Youth Talk

Lana Del Rey’s Summertime Sadness has re-entered the US iTunes chart seven years after being released in a move that’s evoking concern; as questioned by a Twitter user recently, “Is everyone okay?”

Personally, I am having a ball. Time off university means more leisure and I have been really enjoying my newfound free time.

While explaining this to a friend recently, I was asked whether I never experienced a holiday before. Funny, but the truth is that in my last years of school I often had exams to sit when school resumed after a break and even though I never actually studied, the dread of tests often hung in the air. Also, last July I attended university twice a week. This year however, all my academic responsibilities were taken care of well before the start of the vacation and so my free time is truly mine.

Summer’s the season for gatherings by the poolside, extra reading and all else that goes down on the island when school’s out and days are longer. It’s a time to be swell, so why are the trends (musical, at least) showing that the opposite may be true for some?

Well, an obvious reason is that not everybody has time off in the summer. Another less obvious one is that Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) might be to blame. While usually said to affect people during the dark and gloomy days of winter when sunlight is limited, SAD, which is a depression affected by the seasons, can also hit during the summertime. Symptoms include anxiety, insomnia and restlessness, with women more likely to be affected.

The same reasons said to cause wintertime SAD – varied sunlight exposure and associated sleep patterns, along with a predisposition for SAD or depression – are said to cause summertime SAD (-ness) and so those affected will benefit from better sleep habits, exercise, an improved diet and of course, professional intervention when necessary.

Then again, the issues of soaring temperatures and perhaps boredom for some exist still, and so unlike me, you might be wishing the summer away.