End of Summer Blues

I saw a post the other day that said, “If the month of august was a day, it would be Sunday.” I laughed as the realization of how true this statement was settled in. Sunday is a great day for resting, taking care of chores, hanging out with people you love, etc.

HOWEVER, it is also a reminder of a new week ahead. In this case with the month of august, as great of month as it is, it is also a reminder that the end of summer is near.

Whether you have a clinical diagnosis of seasonal affective disorder or not, let’s face it, for those who live in the Midwest/east coast especially…these times can feel rough! It gets dark by 3 pm (I may be exaggerating), it’s cold, the stress of the holiday’s kicks in, for those who have seasonal jobs, there’s the possibility of added stress as you get ready for the new work year, I can go on! The most important stressor of this time of year is the lack of SUN. I live in the Chicago area, and I kid you not, last year we didn’t see sun for I believe two weeks. TWO WEEKS. Vitamin D plays a role in our mental health. If we aren’t seeing the sun or taking Vitamin D, depression symptoms do in fact increase. So…how do we cope with the end of summer?

For each seasonal change, I love to set an intention and one value to make the season the best it can be for me. When life stressors get in the way, it’s comforting to resort back to my intention and value. For the seasons of fall and winter, I sometimes add an extra intention and value. For the new season change, I am setting the intention of creativity and my value will be connection. When it’s cold, I tend to isolate. Setting the value c