Summer is Over, Now Back to Real Life: Coping with the September Blues

Summer is over, it's official. But rather than be depressed that your beach time is over, why not start the fall season off with a big bang? Being positive is the key to leading a happy and successful life. Studies show that if a person enters a situation with a negative attitude, the outcome is most likely going to yield negative results. However, if a person has a more positive approach they are going to experience more success and happiness. Therefore, you should start the new season with a positive attitude if you want a positive outcome.

Begin with your wardrobe. Try not to wear too many dull colors. Just because summer is gone doesn't mean that you're no longer allowed to wear bright colors that look good against your tan. Wear a bold shade of pink under that black peacoat of yours. Just a glimpse of strong color awakens the senses, and people who wear brighter colors are said to be more confident and happy than those that always wear dull, gloomy colors. Not only will you be making yourself appear more happy and attractive, you will also be having an effect on those that are around you. People react more positively to colors such as yellow and pink, as opposed to gray or brown. Consider yourself to be performing a public service!

Keep yourself busy. Throw some variation into your routine. Enroll in a yoga class, or start writing a book of your personal memoirs. Try to find inspiration and add creativity to your daily life. Have any interesting thoughts floating around in your head? Jot them down and attempt to make sense of them. Compose a song or a poem, write a love story and make yourself the lead character in it. Fantasizing and daydreaming are known to increase hope in a person, and your level of happiness will be increased as well. The more activities you involve yourself in, the faster time will go by, and before you know it, it will be June once again, and you'll find yourself saying, "Where did fall and winter go? I was having a blast!"

Throw a party to kickstart the new semester if you're still in college. Pick a fun theme such as "Prep School" and invite your friends as well as classmates you don't know as well. It's a great social activity, and no doubt, you'll make a new friend or two out of it, plus it will give you a chance to get a wear out of those ridiculous knee socks and that plaid school girl skirt you bought on sale two years ago.

Set some short term goals you would like to accomplish this year. They can be academic, work-related, or personal. Promise yourself a small reward upon successful completion. Not only will it give you something to look forward to but you will also have more motivation and you'll find yourself working harder without even realizing it.

This is also a great time to increase your romantic potential. New classes bring fresh faces. Partner up with that cute guy in your Biology lab, or exchange papers for proofreading with that John Mayer look-alike in your English class. Interacting with a guy in an intellectually stimulating situation is a great way to get to know one another minus the pressures of dating, not to mention that you're both gettiing valuable work done. You get the best of both worlds!

Learn to love and appreciate September. You might just end up having the best month of your life.