‘Today it looks worse than it did yesterday… and that’s says something…’ was my thought when reading the weather forecast on my phone first thing in the morning.
I watch the 2-minute local weather forecast clip which is updated every day. I also have the hour by hour forecast which tells me the % chance of rain, temperature, strength of wind and even the ‘feels like’ temperature. I am armed with weather warnings, the lot! Never have I been so weather empowered!
‘Another day of rain… I can’t go out in that… another day stuck indoors.’ By the afternoon my energy levels were flat, my mood lowering, I had lost any interest in doing work, housework or anything indoors.
A respite in the rain. I grabbed my phone and went for a walk around the local housing estate, chatting to my family. By the end the call, the sky had cleared to reveal an impressive sunset.
My mood was elevated by being outside, even if it was in a concrete jungle. A thought crossed my mind… ‘when did I become allergic to the wind and the rain? when had I conceded my week off work to become a series of groundhog days… bad weather forecast… staying in… getting bored… lowering energy… lowering mood… and no motivation to do anything!
Armed with a new vitality, I set out the next day on an ambitious walk. I did return realising my waterproofs and boots no longer kept me dry as they once did. I also returned energised, motivated and with a positive mood.
On reflection, it seems that in trying to gain control of the weather, by gaining every statistic about it, it had left me the opposite; being controlled by it. Afraid of even trying to weather the weather!
chrisbarkermindfulness.com
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