Springtime Wellness Guidelines: 3 Tips to Help You Thrive in Springtime

Mind, body, and nature are one.

They are inseparable parts of the same Whole.

And they are in a continuous dance with one another.

Like a school of fish, when one moves the others change course too.

This is what traditions from around the world have taught for thousands of years, but most of us haven’t learned the art of truly holistic living.

And it’s having a negative impact on our mental health.

Because anytime you live in ways that are not in harmony with nature’s rhythms you create stress.

But when you adjust your diet and lifestyle to complement the natural flow of energy, you thrive.

A big part of this is adjusting your diet and lifestyle to balance out the shifts in the seasons.

And this is especially true in springtime, when nature is regenerating, everything is moving up and out, and life-force is abundant.

Springtime energy is puppy dog energy.

Nature is waking up from its winter slumber and that which was hard, cold, and immobile is starting to thaw.

This can lead to a lot of damp water accumulation which needs to be cleared out so new things can grow.

When you’re living in harmony with spring’s energy you feel enthusiastic, creative, open and loving.

But when you feel stuck, directionless, frustrated, anxious, overwhelmed, moody, or restless, it’s a sign that you’re not supporting spring’s exuberant energy within you.

Some other symptoms that show an imbalance in spring include PMS, allergies, headaches on the sides or top of your head, a bitter taste in the mouth, pain and tension on the sides of the body, irregular bowel movements, lethargy, foggy-brain feeling, physical and emotional heaviness.

Here are 3 spring wellness guidelines to help you thrive:

1. Wake up before dawn and watch the sunrise.

Following the sun’s rhythms is one of the most powerful ways to tune into the energy of the season.

And this has physiological effects that impact mental health and overall wellness, too.

Because when you go outside for sunrise (or at lease before 8 or 9 a.m.) you expose yourself to natural blue light which sets off a cascade of hormone reactions that are essential for your mind and body.

Of course, you still need to get enough sleep.

So going to bed within a few hours of sunset is just as important as when you wake up.

(Click here if you’d like to learn more about optimizing sleep for mental health.)

But don’t overdo it.

Spring is when you want to wake yourself up, so avoid taking naps this time of year because they’ll promote more heaviness than you need right now.

2. Get moving and break a sweat

Winter’s stillness is important for collecting energy, but it can also lead to accumulation and stagnation.

And when energy isn’t able to move freely it can have a negative effect on both the mind and body.

Spring is when you want to promote more flow and movement to clear out accumulation and break up stagnation.

Which means that now is not the time to sit still.

It can be challenging to motivate yourself at the beginning of spring when winter’s inertia is still weighing you down.

But once you start to move, the momentum will build inside of you and you’ll feel spring’s energy carry you so you can push yourself a bit more.

Make it a point to move throughout the day and break a sweat at least once.

Sweating is a sure sign that you’re moving vital energy throughout your body and clearing out what is no longer needed.

3. Eat Seasonal Foods

An easy way to acclimate yourself to any season is to eat as many freshly-harvested, local, and organic ingredients as possible.

Because the foods that are growing in nature anytime of year are perfectly in tune with nature’s rhythms.

In spring you especially want to emphasize foods that are naturally sweet (like root veggies and whole grains) to help keep you balanced and grounded as the seasons transition.

You also want to incorporate moderate amounts of more pungent flavors like chili peppers, mustard greens and seeds, radishes, and fresh ginger to support more movement in your system.

Use lighter cooking methods than you would in winter, favoring quick-sautés over slow roasts, for example.

If your digestion is strong (you want 1-2 well-formed bowel-movements per day) then you can start to incorporate more raw, crunchy ingredients in springtime as well.

But if your digestion is irregular or uncomfortable in any way, you’re going to want to stick to warm and cooked meals even as the weather gets warmer.

 

I know it might not be immediately obvious how these spring wellness guidelines can improve your mental health and help you thrive.

Our modern medical system has created the illusion of separation between mind, body, and nature.

And it can feel strange and unfamiliar to shift your paradigm to approach health and wellness more holistically.

But mind, body, and nature are really just aspects of the same whole.

Just as your hand and foot cannot be separated from your body, mind and body cannot be separated from nature.

And when your body is stressed, it’s your mind’s job to try to find a solution.

But your mind can only know what it’s been taught from the past.

So if you don’t have experience adjusting your diet and lifestyle to the seasons, your mind can’t know that that’s a viable strategy.

Now’s your chance to start teaching your mind how it works.

This is your opportunity to experiment and find out for yourself what the sages discovered thousands of years ago.

That when you shift your diet and lifestyle with the seasons, you create more ease in your mind and body which reverberates through the world at large.

Because you are part of the world.

And when you heal yourself, you are healing a part of the world.

I can’t wait to see where this takes you!