This morning I was woken by the pitter patter of rain. I made myself a coffee, turned on the morning news and watched as the rain came down. I looked closely to see whether it was enough to make an excuse not to water the garden. Then it stopped raining and I was getting prepared to go for a walk and to enjoy the smell of the morning downpour. But let’s finish my coffee first. By the time I finished my coffee it started to rain again. This isn’t the first time this has happened. By the time the rain has had enough of nurturing my part of this earth it is time for the sun to beat down to the point where it is a bit too hot to walk down the street.
I think most people’s moods are affected by the rain. In drought-stricken Australia a strong downpour can be a cause for celebration. In other places where the rain never stops it could be a trigger for depression as there may be days and days or rain that just dampens their days. Other areas may have floods that can shutdown cities or even large parts of the country. Today I would like to talk about the positive effects of the rain.
Rain has been known to be a good tool in reducing the effects of anxiety. In a study in Iran, they used the sounds of nature which included the chirping of birds, rain and water and found that it helped to reduce the anxiety experienced by patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Anxiety was measured on patients that received the sounds of nature intervention, and compared to patients that did not, the anxiety levels were significantly reduced before and after the operations.
Personally, I seem to like the calming effects of water in its many forms whether it be the sound it makes in the rapids of a stream or a waterfall, or how it helps me to keep fit when I swim. I even joy a little bodysurfing at the beach when I get a chance. Feel free to share your positive mood experiences from rain or water.
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The effect of natural sounds on the anxiety of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5688625/
