How to Adjust to a New Fall Schedule

Whether it’s getting back on track after the tricks and treats of Halloween night, “falling back” for daylight saving time, or simply gearing up for the winter holidays, this time of year has many people looking to reset their sleep and activity habits.

Here are some tips experts recommend that can help you adjust to a new schedule.

Get Your Sleep on Track

First, you might want to look at your sleep habits. It’s worth putting in the work to find a good night’s rest, even when busy fall schedules and changing daylight hours make sleep harder to come by.

“Because our body clocks, which control our sleep schedules, are sensitive to light, things like how much sunlight we’re exposed to throughout the day and what types of light we’re exposed to at night affect our sleep schedules,” explains an article on the Everyday Health website.

“Additionally, things like traveling across time zones or staying up a lot later than usual can throw off sleep patterns because we’re asking our bodies to sleep at different times than our bodies’ internal clocks are telling us to sleep.”

However, you can do things to help reduce the effects of daylight savings time. An article in TODAY advises taking these actions after a time change:

• “Avoid naps: ‘If you feel sleepy the day after the change, try to resist taking a nap because this will reduce the amount of sleep pressure present at bedtime and can create longer term sleep problems. If you must nap, keep it to 15 to 20 minutes, ideally in the late morning,’ said Candice A. Alfano, Ph.D., Director of the University of Houston’s Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston.
• Seek out sunshine: Daylight saving time ending means there will be fewer sunlit hours when you’re awake, so try to take as much sun in as you can during your waking hours. ‘Light has potent effects on our internal body clock and will help you feel less tired,’ Alfano added.
• Practice good sleep hygiene: All year round, it’s important to prioritize good-quality sleep with practices like limiting screens before bed, having a consistent bedtime, exercising regularly (and not too close to bedtime), reducing caffeine and alcohol intake, and trying to manage your stress levels.”

If you have children, adjusting their sleep schedules slowly in the days leading up to a time change can ease the adjustment and help them feel less drowsy, the TODAY article also notes.

Find a Good Routine

Creating a regular everyday routine can help you keep your footing when the rest of your schedule gets busy in the fall and winter months. It can also support your overall well-being, says psychotherapist Sharon Martin, DSW, LCSW, in an article she wrote for Psychology Today.

“By offering several benefits that make our daily lives smoother and more manageable, routines:

• provide a sense of order and structure, reducing stress and uncertainty.
• boost efficiency by reducing decision-making and helping us stay focused on our priorities.
• promote discipline and consistency, helping us develop positive habits crucial for personal and professional success.
• offer comfort and stability. A predictable schedule can be especially reassuring during challenging times.”

Examples of activities you might want to incorporate into your routine include exercising, taking medications consistently, and prioritizing your to-do list, Martin says.

If you’re trying to adjust to a new schedule, you might need to nudge elements of your routine into new times of day as we move into winter. A CNET article lists the following helpful tips:

• “Set mealtimes: If you were used to eating dinner at 7 p.m. before [a time change], keep that same time moving forward. Similar to your sleeping schedule, adjust meal times by 15- to 20-minute intervals as you approach daylight saving time.”
• “Adjust workouts for maximum sunshine: If you’re used to taking a long walk in the afternoons in the spring and summer, alter this to the mornings in the fall and winter. Doing this allows you to receive more sunlight, boosting serotonin production.”
• “Find creative outlets: Winter is tough as the sun isn’t out much and it can become easy to feel isolated and depressed. When you can’t be outside to exercise, find a creative hobby that’ll allow you to focus on something else with a goal in mind. Accomplishing goals is a great way to increase dopamine and serotonin production, which can ward off anxiety and depression.”
• “Eliminate distractions: Don’t eat spicy food, drink coffee or play on your phone right before climbing into bed. Instead, take some time to relax, read a book or space out.”

Take Time for Your Mental Health

If you still feel overwhelmed after adjusting to a new schedule, you might consider re-evaluating what’s on your plate and if it feels too full. Counselor Jodi Clarke, MA, LPC/MHSP, offers the following tips to help you overcome feeling too busy in a Verywell Mind article:

• “Practice mindfulness. This helps us connect with ourselves, observe our thoughts without judgment, and ground ourselves. It can also help interrupt a racing mind if we’re feeling overwhelmed.
• Plan a vacation or staycation, if possible. It’s important to not fill this time off with activities so we can recharge.
• Spend time with loved ones. Make this a priority. Doing so can help us feel connected, loved, and energized.
• Take small moments every day to appreciate one’s self. This may include offering positive affirmations or journaling about one thing we are grateful for every day.
• Set boundaries with others. It’s okay to say ‘no.’ Sacrificing our well-being to overextend ourselves can have severe consequences in the long term.
• Remember that self-worth does not come from being busy. Come up with a mantra that expresses what self-worth truly means or reasons for self-love. Recite it every day.
• Set a reminder to breathe and take some solo time. This can be as simple as scheduling a phone notification or placing a post note somewhere in the home where it will be seen regularly.
• Connect with a therapist. This is especially important if acts of daily living become difficult or one’s overall quality of life has decreased.
• Set appropriate expectations when it comes to how much can be comfortably taken. Keep in mind that this may change over time.
• Work to pinpoint the discomfort if busyness is being used as a tool to avoid unpleasant thoughts or feelings. If this seems too overwhelming, reach out to a therapist for support.
• Schedule work or busy time in chunks. It’s important to leave time for ourselves throughout the day, even if it’s just for a small break, and deliberately disconnect from our work.”

If you feel overworked or burned out this fall or winter, don’t forget to prioritize your health and wellness in your schedule.

“We all deserve to take time for ourselves, whether that means a full vacation or mini breaks during the day. Doing so is an important reminder to ourselves that we are worthy and valuable individuals,” Clarke writes.

And consider asking for help. Talk therapy and medication may be good options for mental health treatment. If you and your clinician are considering medication treatment, it may be helpful to discuss the GeneSight^® test with your clinician. The results of the GeneSight test can inform your healthcare provider about how you may break down or respond to certain medications commonly prescribed to treat depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other psychiatric conditions.