If you’ve thought this year’s "May Gray" and "June Gloom" have been extra gray and gloomy, you’re right.
Alex Tardy, with the National Weather Service San Diego, said there were 20 days of May gray, 11 is the average. He said June had seen an even worse trend so far, already hitting the average nine days of mostly cloudy weather barely halfway through the month.
San Diego Resident Tom Gonzales said he is ok with the clouds.
“For me, it’s perfect, but I know a lot of people want sunshine all the time. I’m cool with it. I’m fine with it,” he said.
Pacific Beach Resident Ryan Wacker said the clouds still beat 10 feet of snow and 20 below zero weather.
"But still we came here for a sunny San Diego so this last month or two it’s been a little rough for my wife and I after not seeing the sun,” he said.
But for some, the weather has a big impact.
“Overall, it makes me sad. It makes me want to sleep in, I don’t want to get out of bed, exercise, although the cooler temperature is nicer to exercise in, it doesn’t help my seasonal depression disorder,” Point Loma Resident Lisa Grijalva said.
Experiences like Grijalva’s are common and can happen when the weather doesn’t match our expectations, according to clinical psychologist Joanna Savarese.
“When there is a mismatch between what somebody expects and what actually is reality, there could be a sense of loss,” Savarese said. “And when there is a sense of loss, there tends to be low motivation. You can be tired and don't want to engage in activities you usually will engage in.”
She said this sense of loss could affect eating and sleeping patterns and mood.
“When there is a lack of UVB rays, UVB rays directly impact our vitamin D and when our vitamin D has lower levels, often that can impact our serotonin and also our dopamine, which play a critical role in our mood,” Savarese said.
But there are ways to help those gray and gloomy feelings.
“To get the summertime sadness into summertime happiness, it's definitely good to engage in activities outside,” Savarese said. “Even though it may be more gloomy, still go to the beach, take a walk, walk your dogs, socialize, get out, be with friends. Do what you were going to do originally. Just have a little bit of a plan B, for when the weather is not exactly as you expected.”
Savarese said artificial light can also make a difference, like it does for Lisa Grijalva.
“I have a light that I use for at least 30 minutes a day and under that light helps me out a lot,” Grijalva said.
If that’s not enough Savarese recommends considering mental health services like psychotherapy and medication.
She also encourages people to check in with children and elders about their moods and be alert to changes in behavior.
“If your children are being less social, if they aren't seeing their friends as much, if you have noticed that they might be sleeping more. I think it's really important that when there are shifts in our environment and everybody else is noticing it around, we should just check in with the ones that might not notice as much," she said. "Talk to your children.”
