The Cure for End-of-Summer Blues? Get Outside.

< Inside L.L.Bean

Freeport, ME, July 29, 2021

The Cure for End-of-Summer Blues? Get Outside.

When you're a kid, the summer feels endless. There's just something about the summertime. Blue skies. Sunshine. BBQs. Pool days. Outdoor concerts. Just thinking about the summer months and its many activities does something to lift your spirits. The turn to fall, while beautiful, is also a goodbye to the long and lazy days of June, July, and August.

Your kids are likely to be energized by the back-to-school excitement, but it's not uncommon for your sense of well-being to shift with the season. As adults, our relationship to those months is different. We know it's going to end, and sometimes we even mourn the loss of summer before it's over. There might be some anxiety about what did and didn't get done. And this can take a mental and physical toll. Your energy might wane. You might even experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Don't worry-not only are you not alone, but there is a simple remedy to those post-summer blue moods.

Fall and winter are associated with coziness. Like putting on a pair of warm socks and curling up with a good book and a pumpkin spice latte by the fire. While there are plenty of opportunities and occasions to turn in, if you want to beat the lethargy associated with the end of summer, the best thing you can do is get outside.

Getting outside is linked to life satisfaction and personal growth. It can also sharpen your perception of time, increasing your patience and generosity. It's also a great place to connect with the people you love.

The best news is you can combat autumn's anxiety and get all these great mood- and health-boosting benefits with as little as 20 minutes a day outside. Something as simple as a walk before work as the sun is rising will allow you to enter the new season not with sadness, but with vigor.

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