Wander at Will: A case of the summer doldrums

Editor’s note: This story is part of our Wander at Will series, which is designed to inspire you to enjoy the many recreation opportunities in your Will County preserves in whatever ways you are able to. Whether you’re a well-traveled explorer or just starting your outdoor adventures, digital marketing coordinator Meghan McMahon hopes her first-person adventures will help you find new ideas, tips and hidden gems to make it easier to connect with the outdoors all year.

As Lana Del Rey famously sings, "I got that summertime sadness." It's too hot, too humid, too sunny. Anyone else feel the same? I'm sure I felt differently in those early days of June, when I welcomed every drop of warm sunshine on my face, but now, a few heat waves later, I'm over it. 

I start to feel this way about this time every summer. You know how some people get seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, in the winter? I sometimes joke that my summer seasonal affective disorder sets in soon after the Fourth of July. 

Apparently summertime SAD is a real thing. I looked it up. According to Cleveland Clinic, seasonal affective disorder is most commonly associated with winter, but it can affect people in the warmer months too. 

If you're a summer lover, this summertime depression might not make sense to you. I get that. What's not to love about summer? It's warm, it's sunny. The days are long, the birds are chirping. It's practically a Disney movie out there. 

But sometimes the days feel too long and too hot. And summer can affect our routines and sleep patterns, further contributing to SAD, according to Cleveland Clinic.

For me, the heat certainly plays a role. I would rather be hot than cold any day of the week, but day after day of high temps and humidity wear me down. It just makes me want to stay inside after awhile. And we've had our fair share of 90-degree days this summer, so the air-conditioning is calling my name by now.

As part of this Wander at Will series, I've made it a point to get out and experience the seasons as they come  — the good, the bad and the ugly. This summer, that has meant getting outside on days when I definitely otherwise would have rather stayed inside. (Like the evening I took a sunset walk when the heat index was 107.) 

I'll continue to take whatever the season is dishing out, for better or for worse, but I'm also going to be intentional the rest of this summer about honoring my feelings about the season and accommodating them when I can. 

What will that look like? For starters, I'm going to lean into the things I do enjoy about summer. That means indulging in more ice cream than I probably should. And I love flowers, so I've started cutting bunches from the blooms in my yard to brighten up my house. 

I'm also going to be more intentional about getting more sleep because being tired has never helped my mood. And when I can, I'm going plan to spend my time outside in the early morning and evening, when the sun isn't so intense and the heat tends to be more bearable. 

Luckily, the forest preserves are well-suited to my need to experience summer in the off-hours. Most preserves open at 8 a.m., early enough to avoid the harshest part of a sweltering summer day, and some — primarily the premier fishing spots — open even earlier, at 6 a.m. And all preserves close at sunset, which means I can end my day with a long walk without having to feel the sun beating down on me.

On those days when it makes the most sense to get out in the middle of the day, preserves with visitor centers can be clutch. I typically start with a walk on a trail near the visitor center then head inside to cool off in the air-conditioning when the heat is starting to take its toll on me. Sometimes I'll head back out for a little more of the great outdoors, but sometimes I'm done with the summer heat for the day. 

And that's OK. Summer isn't for all of us. Some of us are just counting down the days until fall.