"Weather is a very complicated subject that effects the mood of people and changes the way you remember a day. But your mood and weather also seems to be supported by science and a specific disorder that some have, but many don't know about." - Bryson Saunders-beckles, Grade 11
The autumn and winter seasons are my favorite times though, especially November. It’s cool and damp, but not too cold or wet. The mood set by it is calming and melancholy, and I love that. Summer weather is cool, but I usually prefer cooler weather with darker clouds. And as I’ve heard before and learned from this article, there’s a scientific basis for this. Especially with those affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder.
People who are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder often experience shifts in their mood as the world changes with them. Including depression during the more downbeat seasons, and nervousness and stemming during the spring and the summer. No one really knows why it happens, but it's often a source of stress for those undiagnosed who experience anxiety from a seemingly inexplicable shift in mood. It’s incredibly common, with about 3 million cases a year according to Mayo Clinic. It also tends to occur more during later seasons like fall and winter. Small amounts of research also seem to indicate that Vitamin D deficiency may be a factor, but nothing really concrete.
Adding on to this, weather also statistically changes the mood for people who aren’t affected by this disorder. The uplifts moods, accentuated with fluffy clouds like cotton candy. Moods fall with the rain, hang low and somber with the clouds. You’ve probably noticed in some measure when you’re in your car on the way home. Or when you're at home, and it's raining outside. You might feel in the mood to do something relaxing, like play video games or eat some comfort food while you're in bed (assuming you don’t have homework to do that day or over the weekend.)
Weather’s an interesting subject to cover, especially depending on how you approach it. You can talk about how it affected your day and what alternate routes that you had to take because the rain made the road slippery, or tell a tale about the thunderstorm the other night. Stuff like that is what I’m focusing on for this article. That and November weather within the Bay Area, which has a track record for being unpredictable and particular. Remember when the smoke from the fires literally turned the sky orange and yellow, for example? (it didn’t happen in November.) That was nightmashish and most definitely a hazard to our collective health, but I loved how unique it was for as long as it lasted (Which hopefully was very, very short.) It looked like the end of the world, and yet managed to be one of the standout days during my quarantine for how much it changed things. That’s often what I want to do. Some people paint, some people knit, some people write (like I should a bit more often.) What about you? What’s your favorite weather?
My Sources:
Here comes the sun: how the weather affects our mood By Nick Haslam, Published on the conversation.com on October 22, 2013 3:44pm
Why Weather Affects Mood? By Ekua Hagan, Published on psychologytoday.com on April 23, 2020
Can Weather Affect Your Mood? By Katie McCallum, Published on houstonmethodist.org on July 14, 2021
Mayoclinic Seasonal Affective Disorder By “Mayo Clinic Staff” Published on mayoclinic.org on January 7, 2021
