A Colorado summer is hard to beat. The sun pours down on us as we climb mountains, bike gorgeous paths and run on intense trails. It’s impossible to not find something worthwhile to do in the great outdoors during the summer months.
Now that September is here and summer comes to a close, I find myself smiling more.
Sure, autumn brings plenty to the table when it comes to smiles. I can sleep peacefully without sweating in the summer heat, pumpkin spice lattes are available and Halloween is just around the corner. However, this isn’t what makes fall a pleasant alternative to summer—it’s the relief from Colorado Summer Anxiety that brings a smile to my face.
Before writing this article, I did some Googling, and I’m pretty sure Colorado Summer Anxiety has not been established. That being said, I brought this topic up with a few Coloradoans, and each of them instantly understood this idea (and related to it), which makes me believe I’m really on to something here.
So, for a COcentric first, I propose a new definition:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Colorado Summer Anxiety
Colorado Summer Anxiety, felt by Colorado residents, is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by excessive feelings of guilt for enjoying any leisure activity that takes place indoors during the summer months.
I’ve been dying to catch up on Breaking Bad, but my Colorado Summer Anxiety is preventing me from relaxing and enjoying it until early October.
Colorado Summer Anxiety is fueled by multiple sources.
We all see the summer beauty just by looking outside, and the constant pressure from friends’ Facebook photos (Look, my 5th fourteener this month!) and patio drinking Instagrams only contribute to the problem.
Concerts that take place at any venue other than Red Rocks seem like a waste of a summer evening, and being anywhere near Denver on Cruiser Night makes you want to put your car in storage until snow begins to fall.
Ignoring summer-only events and avoiding social media doesn’t help much, either. Computer weather widgets displaying five days of solid sun certainly don’t help, and unless you hide in a soundproof basement, the sound of your neighbors children playing in the yard will make you feel guilty for being on your ass under a roof.
Colorado Summer Anxiety is tough, that’s all there is to it. So what’s the solution?
Honestly, the only cure I know of is autumn. There are ways to treat the symptoms, though, and that is by actually enjoying Colorado’s summers. We live in a magnificent state; we should not take it for granted. So before autumn completely relieves us of Colorado Summer Anxiety, crack open a beer on a patio, read a book by the pool, go for a hike and try out a new trail. There is plenty of time in winter to play video games and have Netflix marathons.
Well, at least until Colorado Winter Skiing Anxiety kicks in, anyway. But that’s a topic for another day.
