Dancing in the Rain - 7 Tips to Encourage You to Play Outside When It's Raining

If you're the type to complain about rain because it prevents you from doing the activities you love in nature, the following text is for you.

Not only do I want you to move more, but I also want you to discover that part of the fun of being in nature consists of appreciating all its aspects.

Preventing yourself from going out on rainy days means depriving yourself of 120 beautiful opportunities per year (that's the average number of rainy days) to do what you really love.

All the more reason to find reasons to take advantage of this beautiful opportunity for renewal.

1.       Prepare accordingly

You know, with adequate clothing and equipment, you can stay dry while walking in the rain.

If you tend to feel like a steamed sausage under your poncho as soon as you start moving, know that there are waterproof clothes that let perspiration pass through and are perfectly adapted for physical activities in all conditions.

Besides your jacket as protection, it's important that your feet stay dry in waterproof shoes. You can add rain pants or gaiters if needed to make sure you don't get too soaked. For upper clothing, favor wool or breathable fabrics, avoid cotton.

Your backpack should also ideally be waterproof; if it's not, there are covers you can add over it. Think about your food and make sure to store it in a waterproof compartment to prevent water or humidity from spoiling it.

Also think about spare clothes, just in case, and of course, make sure they're protected from humidity.

Equipping yourself for hiking means preparing to face all conditions, especially if you're thinking of extending your stay.

Many outdoor enthusiasts started appreciating rain by doing long hikes or expeditions. When you go into the forest for several days, it's almost certain you'll have to deal with a few raindrops, and it's by learning to outsmart this element that it's possible to see beyond the discomforts to appreciate its many benefits.

2.      Change your way of seeing things

Instead of seeing rain as if you were an Avenger and it was an enemy to fight, see it rather as an opportunity to live a totally different experience.

Instead of focusing all your energy on your discomforts, open yourself to the benefits of rain and observe how nature changes in contact with it. With an open attitude, you'll quickly find meaning and advantages to going outside when it rains.

And if you have a little difficulty doing this, dig into your childhood memories and you'll surely find a scene where you were jumping in puddles of water and mud without worrying so much about being soaked. No, I swear, you had a smile on your lips while dancing in the rain.

Rain is life, and without its help, nature would simply vanish. Going outside when it rains is a way of thanking it for the benefits it brings us; it's therapeutic.

3.      Enjoy the calm and intimacy of nature

Few hikers venture onto trails when the weather is rainy. This context provides a precious sensation of serenity that is amplified when you find yourself in the forest during a rainy day.

Animals sense when trails are less frequented, and some are more inclined to use them in broad daylight. You'll have more chances of encountering an animal on your path.

Some small creatures like frogs, salamanders, snails, earthworms, certain spiders, and slugs are also attracted by rain; it's the moment to better understand how these usually more discreet animals interact with their environment.

You can also appreciate all the artistic work of spiders whose works are revealed to us by the humidity drops that attach to their threads. It's a true open-air museum that is particularly spectacular on rainy days.

4.      Appreciate relaxation and rejuvenation

You who invest in yoga classes, meditate, and decompress by listening to relaxation music, I guarantee you'll find all these benefits just by going out in nature in the rain.

Like birdsong, the sound of rain has relaxing properties. Specialists have discovered that certain regular sounds act on our brain like a lullaby. That's why the sound of rain offers so many benefits.

When rain falls in the forest, it also helps fill waterways whose flow accelerates, amplifying the volume of its score. Besides being a delight for the ears, the vitality of waterways is a source of inspiration for the eyes. Take advantage of it to meditate on the sound of the waterfall that offers you a free show.

If you find I'm starting to be a bit too new age for your taste, your rational side will be delighted to learn that it's scientifically proven that rain concretely contributes to healing certain diseases.

Charged with negative ions, which are particles that absorb harmful elements in the environment, rainwater thus helps keep you healthy.

5.      Open your nostrils wide

Rain particles are like capsules that transport the olfactory imprints of all the places they've visited. Their abundance in the air on rainy days means that forest odors are strongly amplified.

You'll smell more distinctly the earth, stone, bark and leaves of trees, different plant species, the powerful fragrance of conifers—in short, odors that are always present but are more subtle when everything is dry.

6.      Bring out your artistic side

Rain can be associated with melancholy and sadness, but also with joy and serenity. Rain makes different states of being emerge in us that can nourish our creativity.

A photography or painting enthusiast can perceive an opportunity to highlight certain contrasts or particular textures that aren't perceptible when the weather is nice. Indeed, tree bark changes color, the green of plants becomes more luminous, the earth darkens... A new perspective opens on the world, and all that's missing is your talent to immortalize it.

Music lovers can appreciate new tonalities or new rhythms, not only in the song of rain and waterways, but also through the transformations that water causes on elements. When the earth is saturated with water, sounds become heavier; each of your steps is a unique sound imprint that harmonizes with the rhythm that rain establishes.

Rain also plays on tree leaves like a concert of applause saluting you as you pass. All these transformations constitute an almost inexhaustible source of inspiration for the creative being that you are.

7.      Try different sports

Hiking isn't the only outdoor activity that offers you new perspectives when you practice it in the rain.

Mountain biking enthusiasts know that rain transforms trails in sometimes very interesting ways. Riding through a small pond or mud puddle always makes outdoor activity enthusiasts smile. It's a completely spontaneous way to return to childhood that fits very well with this sport's mentality.

Kayaking in the rain can also prove to be a very pleasant experience as long as the interior of your craft is protected by a skirt! The river will offer you more thrills and the lake a new kind of peace. Just make sure there's no storm on the horizon. Rafting is also an activity that finds its advantages on rainy days, as river currents are accelerated.

In conclusion, rain is more than a vital element; it's an opportunity to see life in another way and to reconsider the value of what we often take for granted.

Doing outdoor activities on a rainy day justifies the privilege of a dry break in front of a hot meal and fireplace, keeps morale up despite the grayness, and finds ways to stay balanced even if the ground is slippery.

And the day when the rain falling outside makes you want to go outside to dance, you'll have understood that the sun alone cannot make all the colors of life's rainbow appear. A little rain is always necessary to bring out all the potential of the living world. And good news—you too can grow like a plant under the action of falling water!

Sources:

https://www.quechua.fr/conseils/8-bonnes-raisons-de-randonner-meme-sous-la-pluie-a_129422

https://blog.lacordee.com/randonnees-sous-la-pluie-cauchemar-ou-plaisir/

https://www.psychologies.com/Beaute/Visage/Soins-du-visage/Articles-et-Dossiers/L-eau-une-pluie-de-bienfaits-pour-le-corps

https://www.eauvergnat.fr/5-raisons-daimer-la-pluie