Introvert season
Why I’m looking forward to autumn now
© Rido / Adobe Stock
The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are falling. What is a reason for mourning for others is balm for my soul. Why fall is a long-awaited boost for my mental health.
To be clear: This will not be an ode to pumpkins, red-yellow leaves, tea and Gilmore Girls. Although I love all of these things! But the reason why I can’t wait for fall every year is different.
I know I’m making a lot of people very unpopular by saying this, but: I’m glad summer is over. That doesn’t mean that I detest all sunny days and can’t enjoy anything in the warm season. It’s not so much about the heat – at least not just.
Summer is the time of extroverts
Rather, summer and everything that comes with it causes stress for me. Everyone wants to do something all the time, it feels like there are birthday parties and/or weddings every weekend, and social media channels are overflowing with posts from people who are having the time of their lives. Summer is simply loud, hot and tiring. People look at you askance if you just want to read or watch series on the couch on a sunny weekend.
In short: Summer is the time of extroverts. They thrive when they can be constantly on the go, new people and experiences await them on every street corner and they practically only see their home to sleep.
And that’s for them too, I’m happy for every person who is happy and can do the things that they enjoy. But at the same time there is such a strong one social pressure that makes it difficult for introverted people like me to take enough space to withdraw and recharge their social batteries during the warmer months. At least without having a guilty conscience. Some people simply need time alone, without external stimulation, to recharge their batteries.
I know I’m not alone in how I feel. When I ask around in my (including digital) environment, I come across many people who feel the same way. Who might be looking forward to a two-week beach vacation, but otherwise long for the silence and the opportunity to retreat that autumn offers as a replacement for summer. But the extroverted fans of the long, warm days are simply louder than the introverted fans of the quiet, cozy time in autumn.
In autumn I can finally breathe a sigh of relief
Many people suffer from winter depression; the short days and little sunlight bother them and cause their mental health to suffer in autumn and winter. But there is also the opposite: one Summer depression. This can be felt by people who, like me, feel pressured by the long days, the endless possibilities and the many social obligations. But it can also be triggered by hormonal difficulties caused by the changed day-night rhythm.
Luckily, my personal summer slump doesn’t go that far, but every year I dread the fact that it stays light until 10:30 p.m. for weeks on end (I like to go to bed early, sorry), and that our neighbors have parties on theirs almost every weekend until late at night Balcony celebrate that someone always wants to grill in the park. I know there is a solution to each of these problems (blackout blinds, earplugs, saying no). But that doesn’t change the fact that summertime puts me under pressure, that I long for the peace and deceleration of the colder months.
My introverted soul jumps for air every year when the calendar jumps to September 1st. Even if in doubt it’s still a few weeks too warm for my personal liking and the extroverted party people are clinging to the last chances to really get the most out of the summer, I can at least breathe a little deeper and make myself some tea and open an autumnal book – in the comforting knowledge that it will soon be done.