Navigating the October Slide: When Your Body Decides Fall is an Extreme Sport

By Jennifer Tollefsrud, Red Tree Life & Wellness Coaching

October… Pumpkin spice, cozy sweaters, decorative gourds... and the annual physiological meltdown that happens when your autonomic nervous system realizes it’s no longer summer.

Welcome to what can be so lovingly referred to as the…“The October Slide”…dun, dun, dun…

If your body’s been acting like it just got kicked off the Wi-Fi, heart racing, head pounding, fatigue spiking, joints auditioning for a horror movie…congratulations, you’re right on schedule.

What It Is (and Why It’s Not Just in Your Head)

The October Slide isn’t some internet woo-woo term, it’s a legitimate seasonal pattern observed by people with conditions that mess with circulation, energy regulation, and temperature control.

What We’re talking about:Let’s skip the fluffy wellness talk and get factual.

• Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS): where your connective tissue plays by no one’s rules.

• Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS): a fancy way of saying, “standing up shouldn’t feel like summiting Mt. Everest.”

• Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS): because your immune system also wanted to join the chaos.

• Dysautonomia: the umbrella term for “my autonomic nervous system is on permanent lunch break.”

Basically, your body’s internal thermostat, circulation system, and energy regulators are all arguing in a group chat, and fall weather is the new “mean girl” in school that adds fuel to the fire.

Why It Happens: Science, Not Drama

When daylight hours shrink and temperatures drop, your body has to recalibrate to new environmental stressors. The process involves changes in barometric pressure, humidity, and temperature, each of which can wreck your carefully, hard won, balanced internal systems.

Here’s what’s actually going on:

• Barometric pressure drops ➡️ Blood vessels constrict ➡️ Reduced oxygen delivery ➡️ Cue: fatigue, headaches, and dizziness.  For me, add serious ear pounding and ringing too.🔔

• Humidity changes ➡️ Fluid loss or retention swings ➡️  Blood volume regulation gets messy.  Getting my blood drawn becomes extremely difficult and god forbid I need an IV!🩸

• Temperature drops ➡️ Vasoconstriction increases ➡️ Blood flow to limbs and extremities decreases, worsening orthostatic symptoms. Have you ever stretched and immediately felt like you were going to black out???🙋‍♀️

• Shorter daylight hours ➡️ Circadian rhythm shifts ➡️ Melatonin and cortisol go rogue.🪫

In short, it’s not “all in your head”! It’s in your blood vessels, literally. In other words, your body is trying to solve a multivariable physics equation while you’re just trying to get through your Target run.

Additional Contributing Factors: Because the Universe Loves a Good Joke

As if all that wasn’t enough, fall also brings:

• Seasonal allergens (ragweed, mold spores)

• Viral infections (hello, every child, “germ breeding petri dish”, returning from school)

• Reduced sunlight ➡️ Lower Vitamin D, which directly impacts energy, mood, and immune function.

Think of it as a perfect storm of inflammation, poor regulation, and bad lighting.

How to Prepare: Survive Now, Thrive Later

No magic cure here, sorry, that’s still stuck in preclinical trials, but awareness and proactive care can keep you from fully dissolving into a human puddle.🫠

Let’s break it down into five survival zones:

1. Hydration & Circulation

• Hydrate like you mean it, electrolytes included. Water alone isn’t enough when your body forgets how to hold onto salt.🧂

• Maintain adequate sodium intake (yes, doctor-approved saltiness🥳).

• Compression garments: sexy? No. Effective? Absolutely. Pair them with leg elevation or gentle, low-impact movement (think yoga or light resistance workouts) to improve blood flow and avoid that fainting-in-Target moment.🛒

2. Meals & Nutrition

• Eat smaller, balanced meals to keep blood sugar stable and prevent energy crashes that rival post-holiday-party fatigue.🥗🍣🍜

• Combine protein, fiber, and sodium to help stabilize blood pressure and cognitive clarity. I think nachos technically work there…

• If you’re sensitive to histamines or have MCAS, limit alcohol and fermented foods. (Yes, that includes your “healthy” kombucha and the red wine you pretend is good for your heart.) Embrace the new trendy mocktails. They are pretty and delicious and give you that special occasion feeling without the negative after effects.🍹

3. Environment & Air Quality

• Clean your filters, run your air purifier, and wage war on mold, dust, and ragweed.😷

• Maintain indoor humidity around 40–50%, too dry and your sinuses revolt, too damp and mold gets ideas. Think Mr. Miyagi, “must have balance…”🤧

• Keep a consistent indoor temperature, your nervous system hates extremes even more than your electric bill does. Get a digital thermostat, you can program them to stay within a specific temperature range.🌡️

• Track barometric pressure changes (apps like Migraine Buddy or MyRadar help) to anticipate symptom flare days. Being prepared is the best defense!🌦️

4. Light, Rest & Regulation

• Get morning light exposure (natural if possible, light box if not) to anchor your circadian rhythm. Wake your brain up!☀️

• Protect your sleep hygiene like it’s sacred. Consistent bedtimes, limited screens, no doom-scrolling at midnight. If you can’t keep from picking up your phone and you use it for your alarm clock…then buy an old fashioned alarm clock and leave your phone in another room for bedtime.😴

• Practice slow breathing or grounding techniques, not because it’s trendy, but because vagal tone literally regulates your autonomic function.🧘‍♀️

5. Energy & Recovery

• Practice proactive pacing, don’t wait for symptoms to scream before resting. Once again…”must have balance”.⚖️

• Use controlled stability work or low-impact exercise to maintain muscle tone without overloading your system.🤸‍♀️

• Build recovery days into your schedule like appointments with your sanity.

Your body isn’t failing, it’s adapting to seasonal change. Give it grace, consistency, and time.

The Bottom Line

The October Slide isn’t weakness, it’s biology. You’re not lazy, dramatic, or “just tired”... You’re living in a body that’s doing advanced thermoregulation and barometric algebra just to keep standing upright. If your fall feels like you’re wading through molasses while the rest of the world is apple-picking, know this:You’re living in a constantly fluctuating ecosystem, one that’s working overtime just to stay upright.

So sip that electrolyte drink like it’s champagne and keep your compression socks in the wash rotation. Your body’s not broken. It’s just busy adjusting to the planet’s seasonal drama.

So as fall rolls in, remember:✨ Stay salty.✨ Stay hydrated.✨ Stay horizontal when necessary.

Because adaptation isn’t failure, it’s survival with style. Love Ya’ll!

#OctoberSlide#ChronicIllnessHumor#POTSSurvivor#MCASAwareness#DysautonomiaLife

#hEDSAwareness#InvisibleIllnessCommunity#FunctionalWellness#RedTreeWellness

#AutonomicNervousSystem#FallFatigue#NeurodiverseHealth#ChronicIllnessCoach

#MindBodyConnection#WellnessWithSarcasm#EnergyRegulation#RestIsMedicine

#SeasonalWellness#HealingWithHumor#GraceAndConsistency#DysautonomiaAwareness #MCAS#hEDS#FallFatigue #MindBodyBalance

Disclaimer: This post is not medical advice. If you want medical advice, ask your doctor, not your cousin’s Instagram.