Confessions of a Reformed Pleasure Junkie

Hey, I’m Addison. You’re reading Bigger Than Me, a newsletter about mastering the skill of compassion. Sign up or scroll to the good stuff.

It comes on like clockwork.

I'll be sitting around in late August on a cloudy day, and find myself in a funk.

I have always thrived on sunny blue skies, so a persistent blur of grey hanging overhead will typically dim my day.

However, when Autumn rolls around, the melancholy these clouds bring feels extreme.

Nothing is exciting, the days drag on, and a steady drumbeat of monotony mixed with anxiousness creeps into my life.

The simplest tasks end up requiring a herculean effort to finish.

I used to sit in this low-hanging fog for most of the season with only the promise of upcoming holidays keeping any motivation alive.

Now, it typically takes a day or two before a lightbulb turns on in my head and I see the real trigger for my mood change…