The beginning of the school year is always a difficult transition regardless of whether you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate. Moving back and forth from home to college takes a lot of energy and effort, and jumping right into classes can cause some shock or stress. Even entering my third year of college, I struggle to find a seamless transition and have some difficulty making my dorm/apartment my home for the next nine months. It’s a new space and new environment, but one thing that has always made me feel comfortable and at home is a rainy autumn day.
I have always loved the rain, and just the sounds of rainstorms or thunderstorms have always brought me peace. I even bought a sound machine with rain and thunderstorm settings on it to help me fall asleep. So, regardless of if I have classes, I always end up cozy in a blanket reading or watching a movie on a rainy day at UMass Amherst. My favorite books to read when it’s raining are the classics, especially Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice, Emma, or Persuasion will be resting in my hands. As for movies, The Notebook or Silver Linings Playbook are two of my favorites to press play on. Every now and then American Horror Story or Shameless will be playing in the background.
But I never fully understood why the rain always brought me peace of mind — why rainy days felt like home. The temperature is always perfect in the fall for any rainy weather, the clouds always create a perfect, light shade of gray in the skies, and it’s the perfect time to play that R&B music. But still, for a rainy day to feel like home never fully made sense to me.
I recently learned that rainy days bring comfort to introverts. They’re therapeutic. From the sounds of the rain to the scent that comes in with the rain, these autumn days bring comfort to introverts. Rainy days symbolize a fresh start, a sort of cleanse; and after getting back inside and drying up, the warmth and comfort while listening to the rain feels like a breath of fresh air. It’s almost meditative, providing relief from the stress of daily life because there is less urgency associated with rainy weather.
Not only do they represent new beginnings, but rainy days allow introverts to recharge and take some downtime: “This offers a quiet retreat from the noise of everyday life.”
Even the scent of the rain is comforting. The rain is a direct connection to nature and the earth. Spending more time engaging with the natural world helps ground oneself and invites feelings of peace. So when the scent of rain lingers throughout the dorm, a peaceful, serene sense of nature comes with it.
On top of all of this, autumn is a comforting season in general. It’s no longer too sticky and hot, but it’s not too cold where walking outside feels like a miserable task. Autumn is the perfect middle where cozying up on a rainy day in a blanket with a good book in hand sounds nothing but perfect.
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