Inflation fears push some economists to advise planning strategies during the fall, but psychologists typically do not share that timetable. The question remains: which approach should guide him through uncertain times?
In contemporary discourse, psychologists often surface after disasters, yet their greatest impact may come earlier in life. Today, they are called upon to comfort people who feel damaged by traumatic situations, such as fires that could have been mitigated by proactive forest management and preventative firefighting. While immediate intervention is crucial for those in shock, preventive psychological work helps debulk harmful ideas and reduce compulsive fixations before they take root.
Methodologically, the field encourages living with awareness in the present. Sustaining life in a steady, ongoing present moment helps curb the pull of past regrets and future worries. A mindful approach emphasizes grounded attention and purposeful presence, rather than a frenetic pursuit of every fleeting experience the market of sensations might offer.
Some economists predict that the consequences of a hot, expansive summer will ripple into autumn and perhaps beyond, though they can only imagine a bleak winter under constraints on energy use and rising costs. The sense of pending strain takes root in the psyche, making people feel as if the future is a long corridor echoing the past, stocked with warm rooms and cold taps as if the present could not be depended upon.
For those returning to work after upheaval, autumn often carries a sense of an impending apocalypse. Yet for anyone who has not yet tasted summer’s fullness, the season can feel distant, even irrelevant. It can be difficult to imagine the ordinary pleasures—the gentle fall of leaves, a weekend break—while inflation gnaws at daily budgets. And even as summer offers bright light, those with sensitive eyes know the season never lasts long enough, and the wait for longer, lighter days can stretch endlessly.