Happy Spring!
The Spring Equinox is the Vernal Equinox and also brings about rebirth and a fresh start. The snow is melting, flowers are blooming and the days are now getting longer. It also brings about a new season and there is so much that we are able to process physically and psychologically. This is a beautiful season for self care in so many ways.
Spring is a time of natural purification, rejuvenation, healing and clearing and cleaning. This is a great opportunity to look inward and in your personal space to ensure the best environment exists both in and outside your mind. I like to work from the outside and work my way in. First, it’s quicker that way, and second, once you have a clean environment on the outside, you feel empowered and motivated to work on yourself that much more. Psychology Today says that “spring cleaning your living space can lead to improved mood, decreased stress, and heightened creativity. Simply put, a clean room reduces distractions that get in the way of our performance on a wide range of tasks.”
Now, let’s be honest and real. There are very few people that enjoy cleaning. Some people do, but they are few and far between. So I have researched different ways to not only make spring cleaning fun, but also good for the soul.
* Couples Cleaning
* Invite Friends Over
* Have a Cleaning Contest (who can clean the fastest)
* Music Party to Motivate
* Make it a Game
* Cleaning Workout
Try not to do all the cleaning in one day and treat yourself at the end of a long and busy day. Take necessary breaks, maybe after a room before moving on to the next room. Clean over a weekend or even two, depending on the size of your space. In my experience, dragging it out over longer than that, will make it miserable. I like to light candles and/or open windows (weather permitting) to lighten the mood. While my soul enjoys the dark and gloomy/rainy weather the most, there is something special and awakening about the first days of spring. It is magical and beautiful to see the colors and the sun. *allergies however…
So now, we have cleaned our environment and it’s time to clean our auras and our souls. Self care for springtime.
Spring Self Care Schedule
This one is a big one, ESPECIALLY for someone in recovery or dealing with a mental illness. The longer days and sun staying up longer brings about the ability to enjoy nature and solitude when necessary. The colors and the warmer weather will bring the dopamine levels up just by taking a walk during a break from behind a desk.
Improve your energy with a workout after work or yoga during lunch.
Improve your social energy by doing dinner on a patio as the light is available later with friends. The best part about the spring time is when you are on empty, you can say ‘no’ and recharge. However you don’t have to hunker down and hibernate. The spring provides new ways of recharging in light, in breeze, and in ways that we can only do during this season.
Spring Self Care Diet
I love this one too. Gone are the days of eating heavy meats and wintery potatoes. For the spring diet, we can enjoy meats and potatoes, but now, we encourage fruits and vegetables from the garden, light sandwiches, salads and overall a lighter diet. Picture your dinner plate from the winter in front of you – browns and whites. Our spring dinner plate will have many more colors and textures and fragrances, symbolic of what you see outside in nature. This too will help with digestion and bring you out of your winter-gut hibernation feeling, getting you ready for your summer bod!
Spring Self Care for Sobriety
Spring is about trying new things, building, rejuvenation and embracing positivity and growth. This is a great season for those in sobriety, but it can also be a difficult time if you don’t have a good support system. Recovery and rejuvenation go hand in hand in a beautiful way. Each morning, those in recovery wake up (just like the rest of the world does) but with a slightly different outlook; with a slightly different brightness. We continue to want to build our new life and seek out positivity and growth. The exact meaning of springtime. I encourage my sobriety sisters and brothers to soak in this season. Pause. Take the breaths necessary to STAY happy, joyous and free.
Spring Self Care for Mental Illness
There’s not much difference when it comes to Mental Illness and Sobriety. Springtime is a beautiful time for those who suffer from a mental illness (my ‘expertise’ is with Borderline Personality Disorder) to pause. Soak in the sunshine, the raindrops and don’t run from them. If you feel panicky, sit and listen. The earth is always talking, we just have to listen. Silence can be powerful. During spring, the ground is shaking with blooming flowers, and the sky is rumbling with thunderstorms. It’s a beautiful time to listen and relieve anxiety. It’s a beautiful time to dance in the rain.
I got to celebrate Ostara, the ‘rebirth’ of the earth this season. I have been working on my own self care, my own meditation practices and my own rituals for harmony and peace.
I hope you enjoy a beautiful and magical start to the spring season.
The goal of these blogs is to set intentions and to manifest a beautiful and purposeful life! To find beauty in the ugliest of places and to find light in the darkest.
Come with me on this journey as we discover a pathway to healing, health, purpose and joy!
And remember: Don’t take life too seriously, no one gets out alive!
Awaken Your Soul's Potential 