How Seasonal Shifts Influence You
Imagine a lazy day at home when the season’s first cold snap rolls in.
Yesterday you were in short sleeves; today you wake up to a chill in the air and a gray sky. You feel different — maybe a little sluggish, craving comfort food, or having trouble concentrating.
You’re not alone. All around the world, people experience shifts in alertness as the environment changes; whether it’s seasonal transitions or the smaller fluctuations of everyday life.
Change itself is one of the few constants we all navigate.
Even subtle changes, like a dreary autumn morning replacing summer sun, can nudge our internal levels in new directions.
Research supports this everyday experience. For example, as daylight decreases in fall and winter, the body often produces more melatonin (which reduces alertness) and less serotonin (which influences energy). This shift can pull many people toward lower alertness levels. For some, these seasonal changes contribute to patterns discussed in research on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)…again demonstrating how environmental change affects physiology first, and then influences our thoughts and feelings.
On the flip side, when spring and summer arrive, the sudden increase in sunlight and outdoor activity can rev some people’s engines into a slightly higher gear, sometimes showing up as restlessness or difficulty winding down at night.
The details vary — one person sleeps more in winter, another loses appetite during summer heat — but the theme is the same: environmental cues shift our alertness before we consciously register the change.
The good news? While we can’t stop seasonal transitions, we can learn to ride their waves more smoothly. This is where self-regulation comes in. By understanding how change influences our sensorimotor state, and by practicing simple strategies, we can maintain balance through the year.
Before exploring those strategies, let’s clarify what self-regulation actually means – and why it’s such a powerful tool for navigating change.
What Is Self-Regulation and Why It Matters
At its core, self-regulation is the ability to notice and shift our level of alertness so we can meet the demands of a situation. The Alert Program® describes this through the familiar metaphor of an “engine” that can run high, low, or “just right.”
Our daily experience is shaped by our sensorimotor state…meaning the body often responds before the thinking brain weighs in. That’s why the starting point is paying attention to whether your system feels revved up, drowsy, sluggish, or balanced.
This skill matters because it underlies everything we do. Educators and psychologists emphasize that self-regulation is foundational for effective participation, learning, communication, and decision-making — at any age. When you can shift your alertness level toward “just right,” you typically concentrate better, relate more effectively, and respond with greater flexibility to change. When you can’t, everyday activities can feel more difficult. As research shows, executive functions that support self-regulation continue developing into our mid-20s and remain essential throughout adulthood.
Crucially, self-regulation is not about ignoring or suppressing emotions. It’s about shifting your nervous system so that your emotions and thoughts become easier to work with.
For example:
- Instead of reacting quickly because your engine is running too high after a stressful day, you might notice, “My system is on edge,” and take a walk to settle your alertness.
- Instead of slipping into low gear when a project feels overwhelming, use a brief sensorimotor reset to raise your alertness, and then break the task into manageable steps once your thinking brain comes back online.
Beyond these moment-to-moment benefits, research links strong self-regulation to better academic outcomes in children, reduced stress in adults, healthier relationships, and improved physical well-being.
One school pilot program in New Zealand found that when students learned to notice and adjust their alertness levels — a core concept in the Alert Program® — they showed improved attention, participation, and peer interactions. Once they had concrete sensorimotor strategies to shift their alertness, they didn’t need to expend as much mental effort remaining regulated, freeing up their cognitive resources for learning.
Self-regulation gives us some control back, no matter what’s changing around us.
To understand how to use this skill effectively, it helps to look at the two pathways our body and brain use to regulate: thinking strategies and sensorimotor strategies.
How the Body and Brain Work Together to Regulate
Not all self-regulation strategies work the same way.
Some depend on higher-level thinking. Others work through automatic, body-based systems. Both are valuable — but they’re most effective at different times.
- Top-down (higher-level thinking) strategies: Top-down strategies use language, logic, and conscious thought, but they work best after your engine is already closer to “just right.” This is your inner voice and reasoning skills at work. For example, you might remind yourself, “I’ve handled challenges like this before,” to curb worry, or use a mental trick like counting to ten to slow an impulse. Talking through a situation or practicing mindfulness are all classic top-down approaches. Essentially, you’re engaging the “CEO” part of your brain to guide your behavior.
- Bottom-up (sensorimotor) strategies: Sensorimotor strategies go straight to the body. They use movement, touch, breath, heavy work (muscles and joints), and sometimes rhythmic or vestibular input (like rocking or gentle swaying) to shift alertness levels. Brisk walking, chewing something, lifting something with weight, or using deep pressure are all ways your body sends sensorimotor messages that help reset your alertness.
These strategies influence the nervous system directly…even when language or reasoning aren’t available.
This aligns with Ayres’ sensory integration research, which found that proprioceptive and vestibular input can alter arousal levels before conscious processing engages. Proprioceptive input, especially “heavy work,” is one of the most effective ways to change engine levels because it taps into the body’s built-in pathways for regulation. Research in occupational therapy, such as Schaaf and Miller’s work, highlights proprioceptive input as an important regulator of alertness and adaptive behavior.
In adults, a bottom-up shift can be as simple as taking deep breaths to slow your heart rate, stepping outside into sunlight to refresh your system, or moving your body for a few minutes to release excess energy. These approaches often work even when your thinking brain is overloaded or “offline.”
Here’s the key: we all need both types of strategies, and knowing when to use which is part of mastering self-regulation.
If you’re already fairly calm and just need to guide your behavior, top-down might work well — you can talk yourself through a temptation or focus your attention with a quick mental cue. But if you’re in the middle of a strong physical or sensorimotor response (your heart pounding, muscles tense, breath shallow), top-down methods alone (“Just relax!”) are likely to flop.
Research by cognitive scientists like Arnsten demonstrates that stress and heightened activation of the nervous system impair prefrontal functioning, meaning higher-level thinking strategies only become accessible once the body has returned to a regulated state. In those moments, a bottom-up reset is often far more effective.
Professionals who specialize in sensorimotor self-regulation have found that sensorimotor strategies are usually more efficient because they work at a subconscious, biological level.
When the nervous system gets what it needs (maybe some heavy movement to burn off adrenaline or deep pressure to settle the body) the thinking brain has more resources available. When students are given a “sensory diet” of regulating activities (like chewy snacks, fidgets, or movement breaks), they don’t have to use as much mental energy just to regulate – and more of their focus could shift toward learning.
Picture this scenario: You’re jittery and unfocused before an important Zoom meeting.
A top-down approach would be telling yourself, “Okay, concentrate. I can do this.” That might help a little.
But a bottom-up approach — doing a quick set of push-ups or dancing to an upbeat song — can release enough physical energy that your mind naturally clears, making any top-down strategy more effective afterward.
Conversely, imagine a cold morning when your engine feels low. A bottom-up boost could be turning on bright lights, using a sunlight lamp, or listening to energizing music. Once your alertness rises, a top-down strategy like setting a small goal or envisioning a reward can help you move forward.
The Alert Program® teaches that higher-level skills (planning, judgment, social problem-solving) depend on basic sensorimotor self-regulation. When engine levels are “too high” or “too low,” the thinking brain simply can’t do its job as well. This is why bottom-up supports (sleep, nutrition, movement, sensory input) set the stage for any top-down strategies to take effect. It’s also why trying to reason with someone who is panicked or overstimulated rarely works — their nervous system needs safety and balance first.
The big take-home is this: when in doubt, start with the body.
Use simple sensorimotor strategies to bring your engine closer to “just right,” then add your thinking tools once your system is more settled. When your body is in a better state, after a walk, a stretch, deep pressure, or slow breathing, your mind is better able to reason, learn, and problem-solve.
That said, top-down skills like mindfulness and cognitive reframing are incredibly powerful once they’re accessible. Over time, practicing these higher-level strategies can reshape how you respond to challenges. The ideal approach is integrating both…using your body to support your mind, and your mind to guide your body.
And at the center of it all is awareness. You can’t regulate what you don’t notice. This leads us to some practical steps you can use to become more aware and more skillful in choosing the right strategy at the right time.
Let’s build your personal game plan for self-regulation in the face of seasonal changes (or any changes, really).
Your Seasonal Self-Regulation Toolkit
By now we’ve explored why self-regulation is so crucial and how it works from both bottom-up and top-down angles.
But what does it look like in practice for you, on that gloomy day when motivation is low, or during that hectic week when stress is high? Here are some ready-to-use tactics – think of this as a mini toolkit you can pull from whenever you need to get yourself back to a “just right” state.
These strategies are grounded in science and used in therapeutic settings, but they’re simple enough to try anytime. (In fact, they follow a cycle used in self-regulation programs taught around the world, often summarized as an easy strategy – so you might recognize some steps.)
Most importantly, these tips address both the mind and body aspects of regulation:
1. Acknowledge & Assess:
Instead of powering through or ignoring your system, pause and notice. Name what state you’re in and what might be contributing to it. Are you lethargic because it’s darker and cooler today? Or jittery because of that extra coffee? Maybe your alertness is low and you’re not sure why.
Simply observing and labeling your state is associated with better regulation — research by Lieberman, for example, shows that putting words to internal states reduces amygdala activity and supports prefrontal engagement. It’s like a personal weather report for your body and mind. Some people keep a journal to track patterns…you might discover you always feel a slump in November or a burst of energy in April, which helps you prepare and normalize it.
Don’t judge yourself; just acknowledge. Change is constant, and so are shifts in how we feel. Noticing your internal weather is the first step to shifting it.
2. Physical Reset:
Now that you know how you feel, use your body to start shifting gears. For instance:
- Move: Movement is one of the fastest ways to shift alertness, thanks to endorphins and other neurochemicals exercise releases. Research by Reed and Ones shows that even short bouts of moderate exercise can increase alertness and improve mood. You don’t need a full workout; even a brief 15-minute walk outside can boost serotonin and help rebalance your circadian rhythm.
- Breathing and Grounding: Slow, deep breaths send signals to your parasympathetic system to settle. Try inhaling for 4 counts, exhaling for 6–8. Grounding exercises (like the 5-4-3-2-1 technique) help your nervous system settle enough for your thinking brain to re-engage.
- Sensory Check: Engage your senses in a way that matches your need. Cool water, peppermint gum, bright light, or energizing music can lift low alertness. Dim light, deep pressure, warmth, or gentle rocking can ease high alertness. Light therapy lamps, validated by research including Lam’s randomized trials, can provide significant support during darker months.
3. Mindset & Reframing (Top-Down tuning):
Once your body is closer to “just right,” bring in thinking tools. Cognitive reappraisal — choosing a helpful interpretation — can support regulation, especially during seasonal changes or major shifts. You might remind yourself that winter supports slower rhythms or that a quiet afternoon can help you reset.
Goal-setting, gratitude, and self-compassion are also effective once your alertness is in a workable range.
4. Connection & Co-Regulation:
We often regulate through each other. Supportive connections can help bring your system toward “just right.” A quick chat, shared laughter, or a hug can calm physiological responses through mechanisms that include oxytocin release and reduced threat response. This reflects research by Coan and colleagues on “social buffering,” showing that supportive social contact reduces neural threat responses.
Connection in summer months may mean setting boundaries if stimulation is high; connection in winter may mean intentionally seeking warmth and contact.
5. Reflect & Adjust (Ongoing “Check-ins”):
Self-regulation is cyclical and personal. After you’ve tried strategies, check in with yourself. Do you feel closer to “just right”? Which strategies helped? The patterns you discover strengthen your regulation skills over time and help you adjust for each season.
Building resilience is like training a muscle: over time, those quick check-ins and adjustments become more automatic, and you’ll instinctively know, “My system is running at X, so I’ll try Y.” Also, be patient with yourself.
Self-regulation is a dynamic, lifelong learning process – we’re all continuously adapting to new environments, challenges, and even changes in ourselves as we age. You never truly “finish” learning to self-regulate (life will make sure of that!), but you will get better and better at it with practice. Every season of life might require tweaking your strategies a bit, and that’s okay.
Embracing Change with Confidence
Life will never stop changing — seasons shift, roles evolve, and transitions arrive expected or unexpected. Some changes feel welcome; others stretch us.
What you can influence is how you meet those changes.
Self-regulation is like learning to surf the waves: you discover when to paddle, when to rest, and how to regain balance. You won’t avoid every wipeout, but you’ll recover faster and with more clarity. This builds resilience, a powerful lifelong skill, and it’s something we can strengthen at any age.
By combining bottom-up resets with top-down support, staying aware of your alertness level, and seeking connection when needed, you build confidence that whatever comes next, you can navigate it.
And remember: the change itself may be constant, but so is your capacity to adapt.
With each small self-regulation win, you reinforce the truth that your body and brain can work together as a team. Over time, you’ll find that you’re not just coping with change — you’re growing through it. Sensorimotor self-regulation provides a foundation for thinking, learning, and relating… especially during times of change.
The next time you find yourself on a dreary home-bound day as the seasons change, or in any moment of flux, take heart. You have tools in your toolkit and more knowledge about how to use them. Change will keep coming, but with practiced self-regulation, you can face it with resilience and curiosity.
Each change is an invitation to learn more about yourself and to expand your capacity for growth.
You don’t have to fight your system. When you learn to recognize the signals your body is sending and work with them, self-regulation becomes an adventure in understanding yourself more deeply.
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References:
- Ayres, A. J. (1972). Sensory integration and learning disorders. Western Psychological Services.
- Arnsten, A. F. T. (2009). Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(6), 410–422.
- Casey, B. J., Jones, R. M., & Hare, T. A. (2008). The adolescent brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1124(1), 111–126.
- Coan, J. A., Schaefer, H. S., & Davidson, R. J. (2006). Lending a hand: Social regulation of the neural response to threat. Psychological Science, 17(12), 1032–1039.
- Lam, R. W., Levitt, A. J., Levitan, R. D., Enns, M. W., Morehouse, R., Michalak, E. E., & Tam, E. M. (2006). The CAN-SAD study: A randomized controlled trial of light therapy vs. fluoxetine in patients with seasonal affective disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(5), 805–812.
- LeDoux, J. E. (1996). The emotional brain: The mysterious underpinnings of emotional life. Simon & Schuster.
- Lieberman, M. D. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428.
- Reed, J., & Ones, D. S. (2006). The effect of acute aerobic exercise on positive activated affect: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7(5), 477–514.
- Schaaf, R. C., & Miller, L. J. (2005). Occupational therapy using a sensory integrative approach for children with developmental disabilities. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 11(2), 143–148.Wehr, T. A. (1998). A biochemical basis for seasonal affective disorder. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 13(6), 468–477.
