Yesterday the weather woman told Ireland that July had been the wettest, bleakest, coldest and dullest one of modern times, and when I look out of my window August looks to be following in July’s footsteps in a big pair of wellies.
The next segment on the news was about the surge in people booking package deal holidays and how small loans applications had gone up. Normally most people book their sunny trips back in January but this year July has been the busiest month with people hopping on flights last minute style, suitcase in hand and dusty sunglasses perched on their heads.
Of course we all know that the sun can effect our emotions, helping our brains produce serotonin, the happy hormone, making our moods rise with the temperature. For us Irish that means we got stuck somewhere in spring and since then our moods have been at an all time low, along with our finances and the sun.
Beside the loss of sun people need breaks from there everyday life. We need time to relax, wind down and be the person we really want to be, maybe its a beach bum or babe, maybe its a sky- or a scuba diver, maybe we just want to spend time painting, writing or indulging in hours of other fantastic hobbies reflecting the true us.
Studies have even shown that it is not just a break we need but actually spending time on the beach is good for us. Why is unclear, but the sound of the waves lapping up on the beach, sand between our toes and the sun making the water sparkle and glisten seems to affect us more positively than a stroll in the park or a weekend in any great city would. That we feel happier and more relaxed when walking on the beach or sunbathing beside the sea seems to just be hardwired into us.
So maybe the fleeing Irish are really just following the lure or the sea and by taking time away from the wet world of Ireland they will come home, happier, healthier and much more able for a probably equally wet winter ahead.
