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One of the most difficult things about being an author is factoring in the weather. At least for me, this can determine my energy, mood, drive, and all the other internal requirements for getting any work done. If it’s too hot then I get lethargic. If it’s rainy and cloudy then I get slightly depressed. Don’t even get me started on the cold when I’m made sleepy and then it gets worse when I try to warm up, which brings me back to the first scenario. Given how wild the last two years have been, it’s amazing that I get anything done.
I’ve become rather curious about this connection. Is it a genetic/species reminder from when humans were wild animals? Maybe ancient man was prone to hide during the bad weather and wait for the perfect moment to come out. Kind of like an instinctive fear of the dark since we lack the night vision and heightened senses of nocturnal predators. I think I’m going off topic here. My point is that this doesn’t feel like anything I can control, especially when stressed. Probably a reason why my more recent breaks have gone from a week or two to a month. Coming into a project seems weather and mood dependent at times.
Another part of this might be the weather I grew up with. Someone raised in a hot or cold or rainy region might see that as the norm. So they won’t have any alterations in mood for what they’re used to. Being from Long Island, NY, most of the year was temperate with summer and winter being the extremes. This means I’m more comfortable in a more narrow range or I’m simply screwed if the wacky weather keeps up. I used to be better at handling the cold, but 4.5 years in Florida killed my resistance. This does mean that we can adapt if given time. I hope. Really want that ability to wear shorts in October back.
So, does weather have any impact on your mood and energy?
Legends of Windemere 
Sometimes. I’m an autumn kind of guy, crisp mornings leading to the need for shade in the afternoon. I can function in almost any weather, but extreme heat gets me. My biggest demotivator is distraction. I can’t get ideas on paper when others are talking, watching television, etc.
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Distractions can definitely be worse than weather. Sometimes they’re even caused by it. Ready to write and settling in, but a storm cancels the plans of other people and it remains a full house.
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I can see that happening too.
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Yes. Changes in the barometric pressure affect my mood. High humidity makes me weary. I also like the cool fall weather. I feel much more alert and brisk.
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Humidity: The Jerk of Weather. Such an irritating jerk. 🙂
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So true. I keep turning the air conditioner on and off, trying to get some relief.
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Ceiling fans are my friends now. The AC helps when I know I’m not leaving a room.
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It does, and a lot. I cannot stand hot weather (due to health implications and in general, the mood, the brightness, night lasting way too short, sweating from existing and so on…), so I tend to be far less productive during the warm part of the year and it takes much more effort for me to get moving and get any work done, I don’t enjoy hobbies to the full, all in all my mind feels like it wants to find a cave and hibernate until mid september.
In the autumn and winter months, it is quite the opposite for me, I simply blossom and I am so high on energy, the only downside of it being that everyone else wants to turtle up at home and requires service and caring 🙂
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The sweating from existing is what really gets to me. Think it’s a little harder to breathe too. Hard to find a cool space to work around here too. At least without leaving the house, which isn’t always a possibility.
I can see how the winter energy is an issue for those of us that want to hibernate. This really makes me wonder about human evolution. Some of us are fine in the heat and others in the cold. Then you have those that can’t handle extremes. This might explain the nomadic nature of our ancestors. Following the food and remaining in the more hospitable weather patterns.
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Yes, I agree. It is also a factor that we, mostly, with our actions and rapid industrial development, cause the seasons to be extreme. I remember when I was 5-6 years old, the summers were not this extreme, at least that is how I remember it. 35 degrees celsius was top of the top at how hot it would get, while right now, that is considered ‘mild heat’ ,since temperatures get to 45 degrees sometimes.
And I find it so much easier to warm up, than to cool down. I just wear fluffy comfortable layers. To cool down, I would need to constantly apply water, which is not easy, when you are doing grocery shopping or at your workplace. People say AC , but it gives me migraines, and keeping it on constantly, which is a must in the high temperatures, is detrimental to health.
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The AC is the only thing keeping me going most days. I have to agree that the weather extremes some more noticeable and common than when I was a kid. The weather channels seem to say ‘record highs’ a lot.
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I’m lucky in that the weather does not have an effect on me. (Not that I notice anyway) What kills me is the not enough hours in the day situation. I go nuts when I run out of time. Good luck on the winter shorts objective.
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That’s frustrating. No matter when you wake up or go to bed, it’s never enough.
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It can affect me, especially on days like today when it’s super hot and all I want to do is lie down. And I’m hungry all the time as well, for some reason. Days that are cool, clear and sunny inspire me – I always come back from walks on those days filled with ideas. I do prefer cooler weather to warm, so perhaps it’s good I left Australia and came to the UK 🙂
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I wish we had more cool, clear days this year. Feels like we skipped a season around here. I get the hunger thing at times too. Always thought it stemmed from boredom since I couldn’t get the urge to do anything.
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Yes, I do think it’s bored hunger at times, god knows I eat enough! The seasons are all over the place, aren’t they? I’m already looking forward to autumn 🙂
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I’m sort of looking forward to autumn. Part of me fears that it will be so windy that I’ll need weighted boots to avoid getting blown away.
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Oh no! I hope not. But with all this wild weather we’ve been having, who knows? 🙂
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True. Aren’t there disaster movies that start with wild weather?
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Oh yes, there are. And horror movies too, I think! Ruh-roh 🙂
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Weather does affect my mood. I grew up in the Bronx, but have lived the past fifteen years in Los Angeles, where the weather never changes. I long for the rainy, humid days of summer, the autumn cool-down, the winter freeze, and the spring thaw. Love it all — the extreme days and the temperate ones — because life without seasons is what’s really depressing.
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I felt that way when I was in Florida. The wildlife was more interesting than up here, but I really wanted some period of cool weather. Nice point about having no seasons can be depressing.
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