Changing Seasons, Temperatures and Perspectives

Spring is slowly arriving in the north, and at least once a week I find myself commenting on how truly spectacular northern spring is. Bright blue skies, more than ten hours of daylight, the warmth of the sun’s return... plus still being able to enjoy winter activities but with fewer layers? I am here for it. The changing weather has me reflecting a lot lately about how the changing seasons impacts my perceptions of the weather. 

What’s really stuck out to me this season, is how our perceptions change based on context.  For me, the fall is a tough time of year - I really love the summer and am always sad to see it go with the changing weather.  When the temperature start to cool the fall, I really feel it, and it takes me a bit of time to adjust to the cooler temperatures.  As the weather dips into the -10°C range in the fall, I am COLD. I am bundled up in layers.  But when the temperature begins to warm with spring’s arrival, and we reach that -10°C range once again, I feel like it’s practically t- shirt weather.  Last week I did spend about half an hour outside on my deck in that temperature in a t-shirt. It’s the same temperature, yet I experience it so differently at various points in the year. After months of much colder weather, it absolutely feels warmer outside, but -10°C is -10°C, right?  Maybe it’s because I know that truly warm weather is on its way and the anticipation of that helps?  I’m not sure, but it’s something I’ve reflected on a lot recently, and in speaking with friends, they notice the same thing.

Another concept that I’ve been reflecting on in relation to the changing seasons is duality.  In one context, -10°C can feel cold, and in another context -10°C can feel warm, and both can be true depending on the circumstance.  Duality is something I often explore with clients, we can really appreciate some things about someone, but that same person can have also caused you harm.  Multiple things can be true at once, and we can feel multiple ways about any particular thing or event, or person. Perhaps -10°C in the fall includes an element of mourning for me; the colder, darker days have arrived, and while I love winter, I REALLY love summer.  While -10°C in the fall might have an element of mourning, -10°C in the spring may contain an element of celebration for the warmer days ahead. 

Another concept I’ve been thinking about in relation to the changing seasons is time. I haven’t heard it much recently, but at one point I encountered the saying “time heals all wounds” semi-frequently.  While I do not believe that time necessarily heals, I do think that time sometimes can lead to a reduction in intensity of things. Time can allow for new experiences and insights to occur, which can shift our perspectives. Really, part of what we’re aiming to do with trauma therapy is to change perception. We can’t change what has happened, but by changing how you think about it, or changing the meaning you make of whatever has happened, we may be able to decrease the intensity of symptoms. The way I think about difficult experiences in my life today compared to when I was 17, or 10, are all different.  I’ve changed, had new experiences, gained new knowledge and operate in the world in some different ways.  Each of the previous ways I thought about that same thing can be valid, and they can change with time.  

The thing about changing perceptions is that it’s often subtle. Unless we think back to how we felt about something at a specific time, we often don’t notice the changes we’ve experienced. This is especially true in therapy, sometimes it can feel like things aren’t getting better, until you look back at six months ago, or a year ago and really consider where you were then versus now. So, while the seasons are changing, I hope you look back at the seasons in your life and recognizes the ways that you’ve changed as well.