Springtime Blues

Hey friends!! Today I bring you a bit of a different subject, but since sunny and warm days are on the way, I really wanted to talk about those of us who, as crazy as it might sound, get moody when the sun shines brighter and the days get longer. So, for all my Autumn/Winter-fans, sit cosy and I hope you feel less alone after reading this post!

For most people, sunny and hot days mean energy and excitement. However, not everyone is that thrilled for the warmth of Spring/Summer and can feel overwhelmed with everyone else's energy. For me this usually happens around May and makes me feel like there's something wrong with me.

One of the things I notice that affects me the most is the sudden weather changes. After spending months wrapped up in my favourite blanket, watching an episode of some cosy tv show or reading a book, it makes me a bit sad that I won't be able to do that during warmer nights. 

Also, being oustide for many hours on warm and very bright days makes me super tired and gives me strong headaches, which is so annoying since I love to travel! Even more, I can't really explain, but that particular hour when the sun is setting makes me quite melancholic. It feels like something nice has just ended, specially after a good day out. It's that feeling that something is over that leaves me down a bit on those evenings. Thankfully, once the night comes out, I cheer up a bit again.

As I was struggling with understanding what I dislike about warm days, I've actually put together a short list:

• my eyes get too tired after being exposed to bright light, which is super common in the city with all the buildings
• I get headaches when the weather is hot
• I hate to be sweaty
• my skin gets oily and starts to breakout
• we don't have AC at home
• there are too many insects at night, so I can't read because it will attract all the mosquitoes
• I don't feel like eating or cooking a lot
• it's too hot to work
• seeing everyone else super excited about Summer makes me feel like a potato

So, basically, some of my favourite things, like exploring places by foot, reading, working on art projects and cooking, become very hard to do in Summer.

Last year I was chatting with my partner about this and he was talking about how much he likes Summer afternoons. Looking forward to the night and having dinner is something that gets him all excited about warmer days.

So, after venting my distaste for warm days, my head is finally clear enough to think properly of things that I actually enjoy about Summer to make it at least a bit more bearable.

I guess I don't need to remind you to drink more water during hot days, but for me things usually get better after drinking a glass of it, so it's worth giving it a try.

But, I've came up with a list of activities that I enjoy to do ONLY during Spring/Summer. Instead of trying to do Winter activities and failing, I'm thinking of things that are nice to look forward to do on Spring/Summer days and nights.

During the day:

• collect and press leaves and flowers
• wake up early to enjoy the cold mornings with a nice cup of tea
• read a book during the day to avoid all the mosquitoes at night
• doodle stuff
• make an herbarium or photo album
• meditate
• make refreshing drinks and food
• picnics under the trees
• draw under a tree or in a nice coffee shop
• have breakfast in the balcony
• cold showers
• birdwatching

At night:

• stargazing (the Stelarium app is amazing to track planets, stars and satellites)
• listen to music before going to bed
• play board games (we've recently discovered Wingspan and it's perfect for bird lovers)
• watch a movie or tv show
• bake something during colder hours
• embroidery
• have a nice night walk

This is just my personal list of Spring/Summer activities that I enjoy and I'd love to hear what your list would be! 

I've noticed that the trick for me was to really avoid doing Autumn/Winter activities and getting frustrated because I've failed.

And even better, this year I'm actually looking forward to the upcoming seasons, to switch my art to lots of Springtime colours, strawberries, seashells and fairies, and to decorate my workspace with a matching theme.

So I really hope all of you Autumn/Winter-fans can find something that makes you a bit less sad about leaving your favourite knitted sweaters and cosy blankets in the shelf.
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Until next time, stay brilliant!
Inês D.
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