The last few weeks have been full of sunshine. I’ve been back in singlets and (almost) back in shorts.

And then, today.

Cold. Cloudy. And rainy.

When I meet people for the first time here in London, one of the first things almost everyone says to me is “why did you move from Australia, with all that sunshine, and you’re here!”.

Well, for lots of reasons.

Depending on my mood I’ll either smile politely and move the conversation on, or I’ll dig my heels in and start talking about how much the “weather” conversation is boring.

I’m not one for small talk. And I’m certainly not one for talking about letting weather determine how I live my life.

Yes I love the sunshine. I’ve lapped it up and turned my balcony into an imaginary beach the past few weekends.

But I also love rain.

Like today.

There’s a permission piece in rain that says get cosy and settle in.

I was thinking about this after a client session this morning. She actually brought it up, that the rainy day was a nice feeling and I agreed.

It is a good feeling. I love the calmness that washes over my entire neighbourhood when it rains. It’s quieter. Cleaner.

Beckoning everyone to get cosy and stay indoors.

And, while the current stay-home policies mean we’re already likely indoors, still the feeling of a rainy day invites more calm.

Which got me wondering, what if we could have a rainy day any day we choose? If we could summon up that feeling of cosiness, permission to slow down and soften?

When I write about getting trapped in the busy cycle I often talk about that feeling of urgency to keep going and add more to your to-do list. As if there’s a magic number that once we’ve added enough things and “done” them all, then (and only then) we get to feel good.

Yet actually, the moment it rains, we instantly give ourselves permission to feel good. To feel cosy and calm.

So why not give ourselves that same permission any time we choose.

You don’t need a rainy day to take things slower. Or to stay in your dressing gown all day. You also don’t need a rainy day to soften.

How could you take a rainy day approach the next time you feel pulled in multiple directions? The next time you feel that frustration and stress bubble up from your day – what would the rain say?

First published on www.thedaisypatch.co.uk/blog.

Author(s)

  • Danielle Brooker

    Joy Coach and host of Let It Shine podcast

    The Daisy Patch

    I say I help people reclaim their lives from ‘busy’. But what I really do is teach them how to have a deeper relationship with themselves and connect with more joy. Having got stuck and burnt out myself (in a great job I didn’t feel great in) I retrained as a Life Coach and certified Meta Dynamics™ Practitioner (think deep, lasting change). Now I get lit up by anything related to human behaviour, positive psychology, mindset, neuroscience, yoga, meditation, Ayurveda and body-mind connection. I write about what you can do to bring more wellbeing into your life, the kind that lasts, and that gets you living less on autopilot and more on purpose.