Bugs, heat, sweat? Eww!
Last week I diagnosed myself with Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder. Being able to diagnose mental health issues is just one advantage of my education and training as a therapist, and trust me, SSAD is a thing. Most people associate Seasonal Affective Disorder with the cold, gray months of winter, but some of us also experience similar symptoms during the dog days of summer.
That’s not to say I love winter; I don’t. But I can say I prefer sweater weather to sweaty weather, to borrow from a meme I saw recently. My favorite season is fall, with a close second being spring. No extremes either way, that’s weather perfection for me.
July is the worst. This year, I feel like it’s been July for about six months. Once I’ve made it through July, August is much better. While it’s still hot, August brings back-to-school, the stores have started to display fall-themed merchandise (yay!), NFL pre-season starts, and we are so close to the “ber” months, I can taste the pumpkin spice! I’ve usually started my Christmas shopping by August, and every year it’s all I can do to wait until Labor Day to festoon the house in fall décor.
I know the longer days of summer are a favorite for many. Vacations, backyard barbeques, gardening, picnics… Unfortunately for me, these activities all involve being outside and I’m just not the “outside” type. I relate to the person who said, “My favorite outdoor activity is bringing Amazon boxes in off the front porch.”
Yet every summer, I hear weather forecasters urge us to “get outside and enjoy this beautiful day!” Why can’t I enjoy a beautiful day from inside? That’s why they invented windows. I can appreciate the sunshine, the green grass, the flowers, and all that nature offers from the air conditioned comfort of my living room. No bugs, no skin cancer, no sweat.
I might be more willing to spend time in the sun if I could find an affordable sunscreen that didn’t make me feel like I’ve smeared thick lard all over my body. Walking around like a sweaty grease ball, counting the minutes till I can go inside and take a shower isn’t my idea of fun.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown more accepting and content with my preference for the great indoors. Some people are outdoorsy types and some aren’t. I fall into the latter camp and that’s okay. Despite growing up on a farm, I would not have made a good pioneer woman, that’s for sure. I’m too fond of modern conveniences like shelter, AC, and simply being comfortable. Bugs, heat, sweat? Eww!
