Rainy Days and Mondays

Today is a rainy day and it’s Monday. The clouds are hanging low, it’s dark even though it is daytime and the atmosphere feels heavy. The wind is bending the big trees in our backyard, swaying them from side to side. It is only April 4, but the thermometer shows 75 degrees.

What to do on a day like this? If you are sensitive to the weather or atmospheric pressures, you may feel depressed and down. The best thing to do when you are feeling low is to do something.

Take a walk
If you are brave enough to face the elements, go out in the rain and look at the clouds and appreciate the rain watering the grass and the trees. You may remember your younger days when you had fun in the water puddles, and watched the birds picking the worms coming up after a good soak.

Listen to music
"Rainy days and Mondays” always bring me down by the The Carpenters was a popular song in the 70s. Sometimes sentimental songs like that are making things worse. Then listen to your favorite music with a more upbeat rhythm.



Visit with a friend
Best thing is to visit and talk with a friend personally. If that’s not possible, get on the phone. If you try to sheer up somebody else, it will make you feel better, too.

Bake a cake or bread
The smell of fresh baking always lifts my spirit. There is nothing like that familiar aroma filling up the house, in anticipation of the warm bread with butter and jam.

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass... it's about learning how to dance in the rain!"
~ Vivian Greene

Take somebody to lunch
In case you have to work, find some coworker and go out for lunch. The change of scenery will change your mood. A friendly conversation, a sharing of somebody else’s life gives you a new perspective on your own situation.

Go to the gym
If you are a member of a fitness club, you will know that a good work-out always makes you feel better. Moving your body, not only gets your juices (lymphatic) flowing but you also get the benefit of the endorphins (the feel good hormones).

Find a respectable physician
If you have a serious case of depression, which last more than rainy days and Mondays, find a medical practitioner who may be able to help.

“When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present … we experience heaven on earth.”

~ Sarah Breathnach

If nothing else, you can be grateful that you can experience this day. Life is not always sunshine; change is inevitable. Our greatest gift is to appreciate what is, finding the beauty even in a rainy day. At the end of a crummy day be grateful that you have electricity, that you have a roof over your head, food to eat, and whatever else is important to you.