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Depression Season

When summer ends every year it seems like the whole world gets excited. There's the arrival of Fall, which everyone loves for the dying leaves, the chilly temps that force them to wear too many clothes, the dubious charms of Pumpkin Spice everything, the holidays of too much indulgence and over-eating alongside family members they avoid for the rest of the year. At the very end of it Santa doesn't arrive but everyone spends too much money on gifts and pretends they're happy while lying to their kids.

Fall is, in my opinion, a season that brings out the worst in people. I tolerate it rather than go along with everyone else and pretend I like it. The only reason I welcome Winter, a season that I also don't care for, is because it means Fall is over.

It's easy to become depressed when you're trapped in a time of year filled with things and holidays that make you unhappy. The trick, I've learned, is to focus on the few things you do like and let those things matter above all the depressing stuff. Halloween is my second favorite holiday (the day after Christmas is #1), and I like making decorations for it and choosing candy for the trick or treaters. Last year I had a little Halloween party for us as well, which was fun, and I'm planning to do that again this year.

I'm going to write for pleasure a Halloween-themed short story, too. That's something that I haven't done for a few years now.

Once Halloween goes, I usually had National Novel Writing Month to keep me from slipping into the depression abyss, but that imploded last year. I've looked around for an alternative like this one, but as always I have to make the day job my first priority. My schedule will be busy until the middle of December, so I likely won't have time to write an extra novel. Maybe I can do a few more short stories.

Thanksgiving means I can cook all day (always a good thing), it's fun to think up some different dishes to go with the bird, and it's a day off from the dismal aspects of Fall. I will be happy planning for that.

I can crochet heavier projects, and no doubt I'll be making more variations of those that make me happy. My calendar project is winding down, too; I have only three more bags to make this year. I'll focus on those and try to make them special.

I am meditating every day and my spiritual teachings are guiding and helping me so much. They've really been what got me through my guy's surgery, all the drama other people dumped on me and my own health issues, and I expect they will help me tremendously with the rest of it.

That's all I have to look forward to, but it's enough. I may become a little depressed now and then -- it's natural given the stress of this unhappy season -- but I have alternatives to dropping into the pits. Making sure I focus on the positive is what will make all the difference.

Image credit: Swan image by Fr. Romain Marie Bancillon from Pixabay

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