October can be a beautiful month in the outdoor world; however, inside of a school, it’s a whole different story.

The “October slump,” sometimes called the “October blues,” affects many students and teachers every year. October not only has major seasonal changes, but it is also an awkward point in the school year. By October, the freshness and excitement of the new school year has faded, but not quite in time for fall break and the festiveness of the holiday season. “It’s kind of like the in-between moment… the weather is changing pretty substantially, and then we also have Daylight Savings [Time],” Ms. Olivia Olczyk, a social worker at GCHS, said. These factors cause both students and teachers to experience fatigue, lack of motivation and increased sadness.

How Does the October Slump Affect Students and Teachers?

Students and teachers have to manage different kinds of stress and workloads. The stress of the middle of the semester is made even worse with many also dealing with seasonal depression due to the rapid changes in the weather. “[There are] dips in motivation, spikes in anxiety… spikes in reported amounts of depression,” Olczyk said. Although spring is regarded by many teachers as the most difficult period of the school year, October is certainly up there, and is often called the “disillusionment phase.” “October is a really busy time,” Mrs. Stacy Custodio, the Grayslake Central math department chair, said. For students, October can be very overwhelming in different ways. With freshmen still transitioning into high school, and juniors and seniors having to worry about college, October creates many stressors that are different for everybody. When these stressors combine with fatigue and seasonal shifts, students can become anxious, and have dips in academic performance. “[Students] have a lot on their plate right now… [there are] a lot of different stressors coming from different angles,” Custodio said. 

Is Everyone Affected?

While it is fairly common, not everybody is affected by the October slump. It is also not rare for people to experience it some years but not others. “I feel like I have [slumped] in years past, but I’m actually enjoying my classes this year, so I’m more encouraged to do homework and study,” a junior student who preferred to remain anonymous said.

Is it Exclusive to October?

Although it is called the October slump, it often carries into November as well. One of the root causes of the slump is the lack of breaks for the beginning of the first semester. Fall break is the first long break of the year, but it doesn’t start until late November. This year, it starts on Nov. 23. “Thanksgiving Break is still pretty far away [from October],” Custodio said.

How Can the October Slump Be Managed?

Managing the October slump can be very difficult, especially when anxiety levels rise and when there are other stressors to deal with. Since the slump is different for everybody, the way to manage it is also different, so it is best to reach out to someone to talk about it personally with. However, Olczyk and Custodio shared some general tips that they found were helpful.

• Designate windows of free time for certain tasks. “I’ll give myself 30 minutes to do this one thing I have to do, so I’m not sitting there procrastinating,” Custodio said.
• Plan things to do during your free time. “Prioritizing positive interactions, positive social gatherings with other people is a good way to get ahead of that, so you have not only something to look forward to, but also you’re increasing interactions with others,” Olczyk said.
• Stay active. “It’s easy during the winter and the fall weather to want to stay inside… but exercise does have really positive effects on mood and energy,” Olczyk said.
• Pick one task to start with, even if it’s a small one. Custodio said, “It’s hard to get out of a slump where you don’t even know where to start, so just picking one thing and just starting it… [you] can start to feel more productive, and then can dig into something that requires more of a mental load.”
• Stay organized. “October can be a lot with the quarter ending and everything… [make] sure you stay on top of your work,” Olczyk said.
• Communicate with your teachers. “[If] you’re feeling like you don’t know where to start, start with a conversation with your teacher,” Custodio said.
• Use general self-care strategies. Olczyk said, “[Make] sure you’re sleeping enough, eating well, and going outside as much as possible.”

Olczyk also shared that for people who struggle with seasonal depression, they can get a sunlight lamp, which is a lamp that emulates light similar to sunlight to supplement the loss of sunlight in the fall. “Even though you are losing that hour of light, you’re gaining it through an orchestrated fashion,” Olczyk said.