Isn’t there something relaxing and comforting about crying on a rainy day?
Pit-pat pit-pat. You’re curled up on the couch in your living room or next to the window by your desk, watching the raindrops race down the glass. It’s nice. The longer you stare at these little raindrops, your mind wanders. Don’t they resemble tears?
The Symphony of Rain and Tears
If you start to imagine and let your mind daydream, where are these raindrops coming from? Raindrops are tears that come out when clouds become too heavy to carry any more moisture. In that sense, raindrops are tears too! We cry when we can’t handle the emotions that bottle up anymore while the sky cries when the clouds can’t contain their tears anymore. As they fall from the clouds, these raindrops have a short journey until they splatter onto the hard pavement. When it’s a heavy rain, puddles form. Soon after the rain stops, the puddle remains for a little while until it evaporates, returning to the sky as clouds.
The life of a raindrop is a never-ending cycle, just like our emotions. We cry when we can’t handle it anymore until we get that momentary relief to help us carry on with our day. Eventually, that relief runs out and we need to cry again.
Our emotions are the same as the water cycle. Just like how rain washes away the dust and grime from the world, our tears wash away our pent-up emotions.
The next time you see those raindrops streak down a window, remind yourself that everything’s okay. Don’t be ashamed when you feel like crying because just like the sky, you need to cry too.
Why is Rain So Soothing?
Did you know there's science behind why crying on a rainy day feels so cathartic? It's sensory congruence - when our inner emotional state matches our outer environment. I often feel a lot more at peace and calm when it’s a rainy day outside. Even while I’m drafting this, I’m listening to the calm sounds of rain on a random YouTube video to get me in the mood for writing. Rain calms us down and slows down the busy lifestyles that we all have.
Take some time to relax when you see the rain outside! Remember that we should enjoy life and not just partake in the endless rat race. Close your eyes and just listen. Everything else is gone, but focus on the soft pitter-patter. Envision the life of those raindrops and think about your own. We stress out way too much daily. Slow down and just enjoy the moment we have right now.
Rain Slows Down Life and Makes Us Feel Alive
Rainy days often force us to slow down, to stay inside, to be still. Rainy days are always my favorite, for exactly this reason.
We get to stay inside for a day. Maybe you’ll curl up on the sofa with a book or watch a movie, but you get some time purely for yourself and the people you love. This pause from our usual hustle and bustle creates a safe cocoon where we can let our guard down. It's like the rain is giving us permission to be vulnerable.
Even when we’re outside, a rainy day is a nice change of pace. We lead our lives by going to work and commuting back home. We repeat this so often that life often just becomes a blur that we can’t keep track of. But don’t you remember the last time that you were caught out in the rain?
For me, I was waiting to go home, but the rain came down pouring minutes before I got off work. I decided to make a break for the train station, with the rain splashing against my shirt and on my face. It was different from just walking to the train station. I felt alive. Maybe this sounds crazy to you. However, I see the rainy day as a nice bookmark in our daily lives, where we can remember the moments that are occurring around us. I can remember the last rainy day I had, but I can’t remember what I even worked on last Tuesday.
The Comfort of Solitude
Crying on a rainy day often involves being alone, but it rarely feels lonely. There's a beautiful solitude in it. The rain outside becomes a gentle companion to your tears. The sound of rain is soothing and you can even imagine each raindrop as a friend who’s listening to your story. The noise of the rain is nature speaking to you (but maybe this makes me sound like too much of a hippie..) The sound of rain is a form of ‘pink noise,’ a constant sound in the background, just like white noise. Pink noise has been proven to help us relax and reduce our brain wave complexity.
That might be why those rainy days help us reflect and find clarity. As your tears come into sync with the raindrops on the window, you’ll find yourself processing emotions or coming to realizations that were too difficult to face when light is shining in your face on a sunny day.
The Physical Release of Tears (or Rain)
Now, this might be a hard one, but can you remember the last time that you’ve felt like crying and you’ve suppressed it? Occasionally, I hear about how people hold back the urge to cry because it wasn’t “the right time or place.” Sure, it might not be best to cry in the middle of a park or during a meeting at work. You might disrupt the people around you or an important meeting, but then, is there a right time or place to cry?
I find that a rainy day might be nature’s way of reminding you of those sentimental moments when you want to let your raindrops come out. When those first teardrops come out, you might even notice that your body has automatically synced up to the rhythm of those raindrops. Your breaths become deeper, or your tears might fall in time with the one raindrop that you’ve been tracking down to the base of your window.
This physical synchronization can be incredibly soothing. It's like a gentle reminder from the universe that your feelings are valid, that it's natural to have ups and downs just like the weather.
A Multisensory Experience
Crying on a rainy day isn't just about tears and raindrops. It's a full sensory experience:
- The sound of rain creates a natural white noise, drowning out the world's distractions.
- The cool, damp air carries the fresh scent of petrichor - that distinctive earthy smell you recognize after the downpour.
- The soft, diffused light of a rainy day, gently resting on your tear-swollen eyes.
- The taste of salt from your tears.
- The sensation of a warm blanket or soft sweater against your skin.
All of these sensations come together to create an environment where you can’t argue that it’s not the “right time or place.”
The Aftermath
One of the most beautiful things about crying on a rainy day is the aftermath. Just like the cathartic feeling that envelops you after a good sob, the sky leaves you with clear skies and a rainbow. How beautiful is that rainbow after the rain?
There's a reason people often say they feel better after "a good cry." Emotional tears contain stress hormones and other toxins that build up during emotional stress. When you cry, you're literally releasing these chemicals from your body.
So go ahead, find a cozy spot by the window. Wrap yourself in something soft. Listen to the rain. And if those tears come, let them fall. Let them mingle with the raindrops on the glass. Let them wash away what needs to be released.
After you cry, you feel fresh. The world looks a little clearer, feels a little lighter. And you, my friend, you'll have weathered your own internal storm, coming out stronger on the other side.