Rainy weather is not bad weather!

Rainy days have been synonymous to melancholy and sadness, depression, being miserable, and just about anything that isn’t happy or positive. We sigh and huff when the weather app tells us that it’s going to rain. We groan in agony when it actually does.  

According to Ken Yeager of The Ohio State University, a lack of sunlight could actually trigger a reduction in serotonin and as you might've already known, serotonin plays an important role in boosting our moods. So, when its gloomy out and our serotonin levels are scarce, it’s likely that we’ll feel a little down in the dumps.

Biology aside, I think the way we perceive rainy weather plays a part too. In pop culture, rain is often used as a tool to depict such feelings. We understand that whenever we see a character get caught in the rain on an already bad day, that we should feel sorry for them; that they must have felt so miserable. Even in the English language rain is seen as a mood-ruiner or an impending doom to be avoided as best as possible (think: “To rain on someone’s parade” and “Saving up for a rainy day”). 

But I’m here to say that there’s some beauty and merit to them.

To me, rainy weather is an opportunity to unwind; an excuse to cancel all plans, stay in, and pamper myself with some TLC. I mean, when else would it be acceptable to text your friends “raincheck?” 

Not to mention how complimentary the pitter-patters of droplets and the dark skies can be for my naps – makes me feel as snug as a bug in a rug! 

And when I’m outside – particularly at night – the drizzles just add some romanticism to the evening. The lights are reflected on the wet pavements and with that, adds some glow to the city. Suddenly I’m Owen Wilson in the movie Midnight in Paris and everything just feels light and beautiful and poetic.

In Islam, we believe that the rain is a blessing and that supplications made during such time will always be received by God. 

So, I think it’s high time we shift the way we think about rainy weather. It can't be all that bad, couldn't it?