I know a lot of people who don’t like the wind, especially fierce winds – the kind that howl and cause trees to groan and loose windows to rattle.

My grandmother was told as a little girl, when the wind howls, the wind is saying, “yooooou’ve been baaaaad!” I don’t understand why anyone would tell children such appalling stories.

I’ve always enjoyed the wind. Growing up on the Pacific coast, winter storms would rage, and the wind would down tree branches and drive rain in horizontal sheets. Ocean waves would crash sending a salty spray aloft to mix with the rain.

I love to stand in the tempest and let the wind and spray dash my face. It feel cleansing and I can feel my nose open and my chest expand inhaling this primeval breath.

Turns out the Dutch have a word for this. It is known as “uitwaaien,” which literally means “outblowing.” It means to spend time outside in the wind, typically walking or riding a bike. Caitlin Meyer, a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam’s Department of Dutch Linguistics, has lived over 20 years in the Netherlands, and says it is a popular Dutch activity.

Uitwaaien is something you do to clear your mind and feel refreshed—out with the bad air, in with the good…It’s seen as a pleasant, easy, and relaxing experience—a way to destress or escape from daily life.

Caitlin Meyer, University of Amsterdam

Read more about it here:
The Simple Dutch Cure for Stress – from Nautil.us