health being affected by annual patterns and flare-ups is much older — and more familiar.
Why October?
Lily Spechler, a Registered Dietitian and COVID Long Hauler, wrote up Top 5 Tips for Surviving the October Slides, and she calls out the Dysautonomia community as being particularly affected, writing:
It is a time where the changes in barometric pressure can cause a dramatic shift in symptomatology, and can cause quite the disruption, even in bodies that have achieved some level of stability with this condition.
People with dysautonomia often struggle with stable blood flow. It is a multifaceted issue that boils down to many different factors, both structural and immunological. Typically, healthy bodies have fully functioning “baroreceptors” in their neck that help us maintain healthy blood pressure. When there are environmental changes, such as barometric pressure shifts, these baroreceptors should kick in automatically to help us stabilize despite a changing environment. In dysautonomia these baroreceptors are often faulty, and so the environmental changes can completely rock your world.
The seasonal shift has other factors going on, she and others note, including:
less sunlight, less vitamin D
colder, more constriction in our bodies
more indoor time, less movement
seasonal allergies
surge in flu and other viruses
But then, there are people who feel BETTER in the autumn, who thrive in winter time after the humidity and heat passes. I’ve written before about Summer S.A.D., which is major depression that occurs in the summer months, and how relief arrives, well, probably around September or October!
What seasons does your body love — or hate?
I’m curious — whats season does your body prefer?
Me? My body loves the summer. The warmth, the sunshine, the brightness. Even the humidity has to get pretty steamy before it is bothersome.
My body does not love a long winter. The constriction, the tightness, the burrowing inside, the dark early evenings, the stillness — it all goes on too long.
Noticing the patterns in our own particular body
Jessica notes that it can be helpful to notice the patterns:
“Instead of the mental scramble to make sense of changes, I can just think: ok this is hard, but so it goes, just like it always has.”
That familiarity can translate to reassurance: Your body has felt this before, and gotten out of it before. This isn’t something new and unknown, which can be scarier.
This too shall pass. This too will pass.
What to do about a dismal seasonal shift?
As with so much of chronic health issues, it seems like the same formula applies:
Fortify, tinker, monitor, hope
Fortify — Do what you can to prepare, to boost your system before a known difficult time arrives.
Tinker — Experiment. Try something. Try something else.
Monitor — Pay attention to what is working, and what isn’t. Adjust.
Hope — Even when it’s hard, there are almost always things you can do to make it a little easier. And sometimes, time takes care of it.
I hope your autumn is feeling good in your body, and if it isn’t, that you feel relief in the coming months.
To our journeys,
Brianne
p.s. I’m in planning mode for Winter Camp. Should I keep Winter Creative Camp in January? Do a free week of supportive posts to fortify for winter? Create shorter pop-up retreats that are an hour or two? If you have any preferences on times or formats would nurture your life, please share!