This Spring in San Diego, we experienced an unusual amount of rain. When it rains here, most everybody grumbles about getting wet, or how terribly San Diegans drive in the rain, but they also acknowledge, “It’s good for us to get rain.” Rain is a mixed blessing for our environment and lifestyle, but what is less talked about is how weather affects our thoughts, feelings, and activities.
I remember an episode of “The Office” in which the staff members bet on how many “Rainy Day clichés” Phyllis would use in one day. Here’s the list of phrases that Phyllis uses on her rainy day:
1. It's raining cats & dogs out there. Holy Moly.
2. Nobody knows how to drive in the rain
3. The roads are actually slickest in the first half hour
4. The plants are going to love this
5. I actually sleep better when its raining
6. This weather makes me want to stay at home curled up with a good book
I am admittedly guilty of using many of these rainy day clichés (and I bet you are too). Even so, let’s take a closer look at the last two phrases. The 5th phrase states “I actually sleep better when it’s raining.” Weather, as well as our environment, has a profound effect on our state of mind and mental health. The sensory experience of rain is all-encompassing. We see dark clouds roll in, droplets form on our windows and on plants, and the landscape change color as it gets saturated with water. We smell wet pavement, the scent of the earth, and wet plant matter. We feel water drip down our bodies, cooling us off. Finally, we hear the calming sound of rain on the roof or the ground, and even perhaps the occasional sound of thunder. There may also be some negative experiences that come with the rain - anxiety about driving safely, discomfort in getting wet, fear of lightning, thunder, flooding, mudslides, and more. The unpredictablility of the natural world can be simultaneously awe-inspiring and frightening
Phyllis’s sixth phrase is “This weather makes me want to stay at home curled up with a good book.” I feel you, Phyllis - both my tea and book consumption increase significantly in cold, rainy weather. The outdoor environment (a.k.a. “nature”) impacts our mood, bodily sensations, and choice of activity.
I could go on and on about the profound ways that our mental health interacts with the environment around us. The science underlying this newly emergent field of ecopsychology is taking off, and it is incredibly compelling (more on that in a future blog post!) But for now, I want to leave you with a few questions to reflect on:
Where do you feel most at peace? What sensory experiences do you have at that place?
How has your relationship with the natural world developed or changed over your lifetime? Have you had profound spiritual/mental experiences in nature?
What is one way that you can enhance your connection to the natural world today?