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by Wolfgang Jenewein
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Last week, I wrote on this channel about toxic positivity. Usually well-intentioned, excessive and inappropriate insistence on maintaining a positive mindset often leads to frustration in the recipient. The feelings of others are disregarded, and one’s own comfort takes precedence over a deeper engagement with the emotions of those involved. It’s simply easier to stay on the surface and point out that things aren’t that bad or that they’ll surely get better soon.

Naturally, we experience things very differently: what’s a trivial matter for one person can be truly significant for another. For example, what’s really been affecting my mood these days is the weather. Yes, I know we have bigger problems in the world, and I even tried for two months not to take it too seriously, but by now I’m genuinely annoyed. I love summer, the sun, and the water. As a child, I would count the weeks until we could finally go to the sea, and even today I still celebrate the longest day of the year with my best friend. So I’m all the more disappointed by the rainy weeks we’ve had. Every day filled with clouds and showers feels like a summer day lost forever. The days just slip away, and the remaining summer time melts away like snow in the sun ;-). To make matters worse, my best friend, in these melancholic moods, always asks: “How much summer do we really have left?” 😉

What really gets to me these days is the weather forecast. You hope for good news, but it just doesn’t come. What’s even worse than the gloomy predictions is the way they’re delivered. Whether on the radio or TV in recent weeks, I’ve heard something like: “In the morning expect brief showers, but by the afternoon it will brighten up again, before raining again in the evening. All at a pleasant 21°C.” Well-intentioned, they try to give the listener a good feeling, but for me, it has exactly the opposite effect. I’d feel much better if someone simply said: “I’m sorry, the summer isn’t what we all hoped for. Today, there aren’t really any good prospects either.” Such a statement doesn’t change the weather, but it fosters understanding and connection. Those who sell people crap as gold and coat every bad message with sugar actually do more harm than good.

As for me, I now avoid weather reports and instead often listen to Rudi Carrell’s song: “When will it really be summer again? A summer like it used to be.” . .»
I then sing along, and it already makes me feel better 😉

How are you dealing with the weather? And what are your strategies for staying in a good mood?

Warm regards,
Wolfgang