Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again on a Weekday

A few weeks ago, I enthusiastically wrote about Spring 2018 being cancelled. Oh boy, was I completely wrong. I fell for the lure of the outdoor patios and rooftops because they promised me memories of my favorite Summertime activities.

As I sit here on a packed subway train with a soaking wet shoe and a gloomy sky, I realize that Spring is in full swing. We have reached the perfect combination of rainy mornings, cloudy afternoons, and unmotivated city dwellers. The smiles that were once painted on everyone’s face is replaced with the dread of leaving the house to brave the rain.

Over the last few weeks I have found myself dealing with intense writers block. I initially thought it was related to me running out of fun ideas to write about (trust me, it is not) but I started realizing we have been dealing with a few weeks of minimal sunlight.

I have always been someone that is driven by the energy of the sun. I love waking up to sunlight beaming through my windows. Living in a place like the Midwest or Chicago specifically, you truly have to enjoy the beautiful days as they come. I no longer believe it is going to rain until I am getting drenched. The weather changes throughout the day as if you were watching a timelaspe video of the seasons.

I have always heard tourists mention that Chicago has the best Summers. I used to think the comments were due to all the summer street festivals but I quickly discovered it was because of the energy Chicagoans have during the warmer days. I have been to very few places that will act like a 50 degree day is the same as one that reaches 90.

As someone who is driven by the sun’s energy, I always notice my mood shifts whenever it has been consecutive gloomy days. I have spent my entire life living in the Midwest and Northeast so I am used to dealing with gloomy days oh too well.

Over the years I have learned to battle the shifts in my mood in a variety of ways.

• Firstly, I acknowledge that I am feeling down and unmotivated. I am a naturally social person so if I find myself wanting to cancel all my plans (even the ones I am most excited about) I start to some self reflection.
• Secondly, I start to reach out to my family, friends, and my spouse. It might be as small as sending texts expressing my love for them or setting up a time to hangout.
• Thirdly, I get out of the house. If it is a gloomy day I sometimes brave the rain and take a walk or sit in a café to catch up on work.
• Lastly, I treat myself. My treats range from a delicious dessert to a book that I have been wanting to purchase.

Comment down below and let me know how to deal with rainy days. I am sure we all have those days when our motivation has started to ween, so maybe together we can push on.

xoxo

– Shay