There can be something unsettling about August. For many people, the month creates a feeling of funk, a feeling of down, a feeling of sadness.Hot and sticky, it’s summer on full blast, roasting a person's mind and body. Offices and neighborhoods are ghost towns as people take off on the last vacation before school starts. Nothing gets done.
Yet, the days are getting shorter and fall is on the horizon. Maybe it's time to crank up Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness". Feeling the August blues? You’re not alone. For some, the sadness comes from realizing that most of the year is already behind us, with Halloween and holiday ads looming.
We have you covered with some reasons you may be feeling this way so you can avoid getting yourself in those situations!
You’re stuck indoors - If you live in a very hot and humid location, you’re forced indoors, and your exposure to natural sunlight can diminish compared to the spring and fall. When we look outside and it looks beautiful out, but we can’t go outside, That can put us in a funk.
You’re overwhelmed by nostalgia - For a lot of adults, August is a reminder that summer is no longer about carefree times at the pool or the beach.
Your habits change - During the summer, you stay up later, go out more during the week and your eating habits may not be ideal, but you still have to go to work. That summer pattern wears your body down.
You’re overwhelmed by the heat - The heat and humidity can wear you out physiologically. There is the perception that the environment is punishing.
You feel alone - Social media increases the intensity of the notion that “everybody is having a good time, except for me
You feel time passing - When August comes around, you may ask yourself: Summer is almost over, where did it go? There’s a sadness to the ending of the season, plus a time pressure component