I just finished watching last night’s season 7 finale of HBO’s Game of Thrones and man, it was a good one. Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here. For those of you who like it, you know it’s pretty much about dysfunctional families who are fighting to survive, (too bad there were no systemic therapists back then huh?) Beautifully woven throughout every season is the scary notion that winter is coming and an army of dead people are waiting to make their move. No worries though, GOT is just a show and we don’t need to be afraid. However, I do want to point out that the finale was perfectly timed with the end of our summer. Labor Day is right around the corner and with winter coming, I’m starting to feel those yearly end of summer blues. If you’re feeling them too, there is a cure.

The best way to cure end-of-summer blues or steer off seasonal affective disorder is to start looking forward to what’s ahead. One way to do this is by changing your perspective and reframing. It can be sad when you know that the days are going to start getting darker earlier, with heavier traffic, and the pool is becoming cooler. Instead of thinking about what you could be missing, why not focus on what’s to come. For example, I could say any of the following to myself,  “I have a mini vacation planned for the end of October! Now that the summer is over, a lot of my favorite TV shows are coming back on! I love Halloween, and fall clothes are my favorite! The best thing about winter is staying in on a snow day and drinking hot cocoa!”

Another way to beat those blues is to create a new goal for yourself. It’s back to school season and maybe you now have the determination to go after that home renovation project you’ve been putting off. Maybe it’s time to start exercising and eating healthy now that the BBQ’S are over. Or perhaps you’ve been taking time off of dating and now you want to put yourself back out there.

Lastly, instead of thinking about what you can’t do when it gets cold out, starting thinking about what you can do. Go skiing, improve your relationship, try ice skating, curl up in a blanket with a good book, sit by the fireplace, do a puzzle, wear flannel, or do a craft.

It’s time to bend the knee to fall and winter because now that it is coming, we cannot avoid it. Don’t worry though, there is a lot to do to keep us from getting down about it and in 6 more months it will be spring again!