The Spring Equinox on the 20th March marks the official start of spring, however if you’re anything like me you’ll have been ready to see the sun for a while now! To celebrate the dark winter drawing to a close, here are 9 self-care ideas for spring to get yourself feeling warm and sunny in anticipation for all the glorious adventures the new season will bring…
Simple Self-Care Ideas
Listen To Bird Song
Paying attention to the early signs of spring is the perfect way to get excited for the season ahead. One great way to do this is to notice the bird song. Just outside where we live there is a bush and the birds gather there, the sound of bird song always evokes the joy of spring and means that the days are getting warmer and sunnier. Pay special attention to the birds singing, that might be in your garden or on your morning commute.
Spring Clean Your Home
Of course this is the best known tip for the spring season transition and a long-standing ritual for many households. Cleaning your home is a true form of self-care. Making your home environment a pleasant place to be is like a big hug after a long day at work. Perhaps you will change your winter curtains to a lighter spring pair, swap your heavy tog duvet for a lighter option. Maybe you’ll treat yourself to having a cleaner visit to assist you with a deep clean. Making these small adjustments will mark the start of a new season and help you to feel inspired.
Plant Some Flowers
What greater joy is there than seeing the early spring daffodils and crocuses first appear? According to the RHS early spring is an ideal time to plant herbaceous perennials, including Geranium, Astrantia and Oriental poppies as well as summer-flowering bulbs. A quiet Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to head out into the garden or potter on the balcony and sow a few seeds or bulbs, this one afternoon will result in a glorious array or colourful flowers for you to marvel at for the coming summer months.
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
-Audrey Hepburn
Focus On Your Growth
Spring is an excellent time to focus on personal growth and confidence building. For a lot of people, confidence is one of the hardest things to come by, but don’t make the mistake of assuming that it’s something that some people have and that others just don’t. The truth is that confidence is something that you can build up and develop over time as long as you’re willing to put in the work. Take time at the start of the new season to work on your growth. This might mean learning a new skill, attending that art class you always wanted to try or joining a reading group. Learning a new skill and connecting with new people can help with your personal growth and build up your confidence.
Walk Barefoot On The Grass
Head out to the garden or your local park in the afternoon, once the sun has had chance to warm the ground. Whip off your shoes and socks and walk around on the grass barefoot. This practice is called “Earthing” According to the US National Library of Medicine website, studies show a number of health benefits of reconnecting our bodies to the Earth’s surface electrons. Spring is the ideal time to get out there and walk around, to reconnect with Mother Nature.
Read A Good Book
A good book is the best companion no matter what the season, in my humble opinion. There’s nothing like a fresh book to mark the beginning of a new adventure or project, that might be an Easter holiday read, a new work project or just to fuel the new direction you’re heading in. There’s something fun and very memorable about matching your book to the current adventure that you’re on, say you’re travelling to Scotland for Easter, you might read a murder mystery novel set in a Highland Castle. I’ll always remember reading the Neapolitan novels on our honeymoon to Ischia. Books can add to the joy of any season or adventure. Think about a book that represents your current place or outlook for spring and get reading.
Spend Time In The Sunshine
Arguably the greatest thing about spring is the sunshine, the blue skies and the warmer temperatures making a return. Get out in the sunshine and bask in all its glory. The joy and pleasure of bathing in daylight and warmth is unparalleled. If you work long hours then make the effort to take a short walk on your lunch break, walk to work instead of taking the car or bus, grab any chance you can to be outside in the sunlight. When your skin is exposed to sunlight it makes vitamin D from cholesterol, the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit cholesterol in the skin cells, providing the energy for vitamin D synthesis to occur. Vitamin D plays many roles in your body and is essential for optimal health, energy levels and happiness.
Surround Yourself With Art
Art and creativity are a joyous way to introduce colour and fun to the new season. Whether you browse an art shop online for a fresh piece of art to hang on the wall or you enrol on an art class, creativity brings joy and happiness to you and your home.
Spring Clean Your Wardrobe
Taking time to asses your wardrobe will make you feel calm and inspired for the season ahead. Take out all of the pieces from your wardrobe and try them on, if they don’t fit either donate them to charity or sell them on EBay, Gumtree or Depop. Don’t hang on to clothes that “might fit one day” these will just make you feel unfulfilled. Keep the clothes that fit, bring you joy and make you feel good when you wear them. Clothes should be a fun form of self-expression and resonate with you, your wardrobe is a place for fun and playfulness. Enjoy it.
“Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair and let us huddle together as darkness takes over. We are at home amidst the birds and the trees, for we are children of nature.”
– Susan Polis Schutz
Stay fabulous
Christine
