At the moment, social media is full of lots of autumnal fun. Cosy knitwear, crunchy leaves, pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin patches all fall into that fun and cosy autumn aesthetic. I like to try and romanticise October as much as the next person, but sometimes I can’t force it. Let’s face it, sometimes October does just feel a bit…meh.
When I woke up this morning, it was still quite dark outside. Everything out there just looked cold and grey. There was even fog whirling around out there! It didn’t exactly inspire me to want to do anything. Especially as it was freezing inside the house too! I just felt like I couldn’t wait to get back into bed and pull the duvet right up around me again. Our cat, Maisie, had the right idea as she was curled up on the bed softly purring in her semi-asleep state.
Especially if you suffer with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) like me, I think sometimes October does just feel heavy, cold and unmoving. It can be fun to do autumnal activities and I really do love Halloween. It would be easy to think everyone loves autumn when you’re scrolling on your phone. However, I think it’s also normal to not necessarily enjoy this time of year or be able to force a love of it. It can be kind of depressing watching the greenery beginning to disappear for the cold starkness of winter. The shorter days don’t agree with us all and I absolutely hate being cold!
I think, like many things in life, it’s a case of acceptance and balance. Accepting that this is what happens, as it does every year. Balancing that acceptance with the silver linings of the season and leaning into the aesthetic and autumnal fun when you feel like it.
Cover photo by Jenna Anderson on Unsplash