Being an expat (also from a warmer region), the weather was one of the first challenges I had to face in The Netherlands. The Incessant rains that go beyond refreshing, the grey and dark skies, crazy gusts of wind, sudden changes in temperature, and sporadic sunshine can become quite nettling and annoying.

Weather has an impact on our health and even on our emotions and energy levels. It can’t induce emotions, but it can definitely affect our mood, and influence our energy level. Sunshine is connected to positive changes in our energy level. Similarly, a darker day with little sunlight and lots of rain can make you feel tired and down.

According to research on the effect of sudden weather changes on our health, ‘weather alone can't make a person ill, but changes in weather are accompanied by a host of other changes that can give a person flu symptoms’. An abrupt change in weather can weaken the immune system and make you more susceptible to germs and bacteria.

Summer days (I am very reluctant to call it ‘summer season’) are coming, but the Dutch weather is well-known for its unpredictability. I was thinking about writing about the never-ending rain, but then the sun came out. I don’t know what the weather will be like when you read this column, but I hope that the sun chooses to stay with us for a little longer.