Most people love the summer.

Nights out with friends enjoying cocktails and meals on a patio somewhere. Days at the beach. A summer defined by sunshine and extroversion.

However, I am not most people.

The summer seriously stresses me out, and if you’ve been here for any length of time, you know this because it is something I write about annually.

Every summer, I come up with a plan. I create a bucket list to get me through to September. And every summer, I struggle, in spite of the plan I’ve made to embrace my most dreaded season.

My introverted self THRIVES in the fall and winter. The shorter days and longer nights. The potential for snow. The cold. Fall and winter are my seasons. I can’t get enough of a rainy fall day. And I think part of that is the fact that fall and winter are slower. There’s less expectation to leave your house for occasions beyond the holiday season because everyone is hunkering down until the weather starts to warm up again in spring.

But as soon as the temperature starts to cross into the 80s, my anxiety starts to peak with it. I cannot handle the heat. The scorching sun. But also, the weather makes me feel like I should be outside…enjoying it. But how do you enjoy a 100 degree day?

Seriously! Why would I want to sit out on a patio somewhere, baking in the heat, sweating through a meal? Or walking miles to get to the shore, my feet being burned by the sand, reapplying SPF 75 a million times until it’s finally time to go home?

I know. Debbie Downer over here complaining about everyone’s favorite season. But, if you too suffer from reverse seasonal depression or just hate the summer, you’re not alone. And if you have existing chronic health conditions that are exacerbated by the summer weather, then you know how much summer can suck.

It’s not just my anxiety that gets the best of me when the weather cranks up, it’s my migraines. Last summer was particularly hot and muggy in NJ, and I had migraines almost every day because of the air pressure, which added to my anxiety and seasonal depression because while everyone else was out enjoying their lives, I was in bed in severe pain.

So, how am I planning to combat my reverse seasonal depression this summer?

I am calling summer 2025 my “Slow Down Summer”.

What does that mean? Glad you asked.

It means I am going to enjoy my most hated season at my own pace. I’ll be planting and taking care of my garden. I’ll be reading through my TBR. I’ll be showing up to write my novels.

But how is this different than any other season?

I am going to be facing the summer with intention and without guilt. I’d like to add mornings outside on my patio with a cup of tea and a book to my daily routine as well as afternoons spent by our community pool. Really what I want is more quiet time with nature. I know how woo woo that sounds, but I want to redefine summer for myself. I guess I don’t really know what that picture looks like yet. Maybe I’ll have to paint it as I go.

What are your intentions for the summer?

Until next week, friends.