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Daria

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17 comments on Friday Five: Feeling Low

Friday Five: Feeling Low

Not sure if it’s that time of year but I’ve been feeling low, low mood-wise this past week. Not sure what to call it. “See You Later, Summer” Slump? Back-to-School Bah Hambug? Anxiety Annie? I’ll stop here. Sarah’s reflection is so, so good. Be sure to read the comment thread as well.

To examine my feelings with curiosity… Why am I feeling low right now?

  1. Am I grieving the end of summer? Quite possible! We traveled a lot this summer and kids were in summer camp for four weeks. Overall, I am happy how this summer turned out (because of camp, I did end up having time to myself!)
  2. Back-to-work anxiety? Also possible! I love where I work and I love what I do but I always, ALWAYS feel a bit nervous at the beginning of the year. Will my students like me? Will my students learn what they need to learn? Will I be able to teach them all I want to teach them? I over prepare so in reality there is really no need to be nervous but guess what? Still am.
  3. Being in limbo with routines. A definite YES! Questions that arise over and over in my mind: will L like kindergarten? Will R like preschool? Will I be able to handle them in these two different locations with pick ups and drop offs? Will I be able to keep up with all the school communications?
  4. Before/after care. Definitely! In my recent post I took some time to examine the lack of reliable before/after care in our family and feel sorry for myself. I know I am not the only one with these struggles. We ended up working with a kind neighbor who will take L to school and pick her up together with her girls (same school). I felt so relieved but the guilt is there. I hope one day we can repay the favor. Ultimately, I will pick L up at neighbor’s house at 3:15PM, then go get R.
  5. Itching to book next trips. YES! A few more payments left on my credit card to pay off Portugal-Spain trip. In spite of that I want to reserve our next trips. Leaf-peeping in Massachussetts at the end of November, a city-break for spring break 2024 (first week of April, thinking Paris), and Thailand over the summer 2024 (to have my dad fly in from Russia and meet us there – no travel restrictions for him, for now.)

What can be done about all of the above that I have not already done? Perhaps turning to gratitude over time well spent this summer, picking away at the Back-to-School to-do list, meditating, a yoga session to take my mind off things… Taking SOME kind of small action to address some point above… Suggestions welcome!

How about you? Slump or no slump?

Posted by:

Daria

Mother, teacher, partner, friend. I love coffee, books, and travel with and without kids. I dislike exercise. Nothing glamorous here but do have moments of insight.

17 responses to “Friday Five: Feeling Low”

  1. NGS Avatar
    NGS

    I’m annoyed with the new WordPress commenting system. LOL. This is not your fault, but it is encouraging me to figure out my WP stuff, which is probably a good thing.

    I just wrote a post about this very thing! I feel very melancholy about the end of summer. I know that in September my SAD starts acting up, the days are getting noticeably shorter, and my husband is busier and can’t spend as much time with me. There are things I’m looking forward to in the fall, including cooler temps and delicious food, but it’s very much a mixed bag for me right now!

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      SAD- I get it, too. Looking ahead and having something to look forward to- that’s a great idea.

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  2. Lisa of Lisa's Yarns Avatar
    Lisa of Lisa’s Yarns

    I am actually very ready for fall. I don’t look forward to the shorter hours of daylight but we all really need to get back into a routine, especially my 5yo. It’s only day 2 of him not being in his summer program and I’m already thinking – can school start tomorrow?? We are piecing together care for the next 2 weeks which has its challenging. He is a kid that really thrives on a routine/schedule so I am sure that’s why he’s acting out a bit.

    I’m glad your neighbor can help when T is traveling! I am sure you will “pay her back” in the near term! Try not to feel guilty – I try to offset the guilt by thinking about the fact that I would do the same thing for another person that I needed done for me.

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Next week I am full time, pedal to the metal, and the kids still have 9 days at home with T working from home. Ugh I’ll be tough and probably a lot of screens but we’ll make it. I keep replaying it all in my head… Spiraling…

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  3. Diane Avatar
    Diane

    I totally get the “back to school” anxiety – I feel like every time I start working on a new show, it’s the first day of school. I know how to to my job, but I’ve never had to do it with *this* group of artists, so I don’t know how things will go.
    And changes to routines – to think about them and think about them but not quite get to do the new routines yet… I’m the kind of person who is better at reacting to a situation rather than being proactive about it, so having to run scenarios in my head and not getting to see how things really work makes me restless. I’d been spinning a lot about how the oldest was going to get to school, and yesterday, she had a practice day and she … just walked. And it was fine. In my head walking was the worst solution, but in reality it was great. (Until it rains, I guess…)

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Diane, I’m glad to hear I’m not alone with the anxieties. Ultimately I think it will all work out but not knowing is uncomfortable.

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  4. Coco Avatar
    Coco

    sorry to hear you’ve been feeling low, hope that’s temporary and you feel energetic after the rest and break.
    I am surprised that I was not feeling the low after the holidays, maybe because it was a really relaxing easy holiday (no travel), thus I was energetic to get back to the routine, slowly, adopting some relaxing feeling adopted during the holidays.

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      That’s a great strategy Coco!

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  5. Tobia | craftaliciousme Avatar
    Tobia | craftaliciousme

    Having time to yourself with two little ones is so great. Glad you had that chance. I wonder, does it feel like some sort of a new job when you get back to school after break? Maybe that is the anxious/excitement about. Just wondering.

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Great question. Yes, sometimes it does feel like a new job! It’s exciting but also needs time to get used to 🙂

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  6. elisabethfrost7gmailcom Avatar
    elisabethfrost7gmailcom

    The transition out of summer into fall is always a rough one. I will say that I tend to feel a lot of relief just because summer is so intense with the kids home most of the time BUT I also grieve the loss of the warm weather, the ease of getting out the door (no hats! no mittens!) and I also dislike mornings, so once school starts back up it’s a tough time for me of getting used to having to really be “on” first thing in the am.

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      I feel you with my whole heart.

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  7. Grateful Kae Avatar
    Grateful Kae

    I get it!! I feel like I’m not exactly in a slump but just a little…unsure about things. It’s been weird because Ethan started school, but Asher hasn’t yet. So I feel like I’m establishing all these routines and kind of “settling in”, but then in the back of my mind I’m aware that some of this is going to need to change and shift once we also need to add in Asher’s school drop off, other activities, etc. Like if we could just leave everything as it is right now, we’d be good! But in reality, I have TWO kids in school, not just one… hahaha.

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Haha! Oh the struggles, it’s good to laugh about them, I for sure need to lighten up

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  8. Marginally better – Mom of Children Avatar
    Marginally better – Mom of Children

    […] friends to listen to a summer band and have a bite to eat. I didn’t want to go because I was in a funk but I told myself to get out of my head and just go. And I’m glad I did! We had a nice […]

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  9. San Avatar
    San

    Seems like a lot of us are feeling some sort of slump in the summer-fall transition. I am sure you guys with kids feel it even more with routines changing again. For me, it’s often just the realization of the passage of time and how fast everything goes. How is it the end of August?

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Hey San! The passage is time is palpable for sure.

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