Author: Olly Halton
We’re all familiar with the old words ‘rain, rain, go away, come again another day,’ but is there a reason it bothers us so much? Whilst some people enjoy the comfort and quiet that the drizzle brings, for others it connotes only sadness and loneliness. Everyone remembers the horror films and sad movies that feature rain and storms overhead as our heroes find themselves helpless in their conditions. But people have forgotten the tune to singing in the rain, the joy of kissing someone beneath the downpour, and how one young man won Britain’s Got Talent by dancing in the rain.
So, I think it’s time we got back to being friends with this divisive weather again, don’t you agree?
When the sun shone this Summer, some people celebrated, others probably felt like they had other issues that were more demanding of their time. Those same people may well feel a sense of doom and gloom as Autumn comes calling. They may look at this time as a return to normality, work, school and greyer conditions, but to others this is the mark of the beginning of the Christmas countdown and the return of pumpkin spice lattes at Costa.
Although the cold and wet are indeed terrible conditions for an ice cream, many people still find happy ways to pass their time: from venturing off to sheltered cinemas and shopping centres, to snuggling up under blankets to watch whatever movie Channel Four are broadcasting that day.
Regardless of the skies outside of your window, one of the most important things you can do is to take time for yourself and your mental health. Watch the leaves turn a myriad of colours and fall from the trees, sip a coffee with a book in your hand, or spend some quality time with your loved ones hunched over a game of Monopoly or piecing together a puzzle. The importance of this isn’t just because you’re not a fan of going out and getting wet either. Many professionals agree that Autumnal anxiety and depression are very much a real and perceivable threat, with lack of sunlight contributing to lower serotonin levels which affect your mood, appetite and sleep patterns.
Therefore, taking time for both your mental health and your serotonin becomes especially important at this time of year, as we enter the time of earlier nights, frostier mornings and the need to soon crank up your heaters. People are worried about the rising fuel and food costs that being out of summer brings, childcare costs increasing as they return to school or nursery placements, and financial uncertainty as the new government takes charge.
So, it’s good to take a step away from the world and step outside. Go for a walk in a rain-soaked forest, jump in water puddles again like a child, and taste the fresh droplets on your tongue.
And if you need someone to talk to, in this time where wetter spells are aplenty, you can always reach out to someone to talk to at the Lighthouse Psychotherapy Practice.
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