How to Cope With End-of-Summer Blues

I understand fall anxiety and depression at the molecular level. I grew up in a tourist town on the east coast where, at the end of summer, the arcades on the boardwalk closed and almost everyone drove away. We talked endless shit about the “Shoobies” — our word for unsuspecting summertime visitors from Philly and North Jersey who couldn’t surf or skate — but after Labor Day, when two-thirds of the houses in town lay empty and they turned off the traffic lights (who needs them when there’s no traffic?), me actually lost those annoying tourists. In the fall, school starts and the Ferris wheels stop. When you can’t swim because the sea is too cold and the lifeguards are gone. It’s when the fun ends and everything dies.

Even though I’ve become a shoobie myself and live in Los Angeles where everything is already dead and not even the seasons change, this time of year is still difficult. It doesn’t really have anything to do with it for me – just an unsettling feeling that things are ending. can you understand

than this New York Times article points out that this year’s end of summer is particularly difficult as this is the first semi-normal summer many of us have experienced in years. I’ll add that given how chaotic things have been lately, it might be the last semi-normal summer we ever enjoy (sorry to be depressing; it’s this time of year). If you feel fear of falling, also, at least you can take comfort that you are not alone and that it will pass. Here are some tips on how to make it as easy as possible.

Give yourself a break

One of the best ways to overcome minor glitches in the “power” of your life is to recognize what is going on and respect your own emotions. Yes, other people have it worse, but it still matters to them she. Then apply the “treat yourself as you would treat your friend” rule.

If a loved one told you, “I always come down around this time of year,” you probably wouldn’t respond, “You’re stupid” (I hope). But that’s how we talk to ourselves most of the time. Instead, acknowledge your emotions and treat yourself a little nicer. People who practice self-compassion are more likely to report higher levels of self-compassion general well-being than those who don’tafter all.

Learn from your end-of-summer blues—or don’t

The conventional wisdom in psychological circles (at least according to those in The time) is to learn from our feelings, to ask ourselves what our fear of the changing seasons can tell us. “It’s information about what we really value and want in our lives.” Tracy Dennis-Tivary, a psychologist and director of the Emotion Regulation Laboratory at Hunter College in New York City, told the Times.

Maybe at the end of summer you’re feeling sad and anxious because you’re a parent who didn’t organize the back-to-school business of carpooling and schedules and found out exactly how it’s all going to work. This is a good time to work out the logistics. Perhaps the end of your vacation scares you because you have to find a job that you are not afraid to return to?

If your emotions point to a practical problem you can solve, that’s good for you. But if they aren’t, that’s fine to. After many years of attributing black moods to certain events in my life, I began to realize that it wasn’t stress, my relationship, or my job that was causing mental health problems. Basically it was nothing. Or something unrecognizable – perhaps misdirected chemicals in my brain, or the capriciousness of the gods. For me – and your mileage may vary – keep pondering why I was depressed and what I could do about it was unsuccessful. There was never an answer, so instead I just think, “Yeah, I’ll be like that in September,” and leave it at that. (The drugs help to.)

Your very own Halloween is just around the corner

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, maybe just because it falls — a dose of facetious, fake horror at what time of year I find most terrifying is comforting. But it could be Christmas for you, or Thanksgiving, or the start of football season, or maybe you actually like “pumpkin spice.” It does not matter. Looking forward helps to keep the bigger picture in mind and is reminiscent of the ancient counsel attributed to King Solomon: “This also shall pass.”

All the usual advice applies

Whether or not your anxiety and sadness is related to the end of summer, there are positive steps you can take to get things back on track. You probably already know what they are, but just to reinforce:

• Do sports regularly
• Eat healthy
• Spend time outdoors (fall is perfect for hikes and bike rides)
• Don’t doom scroll
• Spend time with friends and family
• Seek professional help if you think a negative spell might be something more serious.