🍁 Why Fall Feels Like an Emotional Detox

The Science of the Seasonal Shift

As the light changes, so do our hormones and neurotransmitters. Shorter days increase melatonin, decrease serotonin, and transform the nervous system out of its high activity summer state. The body shifts from a sympathetic rhythm into a more restorative parasympathetic one, leading to a biological signal to rest, reset your baseline, and conserve.

When this happens, we crave the very things that soothe us: warmth, slower evenings, and predictable comfort. These aren’t just habits or seasonal traditions, they’re responses to your circadian rhythm asking for balance. It’s the same reason you might start sleeping a little longer, reaching for carbs, or longing for cozy, familiar spaces.

From a functional psychology perspective, this time of year can act like a small identity reset. Our energy turns inward, inviting reflection on what from the past year feels aligned and what doesn’t. The nervous system is designed to follow natural cycles and when we sync with them instead of resisting, emotional and physical regulation become easier.

The Polyvagal Perspective: Safety as Self-Regulation

Fall offers the body a different kind of safety cue. The slower tempo, dimmer light, and softer evenings all signal to the vagus nerve that it’s safe to downshift. This is the parasympathetic system at work, the same one that helps your body digest, heal, and connect.

Our sense of comfort and belonging in our home space — one of my key Pillars of Identity (look for an article on this coming soon!) — plays a huge role here. These Pillars are what lead to our feeling connected to our most honest version of self and strong sense of self esteem. Our environment/ surroundings are a large part of this as well and when they feel warm and familiar, our nervous system feels anchored and our identities settle into a more secure space. A lit candle, a tidy kitchen, or the smell of something familiar in the oven can send the same physiological message as a hug: you’re safe now.

When your body feels safe, identity integration deepens. You can process memories, access creativity, and actually feel your feelings without getting overwhelmed. That’s why people often start journaling, rearranging rooms, or revisiting old memories this time of year.

Fun Fact!

🕯️ Smell has a direct line to your brain’s emotional center, the limbic system. Our other senses do too but scent is the only one that bypasses logic and goes straight to the limbic system, where emotion and memory live. That’s why familiar scents like cinnamon or pine can instantly recreate the feeling of a past moment. The olfactory bulb sits right beside the amygdala and hippocampus, so when a scent fires, it reactivates the emotional memory stored with it: what I call memory dominos. 🌲 

The Neurochemistry of Comfort

Fall’s magic isn’t just emotional, it’s biochemical. Comfort rituals trigger powerful neurochemical feedback loops that help regulate mood and motivation.

Warm lighting raises serotonin, the neurotransmitter that stabilizes mood and promotes calm.

Tactile comfort  (sweaters, blankets, a mug between your hands) releases serotonin and oxytocin, fostering contentment.

Familiar scents like cinnamon, pumpkin, or firewood light up the limbic system, the emotional memory center of the brain. These sensory memories trigger small dopamine bursts, a nostalgia loop, that feels grounding because it connects you to past safety and joy.

Ambient sounds (rustling leaves, a favorite playlist, a crackling fire) also play into this feedback cycle, reinforcing calm and belonging.

This is why the scent of a certain candle or even a beloved film score (insert John Williams) can instantly shift your state. It’s not just silly seasonal fun, it’s the chemistry of memory, safety, and pleasure all at once. Comfort behaviors are not laziness; they’re micro-doses of nervous system repair.

When Slowing Down Brings Stuff Up

Emotional detoxing doesn’t always feel relaxing. When the body exits its high-energy phase, it often brings up whatever’s been suppressed:  fatigue, irritability, grief, or longing. The slower pace of fall allows the mind to finally metabolize what’s been stored all summer.

This is where gentle structure helps: consistent sleep, nutritious food, magnesium and vitamin D support, and time for journaling or therapy. These are not just fall wellness trends, they’re biochemical supports that keep emotional processing from tipping into overwhelming.

When your brain recognizes that you have the appropriate resources to handle what you’ve been putting off, it can feel deeply and heal deeply, too.

Rituals That Regulate: October Grounding List

Here’s where the October Grounding List comes in. These are more than aesthetic fall activities, they’re evidence-based grounding rituals.

Evening walks: sync your circadian rhythm and help the brain release melatonin naturally.

Bake pumpkin sourdough or a fall stew: repetitive, sensory tasks calm the amygdala and regulate blood sugar for mood stability.

Decorate your porch with pumpkins: visual order and creativity reinforce predictability and safety cues.

Puzzles, watercolor, or reading: flow state activities stabilize dopamine and quiet racing thoughts.

Light a spiced candle or sip mulled cider: smell is the fastest route to the emotional brain, grounding you in the present moment.

Each of these rituals is both a psychological and biological reset. We all need accessible and simple acts that communicate, we’re okay now.