The Spookiest Season of Them All
Welcome to October, are you hanging in there? Each day is slowly enticing the seasonal depression and the homework pile of procrastination continues to build higher. For years I’ve been surrounded by people who thrive in any given circumstance. Unlike them, I am not one of those people. You may not be either. Many people are floating through classes, gliding along a little bit smoother than other people like you and I . School with warm weather is one thing. Then it gets cold and it feels like all hope is lost. Next thing you know you’re in the month of November, crying because there’s one month of school left for you to get your F to an A, the ultimate challenge. You’re lonely platonically and romantically while being concerned about your summer body that has no reason to mentally taunt and bully you six months in advance. Here’s a plan to tackle the overwhelming feeling of disappointment that just may be building up for a surprise panic attack in December, any month after, or in between.
Step 1: Stress Needs a Release Friend
Listen, it’s October you have time to fix your grades, friends, mind, and body. People don’t understand how much their body can change their minds, chemically, more than their minds change their bodies. Yes, if you can imagine yourself doing something it helps prepare you for any obstacle you’re having, but what about homework, making new friends or getting up to exercise? These are all things that can elevate any arising problems. Stress chemicals desire ways to be released. Obtaining abundant amounts of stress can ultimately cause an array of problems, which you don’t need in addition to what’s currently on your plate. The solution to this would be to exercise or even adopt any sort of breathing techniques. Getting that bouncy wall-to-wall stress energy out is key to maintaining control over yourself and future tasks you may need to complete.
Step 2: Gratification Super Power
Making yourself do your homework will provide gratification, challenge, focus, and ultimately a little sense of flow for our minds. Getting slight gratification from seeing productivity increases the chance of a person continuing an act. As many people say, “you just have to start.” There are many challenges with simply starting such as fear, discouragement or procrastination. All three act as our best friends in times of distress, but not this semester. As much as I get discouraged by my own failures, I haven’t given up. The issue with constantly failing or not achieving the status you want is that you’re already disappointed, so the least you can do is prove yourself wrong. One assignment at a time is all it takes, and as soon as you get at least two things done, you’ll feel inclined to keep going. A rescue technique to this tip would be taking breaks in between assignments or goals. Others may be able to sit and crank things out all day, but you always have to meet yourself where you are in the situation.
Step 3: Now You Need a Friend
Another very important ingredient to cure this crying season would be hanging around people that mean something. The value behind a purposeful conversation feels like you hit the gold mine versus a conversation that sits in the same place it starts. During this time of renovation and fighting against tears,why not interpersonally scope out who adds or subtracts from you? Hearing words that contain uncertainty, guilt, sadness, misery, despair, or anything relatively related doesn’t belong in a space of free thought and hopefulness while you’re actively trying to live through the crying season. You can’t mix oil and water just because they’re liquids. You can’t mix two people with different mindsets, one being static and the other desiring growth, just because they’re people. The foundation of who you’re surrounding yourself with will change everything. If you’re having a hard time making new friends in person, there are apps that try to make it a little easier. Outside of meeting friends through Instagram, Facebook or Tik Tok, dating apps have entered the chat for friends as well. Bumble friends is a great way to meet others in your community who may need a friend just like you. Yes, meeting people can be nerve-racking, but your mental health and feeling of belongingness are worth it. Everyone deserves a friend during the crying season.
Step 4: The Unspoken Key
Even though there are many solutions to crying season, one that seems counterproductive by many would be to actually cry. The stigma around crying can reflect weakness, resulting in many people suppressing it. Crying is healthy, and yet similar to this paper, we’re always trying to find ways to make it stop. Well, I’m here to tell you the solution isn’t to stop crying, but to learn how to live when the world feels hollow and dull. Learn how to defeat the overstaying sadness that should only be given a temporary pass. You own you, so act like it, with all due respect. It’s not easy fixing what feels comfortable, but you’re worth applying the pressure in change to assist your season of tears. Nothing is forever and anything is allowed to change until it’s not. I hope you have a valuable, strong, and successful crying season. Don’t let it scare you from your strength.