What does autumn mean to you?

A guest post from one of our long term members, Kat.

Jumpers, falling leaves, hot chocolate... Also wanting to stay in, eat chocolate and curl up on the sofa. These are the enjoyable parts to winter hibernation.

What I experience is even more procrastination than usual, the inability to make a decision, worrying about everything and finding normal day to day life a bit too much. While I have (relatively controlled) anxiety all year round, it jumps up over winter. I'm a self diagnosed Seasonal Affective Disease sufferer and it's taken me years to work out what to do about it.

The main thing is to know it's coming. I have to focus on the positive side of autumn and winter. My house is full of bright, bold colours and I wear them myself, even a red lipstick helps.

I embrace the food - what's not to love about a jacket potato on a winter's evening or hot chocolate when out and about.

And finally, exercise. While the literature talks about getting exposure to daylight, that's not always possible with busy work and family life. I find getting out in the evening, when it's cold and dark, even rainy, getting out of breath with a hard workout, chatting about nothing much in particular with some friends, and feeling the satisfaction of slowly getting stronger and fitter, gives me a boost to keep going.

And when all this slips and I start to make my excuses... Well, I know I'll get a check in message from Gill to see if I'm ok, and that's my cue to start exercising again...