Finding Joy At The End Of Summer

Cara Rogers

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I love summer holidays – the shift in pace, lazy mornings and late evenings, reading in the sunshine and afternoon naps. As I land back on the tarmac in a usually grey and drizzly England, it’s a jarring bump back to normality which brings with it a wave of post-holiday blues. But the routine-lover and wellness junkie side of me also finds there to be something exciting about the end of holiday season and the dawn of September.

The end of summer is notorious for being a widespread mood dampener – from feeling low for a week or so after our holiday ends, to a more significant and enduring seasonal affective disorder, which stretches long into the winter months. Despite these feelings, I’ve been trying to re-programme myself to see the end of summer as an exciting time from a health and wellness perspective – a time to realign myself and generate refreshing new ways of living.

Fresh Starts

“With a clear and rested mind, we can approach September-time fresh starts full of enthusiasm and creativity.”

As summer draws to a close, we’re faced with an oftentimes depressing end, but there’s also the possibility for exciting new beginnings. Autumn time brings with it the start of a new school, university, and perhaps work year – a chance for a fresh start. Like the excitement and anticipation that comes with the new year in January, we have the opportunity to put into place new resolutions, new promises to ourselves and others, and new ways to better our lifestyles.

I know that when I come home from a summer holiday, my mind is always brimming with ideas about new projects and hobbies to start up, new workouts to try, and new articles to pitch and write. With a clear and rested mind, we can approach September-time fresh starts full of enthusiasm and creativity.

Tidy Space, Tidy Mind

As well as the chance of a fresh start, the end of Summer and return to normality can also bring a return to order and organisation in our home spaces. Holidays are a dream in so many ways, but there’s always a small part of me that, by the end of a week living in a hotel room out of a suitcase with my belongings perpetually strewn across the room, craves a little tidiness and order.

“mess in the home is associated with higher cortisol levels”

Arriving home and unpacking all my belongings (albeit usually after I’ve procrastinated for a couple of days), putting them all neatly back in their places, and recreating my tidy home space is usually a soothing exercise that calms my mind and puts me into a more peaceful headspace.

And indeed, it has been proven that a tidy space post-holiday correlates with a tidier mind. A study conducted in 2016, for instance, demonstrated that clutter in the home had a negative impact on participants’ psychological well-being, with others affirming that mess in the home is associated with higher cortisol levels (our stress hormone).

Return to Routine

Beyond the physical organisation of our homes, the end of Summer can also mean returning to a more organised and regular schedule in our daily lives. Being on holiday can mean a lot of late nights, lie-ins, and unstructured days lazing by the pool. In many ways, this is a blessing, but I also often find myself feeling a little restless after multiple consecutive days lying around without any structure.

“The importance of routine to our mental health has long been emphasised by experts who highlight the positive influence of a regular routine on things like our sleep quality, and our diets.” “

Coming home, starting up work again, and falling back into a more regular routine can feel beneficial to my mental and physical health. I re-establish feel-good morning and night routines, and I schedule regular workouts throughout my week, in a way that for me often gets lost in summer. Some holidays can leave me feeling a little sluggish, having spent much more time than usual lounging around. When I come home, I usually relish the opportunity to get my body moving again more regularly.

The importance of routine to our mental health has long been emphasised by experts who highlight the positive influence of a regular routine on things like our sleep quality, and our diets. When our circadian rhythms are disrupted for prolonged periods through irregular daily routines, studies have shown an increase in feelings of loneliness and a decrease in feelings of happiness and contentment. Put simply, the structure of our days can have a significant impact on our mood and well-being. A relaxed and carefree holiday programme works well for me in the short term, but longer-term it can start to take its toll.

Resolutions

And so, as the days become shorter and nights become longer, I’m making a promise to myself to keep affirming the ways in which the end of Summer can bring with it joyful new beginnings. I want to lean into the wellness joy that a new season offers, and learn to find excitement, inspiration, and peace beyond the end of Summer.

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Featured image courtesy of Jason Blackeye on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.