End of summer blues – 719woman.com
Every year, right about this time, I find myself getting a bit wistful and even sad. Not over any one thing in particular but just a vague sense of melancholy and feeling out of sorts. At first it always takes me by surprise. Then I find myself questioning if I’m losing my mind because there’s not a “reason” I can quite put my finger on for feeling this way. And then it hits me, I get that “aha” moment of when realization hits and I “get it”…I’m suffering from the “end-of-summer” blues.
As the days get shorter and the evenings get cooler it seems that instead of looking forward to the change of seasons, I look back at all the summer fun and how much I’m going to miss it. I think about all the summer projects I wanted to complete and didn’t. I watch the summer plants fade and start to die and with each leaf that falls from the tree I think cold weather is just ahead. And I personally don’t like cold temperatures or even snow.
Even though summer is usually packed with more outdoor time, more time spent with friends and neighbors on the deck, and farmers markets, fairs and travel, there’s still a feeling of lazy days spent in the sun and a slower-pace. September is that month where it dawns on me that the holidays will soon be upon us and the shopping, parties, cooking…with less sun, colder temps, and getting about in the snow and ice, is right around the corner. Quite simply, just thinking about the months of October, November and December sometimes exhausts me. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the holiday season but it takes some time to adjust, the more so as I get older.
Once I realize what’s going on, that I’m not losing my mind, I can move forward. Instead of lamenting the loss of summer, I can reflect on the good things that happened and be grateful for those experiences. I can remind myself of things I do enjoy in the fall and winter and look forward to that. Even little things like lighting the fireplace, fall veggies, making heavier, comfort-style foods that will make the house smell so great while it simmers on the stove or cooks in the crock pot. I do love decorating for the holidays and the holiday get-togethers. But again, it takes me a few weeks to adjust and even realize what my “bad-mood” is all about.
If you or someone you know face a bit of sadness or anxiety as summer draws to an end, here are 7 great tips on how to survive those blues.
www.huffingtonpost.com/samantha-boardman-md/7-tips-to-survive-the-end-of-summer-blues_b_8050792.html
If your sadness seems overwhelming or lasts longer than you think it should, you might want to check with your doctor. Here are some great points on when to seek help with sadness and free hotlines you can call if you need immediate help.
www.psychguides.com/guides/depression-hotline/
If you’ve suffered from the end-of-summer blues and have some tips on what helped you get through them, we’d love for you to leave a comment…you never know who you might help.