Some say that February is a drag, but I maintain that November is the most depressing month of the year to me, at least from what I’ve encountered, and I think I have a few reasons why that seem to stand out.
- It’s right after Halloween, that cool time when a lot of folks are dressed up as stuff and got a bunch of candy or other treats in some fashion. So it’s like coming down off both a cosplay and sugar high.
- Some people insist on starting to play Christmas music right at the start of the month, and if you’re listening to the same thing constantly for two months straight, it gets to be like a tinsel drill to the earholes. There’s a lot of music out there for whoever but don’t wear it out on yourself.
- Elections happen, and politics with me is generally feelings of wanting terrible things to happen to others, and of course political crap peaks right at election time. I can’t help but wonder if that year’s election will be the last, as any overall party majority concerns me at least a little.
- Thanksgiving can vary, but some families might decide to bring up a lot of issues with each other that they did or didn’t feel like discussing on Facebook over the whole year prior. I don’t know that sitcoms are particularly accurate, but I hear of families entering significant turmoil.
- Consumerism goes nuts and really wants to drain your funds, and that can be draining on the spirit. The advertising with that gets pretty aggressive. It’s key to hold back a bit and if you do pick up something, maybe it’s something you were thinking about all year but were just waiting for a bargain. And it’s not the end if you don’t get it, even if you’re getting gifts for someone and they’re stuck on the whole “I have to get this or else everything is ruined” thing. If it’s not an absolute necessity, it helps to build a sense of humility. Also doesn’t help the stores tend to blast Christmas music non-stop too. Again, I’m not against that music, just please use it sparingly so you don’t hate it by the end.
- I’m all for donating to charity, but the way a certain one shows up right at the front of every store feels like being accosted. Sometimes people need persuasion or reward for donating, but be sure to look into what each charity does and how effective towards the cause the donation will be.
- It’s almost the end of the year but not quite, there’s just one more month. And the days keep getting shorter as that happens, since it’s past the Autumnal Equinox and Winter Solstice is still a ways off. Of course, this only applies to the Northern Hemisphere. But a lot of the holiday stuff still comes up worldwide, and election times vary by country.
December comes around after and feels like a bit of relief since they go ahead and make it all “magical” and whatnot, plus it’s not much longer before the end of the year. I feel that December is when all that Christmas music should start, though if you really like jumping the gun, sure, there’s Thanksgiving as the start point, but I still think the longer it goes the more grating it can get. If you do it occasionally throughout it’s not so annoying. We’re almost through another year, at least. I’m not saying to get depressed, I’m just trying to find ways to stay up in the down times as they come up so I don’t fall into a worse situation and don’t find a way to climb back up. Knowing the causes helps come up with solutions, and knowing you do have things, not necessarily “things” but just anything, to actually be thankful for, the supposed point of Thanksgiving, puts things into perspective.
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