It’s that time of year! The nights and mornings are crisp. The sun sets before bedtime. The pool temp is down to 83.° And fall sports are back in full swing. As we transition from summer to fall, I’m focusing on making my home a place filled with joy and fun and light—both literally and figuratively—to fend off seasonal affective disorder.
The Mayo Clinic says that “the reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset depression. This decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body’s internal clock and lead to feelings of depression. A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical that affects mood, might play a role.”
So now that I have to manage kids’ school responsibilities, sports schedules, and the general displeasure of the sun setting long before I’m ready to tuck it in for the night, life feels like it’s closing in a little. I’ve tried different strategies over the years, with varying degrees of success. But here’s what I’m trying this year to keep the winter scaries away even before the time changes (Nov. 5t this year, in case you were wondering).
1. Creating magic at home
If the beach is off the table, my house is truly my favorite place to be. But it’s fair to say that our house is a “summer house,” with its soccer goals and pool and slew of little boy bikes. But this year will be different. I’m making our backyard full of fire, light, and seating so that we can enjoy it just as much during the fall and winter as we do in the summer. And I’m going to make the dark work to my advantage. We’ll be having dessert around the fire pit or movie night outside at least once a week.
2. Being prepared for adventure
In the summer I keep a change of clothes in the car for each of my three boys, in case we happen upon a splash pad or decide to let ice cream drip down our elbows and onto our laps. But I haven’t ever done it in the winter. This year I am!
Now that my boys are getting older (3, 5, and 7) I’m ready for chilly adventures. Want to stop and play in a freezing cold creek? Go for it! Care to play in the rain even though it’s 65° outside? Let’s do it! I’ll have a change of clothes and a wet bag at the ready, and I’m counting on the serotonin boost that comes from doing something new and unexpected.
And I’ll be practicing saying yes in the colder months as easily as I say it in the summer. When a friend offers us time at their mountain house, I’ll say yes. When a neighbor asks if we’d like to have dinner with them same day, I’ll say yes. When my kids want to go on a long bike ride on Sunday morning, I’ll say yes. I’m not kidding when I tell you I’ll do just about anything to get that serotonin boost.
3. Spending at least an hour outside every day
While the weather has been really hot, I’ve allowed my boys to hang out indoors or at the pool after school. But now that it’s beginning to cool off, we’ll be spending the two hours after school before I need to prep dinner, outside. I’ll watch the boys play basketball with neighbors, work on my pickleball game, and most importantly, get the sunshine I need to weather early onset evenings.
I’d love to hear about what you’re doing this fall to keep your vibrations high and make magic for yourself and your family. Connect with me online!
