As the bright and flowery spring break came to an end, Centennial High School students poured back into the school building, welcomed by a bountiful week of rain. As the seasons are changing, so are students’ emotional well-being. Returning from the break, it appears the most common feeling, especially with seniors, is the mental state of being unmotivated. Having the year come close to the end may cause this restless excitement, but the sudden weather shift could also be responsible for this circumstance.
Despite the many benefits given by the rain, such as helping the electrical, industrial or water cycle, the weather event itself is typically associated with the emotion of sadness. Rain often occurs in movies and TV shows whenever a sad situation is happening, such as a funeral. Filmmakers have commonly used this technique to dramatize the scene by associating the dark, gloomy weather with an overall sorrowful mood. Yet, outside of movies, many still continue to feel down and even unmotivated during the school day as it rains. Senior Philip Lee stated, “It definitely impacts my motivation for the day from the very moment I wake up. I feel groggier than usual and there’s a bone-chilling cold in the air even in the summer.”
Other research has stated that lack of sunlight leads to the decline of serotonin, which connects to depression, or most specifically, seasonal affective disorder; since the springtime produces a lot of rain, it comes with cloudy weather, blocking out the sun for long periods of time. Rain can also be a contributing factor of disrupting your sleep-wake cycle and simply bringing general irritability due to temperature change. Lee strongly stated, “I’ve always disliked how humid it gets when it rains. It makes you feel sticky and gross all day and any smell or odor in the air just sticks around.” This can relate to students’ distaste for walking to and from school and their portable classes, especially with no umbrella or jacket.
Unlike individuals like Lee who aren’t fond of the rain, senior Ceci Newton believes “It’s beautiful. The sound is so soothing, and the air smells nice afterwards.” In fact, it has been claimed by scientists that the sound of rain creates the same effect as white noise, filtering out other possible disruptions to a good night’s sleep. This also aligns with the spiritual idea that practices or medications associated with rain are believed to connect the mind and body to nature. In the end, all of these ideas lead to relaxation. Plus, with better sleep and relaxation for both the mind and body, happiness is expected to increase.
Another factor that can play into this is how one has experienced rain in their childhood. For example, in Newton’s case, she has always enjoyed watching the rain and trees sway along with the wind. Newton would also grow happy when the rain “help[ed] the plants and grasses grow in the spring and summer[time].” Another aspect of rain are thunderstorms, and Newton is especially a fan of them because the sound feels relaxing.
In school conditions, Newton still found it calming. However, Centennial is built with little to no windows in all of the classrooms, and she wishes she could look at the rain out of a window during class. Despite her strong feelings, Newton totally sympathizes with how rain can also be an annoyance when traveling to school. Lee feels that “overall … the rain is just a massive inconvenience for anything you have to do like walking to the bus, running errands, or simply going outside.”
For the many students living within Centennial’s mile walking zone, the rain can be a hindrance when trying to get to school. Newton understands, but reasoned, “Although I’d rather not get wet if I can help it, I like walking home in the rain if I have an umbrella. In the right mood, it can be quite meditative to stand out in the rain for a little bit.”
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