Summer Seasonal Depression?
As a therapist we talk about something called SAD, it stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder and it’s when a person struggles with their moods during a certain period of the year. For most people, it starts in the late fall and goes into the winter months. Think of shorter days, colder weather, and not having a whole lot of energy to do the things that make you happy. Well, I live in Phoenix, and I have a theory that people in Phoenix might suffer from Summer Seasonal Depression…hear me out…
The trend I notice with so many people I talk to is that the summers here affect moods like winter does in other states…except it’s because we’re too hot rather than cold. Our A/Cs work a little less effectively, going outside for a walk literally can only happen from 4am-5am and maybe after 9pm at night, doing outside chores can become life threatening if you are not careful, and it’s relentless. People seem to get down, lose motivation, stay inside more, and tend to isolate. I’ve been noticing this becoming more of a topic around August and September year after year. I think we’re tired, and hot, and sick of not being able to do the things we want to do so we get a little bummed. Our vacation time is maxed out, our pools now feel like bath water, and we have panic attacks that this might be the last day the A/C is going to work (oh wait, maybe that part is just me).
To add to this, Phoenix is slightly unique in that our summers seem to last forever, for example, it’s October and the high will be 97 degrees this week. But, it is getting better. I took my boys for a walk last night at 6pm and we all survived. So, I think we’re out of the woods this year.
So, I am here to say, if you live in Phoenix, and you’ve been a little bummed out these last few months, you’re not alone. It’s hard living here in the summer, and more specifically, the later part of the summer - July through September when it’s blistering hot, zapping all your energy. But, we made it to October! So, now, now is the time we get to go outside again, take our dogs for walks, go for hikes (if you’re into that kind of thing) or sit on your patio watching the sunset. Summers are like childbirth - you forget how terrible it is because of the beauty you see in the other months, then when July hits next year you’ll know why you’re so miserable and remind yourself…only 3 months until October!