How to Deal with End-of-Summer Anxiety
A Healthier Michigan
| 3 min read
You may feel anxiety rising as summer nears its end and autumn and winter get nearer. This end-of-summer anxiety can be tied to a few causes, including simply being sad about the end of warm weather, travel and time spent with friends and family in the summer. Learn how to recognize and deal with “August anxiety” or the back-to-school blues.
How does the end of summer affect mental health?
Feelings of anxiety, stress and doubt can creep up near the end of summer or the beginning of the school year. Some people may get sad and down about the end of summer, while some may get anxious or antsy anticipating the beginning of the school year, busy work season or holiday seasons.
The end of summer also coincides with changes in weather and the amount of daylight and sunlight we receive, and that can affect moods and emotions, and can even be involved in seasonal affective disorder (SAD), although you can experience anxiety at the end of summer without SAD.
Is end-of-summer anxiety the same as seasonal affective disorder?
Most cases of seasonal affective disorder are tied with the onset of autumn and winter and are likely brought on by a loss of available sunlight. However, end of summer anxiety does not equate to SAD, and the symptoms and changes to mental and behavioral health are different.
Seasonal affective disorder is a condition that can cause depression, extreme mood changes, insomnia and sleep issues, among other symptoms, for up to 4-5 months out of the year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. General end of summer anxiety causes increased stress but not depression or extreme mood changes like SAD may.
Tips for dealing with end-of-summer stress and anxiety
The best response to end of summer anxiety and stress is to focus on lowering stress levels and working on stressors in your life. If you are feeling some anxiety creeping in as summer ends, follow some of these tips to ease the stress and anxiety.
1. Find fall and wintertime activities to get into.
Find replacement or alternative hobbies for any summer-specific hobbies that you are sad to be losing out on. If you enjoy going to the beach or being on the water in the summer, consider cooler-weather activities are done outside. Kite-flying, birdwatching or nature photography could replace warm weather lakeside hobbies. Also remember that some summer activities such as hiking or camping can be done in cool weather well into the autumn season in Michigan. Find cool weather hobbies that work for you.
2. Create and uphold change-of-season traditions.
Instead of focusing on perceived negatives of summer ending, come up with traditions to follow that celebrate the changing of seasons. Pursue a positive outlook toward the coming school season and cooler weather. There are many local festivals or fairs in Michigan in the autumn months. These can serve as great change-of-season celebrations and traditions.
3. Learn and practice self-care techniques.
Make sure to practice good self-care and don’t be hard on yourself if you are feeling anxious at the end of summer. Learn how to practice positive self-talk and self-soothing techniques like guided thought or meditation.
4. Focus on getting good sleep.
Having bad sleep or not enough sleep is a trigger for stress and anxiety in general, so if you are feeling anxiety from the end of summer, make sure to focus on getting good sleep. Healthy sleep practices such as avoiding screens two hours before bed, avoiding eating close to bed time, sleep tracking and regulating your sleep environment and schedule can help to stave off stress and anxiety.
