Don't let the sun get you down

I recently read the status of one person in FB :
" XYZ is feeling sad".
It took about 5 minutes for some person to write a comment below :
" Noooooo you can't be sad today, it's sunny outside".

My immediate question was, what the hell does the weather conditions have to do with somebody's sadness?

At this point I might have to refer to my sympathy/empathy-posting I made before Christmas (see the posting HERE ). When someone's feeling sad, the empathetic person tries to support them by asking why they're sad and then co-feel their sadness with them by being present and listening. The sympathetic person tries to cheer up the sad person by making up all kinds of reasons why this sadness shouldn't exist, or by demonstrating that there are worse things in this world than what you're experiencing, so "CHEER UP BUDDY". Needless to say the FB-comment above falls on the sympathy-category.

I should mention that I'm not a person who's mindset is controlled by the weather. I can be sad and un-social even though it's sunny, and I can be happy even if it's raining. A planet somewhere far far away and the non-existence of clouds at any particular time just can't make me feel better if my mind is bothered by something gloomy. Nor do I feel that it's my duty to go outside when there's beautiful weather if I don't feel like it. "But you're wasting a wonderful day by staying inside!!". Sorry, but no. How can it be a waste if I'm doing what I feel like doing and enjoying myself, although indoors? On the other hand, I can be the cheeriest person even if it's been raining for weeks, that is if there's something to be cheery about.

Hey, you, Mister, yes you under the tree!
Having a nice sunny day eh?
Don't stay in the sun too long because
IT WILL BURN YOU ALIVE!!

Weather just doesn't have an effect on me and my mood. Weather is just something that happens, regardless of myself. I can't control it, so it doesn't need to play a bigger part in my everyday life than it already does.

I understand that people mean well when they're trying to cheer you up, or forcing you to appreciate the pretty day outside. They see a FB status like the one above as a public cry for help, and they run to the rescue with these lame lines about weather, because it's the quickest cure to the problem from their point of view. But do they really expect the answer to be "oh yes, you're right, there's sun outside, so what the hell with my problems, everything will be better if I just appreciate the weather".

Sunlight will make you feel better if you're suffering from vitamin D deficiency, but that's about it. Enjoying the sun is something that care-free people can do, not those who are under the weather.

As someone who comes from a country where you have very little sun light for about 4-5 months of the year, you can't let the weather get to you too much. In Finland, not caring about the weather is a means of survival during the winter months. That's why we start saying right after 21.12. that "oh look, only 6 months till midsummer" or "from now on the days will only get longer and longer" even if it's still a long way to having even 5h of daily sunlight. We focus on the big picture, because it's what gets us through the darker months. If we got sad every time it got -30 degrees outside and there was a week long blizzard, we'd all be cutting our veins sooner or later. Instead we say "who cares about the weather when I can have a cozy 24 degrees inside my house,a nice fire in the fireplace and there's good TV and salmiakki".

Well, I say it anyways.

Of course we frolic around like crazy people during the summer months because there's SO much light and we can't sleep, but that's another story.

"Dude, sometimes I feel like it's raining all the time down here"
"I hear ya bro, I hear ya"

So next time someone tells you they're feeling sad, ask them why and listen, instead of trying to fix their problem. Next time your friend wants to hang out inside even though there's a sunny day outside, let them be, or join them in their indoor fun. Accept the fact that not everybody feels like the sun is the coolest thing ever, or needs to be conditioned by it. Sun is fun, but only when you're already in a "fun" mood. Sun is something extra. A bonus you didn't expect on an already amazing day.

Besides, staying indoors is SO underrated.

Have a good one folks!