For some people the beginning of fall is a time of melancholy; a settling in of a quieter, sometimes low or even depressed mood. Known as the grey months, the changing of summer to fall can often trigger a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD usually begins and ends at the same time each year, leaving you feeling less energetic and increasingly moody. The days are shorter, we see less of the sun and everything feels a bit duller.
For other people, fall is full of colour. The leaves are changing and brilliant with tints of orange, red and yellow; the air is fresh and crisp, the sun on fall days brings with it a greater appreciation of it’s warmth. The image of fall conjures up thoughts of cozy sweaters, apple orchards, pumpkin pie and curling up by the fireplace.
Whether we are in one camp or the other, I wonder, is it possible to make room for both? Feeling the sense of loss to the warm days of summer and a reckoning that winter is coming, but also accepting the knowledge that the changing of seasons help to facilitate movement and renewed growth? Perhaps being able to hold both in our hands can help us to appreciate the ever flowing, all encompassing, never-quite-so-black-and-white world that we live in. 🙂
For tips and treatment of SAD: https://www.webmd.com/depression/depression-sad-diagnosis-treatment#1