Embracing the Seasons: Activities to Try During Spring
As spring arrives and nature begins to teem with new life, we enter into a unique time of the year filled with vigor and wonder. Everything around us begins to change and grow – and if we really lean in, this is a great time for us to do the same.
While it can be quite easy to remove ourselves from the natural rhythms of the season – we can eat most produce throughout the year, and driving and city living has made many activities accessible all year round – there is such a joy of discovery in becoming more attuned to the seasons and allowing it to shape the way that we live our lives.
Notice the sounds, blooming of the trees, the scents and the change in the rhythms of nature. Let it inspire your own changes. here are a few simple ways that we can harness spring and enable us to grow with the seasons.
Nourish yourself with spring cooking
Winter is a cozy time to spend more time indoors and eat rich warm meals. Spring’s produce however, lends itself to a cleansing our bodies and feeling lighter and more energetic. Incorporate new produce as they become available and refresh your cooking recipes. It’s especially fun to explore local farmer’s markets and see what foods they offer and learn how to prepare a new type of vegetable or fruit. Foods like radishes, garlic, lemon, and parsley are wonderful cleansing foods that will help your body detox and shed the winter.
Revive exercise and movement
Spring is the perfect time to evaluate and refresh your routines – especially when it comes to movement. If you’ve been feeling sluggish, lean into the season and decide on some new exercise goals and routines. Again, work with nature. If it’s a sunny day, decide to go on a run – maybe to a local garden – or go on walks throughout the day. Move your usual workout to a park. Experiment and have fun.
Do what you normally do – just outdoors
Similar to the recommendations around exercise, now is a great time to take any of your normal activities, and take them outdoors. Enjoy your cup of coffee on a brisk walk on a sunny morning. Take your book, or even your laptop and read or write in a garden. Have group gatherings at the local park instead of the pub or a restaurant for a change. It will be a breath of fresh air in your regular routines.
Create a Spring Bucket List
There are some things you can only do in the spring, so create a list and make it a priority to do the things that you would find most enriching. Not only will you feel more in touch with the world around you, but you’ll feel like you made the most of the transient season. Some ideas include going on bike rides, visiting local gardens as they reach peak bloom, spending time in parks, exploring local museums, aquariums or zoos, hiking or visiting the local farmers market.
Spring Clean & Declutter
As cliché as it sounds, spring truly is a good time to do another declutter to allow your space to feel lighter and feel more like a haven. It’s not simply about getting rid of stuff. Think about how you can curate the objects you do value and arrange them in a way that allows them to shine. This will help you to create a space that’s both functional as well as beautiful. If you need inspiration on organization and declutter, You’re doing home organization WRONG is a fantastic video that outlines how you can not only rethink decluttering, but how you can organize your space so that it suits your needs. It’s both practical, and aesthetic.
Adorn your home and yourself with spring
Bring in some of the spring beauty with fresh flowers and décor for your home. Interestingly, you may find that this act also helps you prioritize and maintain a clean home since many of us may feel that bringing flowers into the home is a finishing touch that needs the proper space in order to let them shine. So this brings both benefits of bringing in beauty as well as order. Also, feel free to get whimsical and put flowers in your hair as well. It’s a simple way to connect with nature and express your more feminine side.
Go on Picnics
Picnics get their own unique call out in this list because it is such a simple pleasure that often gets overlooked. Picnicking is a unique way that some of the most fundamental human activities get to meet in nature – such as mealtime and gathering with friends. I personally feel that having a meal allows us to be more present and grounded to the moment. It’s a wonderful way to experience the beauty of that particular space – whether in a park, overlooking a river or lake, or amid trees. However, there are other known benefits to picnicking such as the fresh air, more exercise and a relaxed environment to connect with those who are with you. I encourage you to visit your favorite spot, set up a simple picnic with dried meats, sandwiches or a full meal, and enjoy the experience.
Foster your Creativity
Human beings are innately creative – and this characteristic belongs to all of us, even if you don’t consider yourself a ‘creative’ person. Creativity is a skill that needs to be cultivated, fed and expressed across multiple dimensions in our lives. While this is a topic will receive its own post at a later point and time, for now, suffice it to say that it’s important to nurture our creativity through action and input – and spring is a perfect time to expand your world with new experiences. This will help you to engage more with the present moment and increase your sense of fulfillment.
This season, explore your surroundings with curiosity and openness. Go to local institutions you may typically pass by – such as museums, aquariums or zoos. Bring friends together, meet new people, encounter different perspectives and try new activities. This will feed your mind and help you generate new ideas for whatever form of creative expression that suits you.