Midterm on Wednesday, HOCO on Saturday – what am I being for Halloween? Assignment due at 11:59 pm on Sunday; book your bus ticket home for Thanksgiving. Find time to go to the pumpkin patch, but also make sure you get all your work done. Drink, drink and party even more. Even if you’re tired and stressed, keep going and remember that you will have fun!
And then, on November 1, it’s all done. The craziest and most fun month of the year, October, has come to an end. Now, it’s November, but why does it feel like something is missing? Every single year, I feel like I’m looking to fulfill this desire in me, and I’m left disappointed mostly. We reach the second-to-last month of the year, and I feel…nothing.
There’s this emptiness about November, but why?
The Aftermath
For Queen’s students specifically, October is the busiest month of the year. Midterms, Thanksgiving, reading week, HOCO, FOCO, Halloween, and enjoying fall while it lasts. Every week it feels packed with so much to do, both stressful and fun. November then arrives, and it feels very bland compared to the past month. There’s no significant events or holidays that are happening and it’s also a time in school where you might have the occasional test or assignment due, but not any major exams until December. You feel a little relief because you can take a breather and congratulate yourself on getting through the busy time, but it also feels weird that there isn’t much happening. The aftermath of the chaos feels more empty than it’s calming because we’re used to feeling like we’re doing something fun or stressing every single minute. But then, all of a sudden, there’s a lack of it.
The Cold Does Bother Me
Personally, fall is my favourite time of the year. The weather is perfect: not too hot, not too cold. The beautiful leaves falling from the trees and the desire to always be outside. The beginning of wearing sweaters and pants again, but there’s not quite a need for a bulky jacket. Though fall technically does go into November as well, there definitely is a difference in what fall looks like in that month vs. before. Most of the leaves have fallen now, and the trees begin to prepare themselves for the cold winter. Fewer animals run around as they begin their migration or hibernation for the next couple of months. The daylight is now drastically shorter, and you feel more inclined to end your day much sooner once the sun goes down and it appears gloomier. It’s the interim between the beautiful fall look and the snowy winter look.
Halfway Point
Though you could argue Reading Week is technically the halfway point of the semester, the two weeks afterwards are Midterms for most people, and so the month of November feels like a good middle of the semester. We’re getting closer to the final exams, but not quite there yet. Except we begin to feel the stress of needing to prepare for them since the entirety of December is dedicated to just studying, but it also feels like we should take advantage of it, moving a bit slowly. It’s hard to gauge what the method is to stay on top of everything but also try and make something of this month.
Seasonal Depression Begins
As mentioned before, the change in weather is not only a factor in this empty feeling during the month, but it also plays a big role in Seasonal Depression. According to the Mayo Clinic “ seasonal affective disorder (SAD) symptoms appear during late fall or early winter and go away during the sunnier days of spring and summer.” It is proven that the less sunlight we receive in the winter months disrupts our body’s internal clock, pushing forward the state of depression. Unfortunately, it does occur right after Daylight Saving Time in early November. It can be hard to find motivation to keep going forward when experiencing seasonal depression, especially in a time when it’s not as busy and stimulating. We have the time to sit and process more, which doesn’t always ease our mental state. We feel this empty feeling of waiting for something to happen or wondering what will come next.
How Do We Make It Go Away?
November can be a harder month to live through. The emptiness we experience doesn’t feel the greatest. Everyone is different, especially with coping mechanisms. Some people like to try to maintain their routine and stay as busy as possible, while others will take the time and sit with their emotions and see what will happen. There’s no right way to make it pass, but it’s important to remember that we can make it a little less empty. Some days can be hard when the sun goes down early, or there’s no Halloweekend to look forward to anymore, but there is still good to come. It’s remembering the little things that make you happy and maybe making new traditions for the month of November. Take advantage of the more time you have and focus on yourself and the things and people you love, and of course yourself.
The emptiness can be hard to make go away, but it doesn’t have to be permanent. We can always try to make the best out of a situation and make it a little more full. In this case, November doesn’t need to feel as empty, and it can be more than just…nothing.