Hot Under the Collar? Welcome to the Dog Days!

Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer. It’s the time of year when traffic is lighter, meetings are smaller, and life gets just a little bit slower for most people.

For much of my life, I thought the phrase came from the observation of how lazy and slow dogs became in the heat of summer. Maybe you thought that, too? Nope – the ancient Romans noticed that when Sirius and the sun were in close proximity, the weather became hotter and more humid. Sirius, aka the Dog Star, is the brightest star in Canis Major, or the Big Dog, constellation, hence the Dog Days of Summer.

How does your life shift in the summertime?

If you have school-aged children or grandchildren, chances are you spend a bit more time with them than you do in the rest of the year.

If you teach any kind of class, chances are your classes are smaller this time of year.

If you work in the hospitality industry or any medical field where there’s flexibility in the timing of treatments, your workload increases this time of year.

In addition to the extra heat and extra storms, a shifted schedule can create extra stress in your life. “Hot under the collar” literally and figuratively at the same time is a bad combination, so be gentle with yourself. Summer is a good time to be sure you’re taking care of your own mental and physical needs with regular self-care and exercise, or at least time outdoors. Even just ten minutes a day without a roof over your head will improve your mood as it melts your stress. If you need ideas for dog-days-of-summer stress relief, the world’s second-shortest podcast can help. Each episode is less than 90 seconds long and includes actionable content so you can move on and have a less-stressed day.

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As you enjoy the different pace of summertime, maybe your ten minutes a day could happen in the evening, when the sun goes down and the crickets, frogs, and cicadas will serenade you. Open the sky app on your phone and find Sirius the dog star in the southern sky. If you’re good with constellations, you’ll probably find it easily.

As you gaze at one of the brightest stars in the sky, remember the Romans who started this whole “dog days” thing with a misunderstanding of how things work. They managed to entertain people through the centuries with their mistake, so be gentle with yourself and others during these Dog Days when mistakes are made. Happy hottest-part-of-summer.

Actually, I like Dog Days better, don’t you?

Wags,
Sandy Weaver
The Voice of Wagaliciousness!

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