How the Sun Affects My Mood

𝐼𝑓 𝐼 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑎𝑦. 𝐼𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛’𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦.
^@crosheille

^{photo credit: @riverflows}

Does the sun affect your mood? It sure affects mine.

I literally check the weather throughout the week to find out how each day will go.

”What? She determines if her day will be good or bad based on the weather?”

Well something to that effect.

On the days it is cloudy and/or rainy it is much harder to get out of bed.

_{Snooze button don’t fail me now. 😁}

It’s like the sun is my true alarm and alerts me saying

hey I’m up now so it’s your turn to do the same.

When I don’t see it (or feel it warming up my face) my body tells me to keep snoozing. Especially if the weather is cooler outside it makes me want to cuddle my blankets a little longer.

I am not a cold weather person.

Did you know that researchers found more mental health distress in people during seasons with less sun exposure? Contrary to that days with plenty of sunshine were associated with better mental health. Sun exposure is known to help keep you calm, positive and focused.

The availability of sunshine has a huge impact on mood. We can call it a mood enhancer because it just makes people feel good and it gives us a boost of energy. It even gives some a sense of excitement!

Sunlight increases the levels of serotonin in the brain, which is associated with improved mood.

Makes sense why serotonin levels are highest in the Summer months.

Guess what? The amount of sun exposure you get in a day could also determine how well you sleep that night. The sun also affects how much melatonin our brain produces which is what tells our brains it is time to sleep.

If you are one that has trouble getting to sleep at night maybe getting more sun during the day could help you rest better. 😉

_{Melatonin don’t fail me now. 😂}

^{photo credit: @riverflows}

I have noticed the availability of sunshine affects not only me but my entire family.

My husband tells me he struggles to get going and motivated when it’s cloudy outside. He tends to get sleepy around lunchtime if there’s no sunshine. Without those rays his days are longer at work.

My kiddos drag around the house and I have to help motivate them to get their school work and chores done. They automatically think if it’s a gloomy day we will have the day off to rest. 🤣

You can imagine me, already struggling myself to face the day, having to muster up extra strength to keep the household accountable.

_{Oh Mr. Sun don’t fail me now. 😫}

I can’t say I feel depressed when it’s cloudy but I do feel a sense of slack and sadness.

It also seems as if the day moves in slow motion.

Do you ever feel that way?

The days seem so much longer and tiresome when the clouds dominate the sky.

^{photo credit: @sanguinehaze}

Sometimes the clouds hover like this for full weeks at a time. As a photographer it’s hard because I greatly rely on that natural sunlight to capture my best photos.

I’d choose natural light over using the camera flash in a heartbeat. Photos tend to come out so much better and are easier to edit when taken in natural light.

When the sun doesn’t come out to visit I have to realign my posting schedule (according to topics) and hold off on doing the ones where I feature my photos.

_{This usually puts me in a funk. 🙄}

Having quality photos is one of my top priorities when creating a post. They set the tone of my writing and help draw the reader in. Having a visual representation of what I’m trying to convey is of high importance as it gets your audience more interested and engaged in your topic.

Now you see why I rearrange my schedule if I’m not able to get the photos I am seeking.

No matter how hard I try to ignore this fact and go on normally with my day I can’t...the sun does affect my mood.

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