5 tips for embracing and enjoying June Gloom! #weather #summer

I grew up an area of Southern California where “weather” doesn’t exist. Most days it is 75°F and sunny, perfect year round. Sure I’ve experienced my fair share of earthquakes, but I’ve never seen a tornado. My school was closed down due to a brush fire once, but I’ve never had it cancelled because of a snow storm.

If the temperature drops below 70°F everybody breaks out their jackets and beanies. If, by some amazing miracle, it actually rains you need to make sure you leave for work early because you will hit traffic of people who don’t know how to drive in the rain.

As most people know by now, California is experiencing an enormous drought. For us, the phrase “April showers bring May flowers” is completely irrelevant. However, we do have a specific phrase for the weather we do experience this time of the year: “June Gloom.”

Throughout the majority of June our weather pattern changes dramatically. While we are expecting blue skies and perfect beach weather, we wake up to grey clouds, temperatures in the low 60s°F, and sometimes rain. This gloomy weather will usually burn off by the end of the day, leaving us with that Summer weather we were hoping for.

Most people prefer to stay inside and ignore the fact that we are experiencing weather more ‘winter like’ than our actual winter weather, but I’m the opposite. I love this change of pace, rain often calms my anxiety, and I love feeling this bit of Winter in the beginning of my Summer.

There’s a lot of things that you can do to enjoy this calming June Gloom before it’s over and we move into a hot July!


Tea and Cocoa

One of my favorite ways to start off my morning is with a homemade Chai Tea Latte or a mug of Hot Cocoa. It just feels so right when the weather outside is so grey!


Classic TV Shows: Netflix Marathon

There is something about rainy cold weather that makes me crave curling up in a blanket and watching an old TV show. I’ve seen every episode of I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Leave it to Beaver. All my favorites! Recently I’ve gotten into a show from the 90s: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I tend to start my morning off with an episode while I get ready for work.


Calming Car Ride

I used to have really awful driving anxiety. I still do when I drive long distances or on the freeway for longer than about 20 minutes. However, I love driving around my small town. There is something really relaxing about driving around my town when it’s cloudy, or raining slightly, or just getting dark.


Create

I will always crave being creative. Making something happen, writing, drawing, organizing, creating, I love it. Overcast weather strikes the same string in my heart that being sick does and makes me really want to do something creative.


Bake

This weather makes me reminisce of the holiday season, which makes me want to bake! I love to go on Pinterest and find some cute gluten-free recipes to play around with.


What is your favorite kind of weather? Does cold overcast weather make you want to do different activities than hot clear weather?


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Embracing June Gloom
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10 thoughts on “Embracing June Gloom

  • June 9, 2015 at 12:31 pm
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    I adore this post mainly because I’m the same way. I enjoy gray and rainy days for the simple fact that they beg for things to be taken slower and more peacefully than we normally would. They’re days for cuddling up, for warm soups and blankets. They’re days to reflect and indulge. Everything good for the soul wrapped up in one, huh?

    Reply
    • June 9, 2015 at 12:34 pm
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      My thoughts exactly! Warm soups are my comfort food, specifically French Onion soup, yum! Can’t resist that on a cold cloudy day.
      Slowing down and enjoying days like this tend to help calm my anxiety and get me relaxed for the rest of the week.

      Reply
  • June 9, 2015 at 3:32 pm
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    Living in the Valley of the Sun- I love the occasional rainy day. But I also lived in Seattle for a time when it was gloomy and rainy or snowy every day. That’s hard for a lot of people. These are great tips to get through some not-so-fun weather!

    Reply
  • June 9, 2015 at 6:34 pm
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    This is such a great list. I actually like when it rains because it’s the perfect excuse to get some coco or tea, watch some movies and stay in bed.

    Reply
  • June 9, 2015 at 7:01 pm
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    Those are some great activities. We had a lot of rain this year here in TX, so we are finally out of the drought and the lakes are full. Hopefully you all will have better weather.

    Reply
  • June 10, 2015 at 5:23 am
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    I grew up and lived in SoCal for years before moving to the country. I’ve heard about the drought. Hang in there. It sounds like you have some great ideas to move through it.

    Reply
  • June 14, 2015 at 3:19 am
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    I definitely agree! A cup of hot tea or hot chocolate with marshmallows and a TV binge is my favourite way to spend a rainy day! (Unfortunately we get a LOT of those over here!)

    Reply
    • June 14, 2015 at 11:46 pm
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      Unfortunately? I would love to live someplace where it rained more often! Some of my best memories are rainy days so I would love to live in an environment that reminds me of those more often!

      Reply

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