Our tips to embrace spring wellness

With so much going on around us at the moment, constant change and challenge, we find ourselves surrounded by a lot of unknown, both locally and globally. Perhaps it is in these more challenging times, that we can turn to Mother nature, and find comfort and stability in the consistency of the natural world and the changing of the seasons.

For many, winter has been long and challenging and as it comes to a close, we warmly welcome all that this new season offers. Just as Mother nature lets go of the old and welcomes fresh new growth with spring, we too can listen to the seasons and embrace this new beginning.

This season, perhaps more so than any other, is filled with renewed optimism, hope and opportunity. Spring is a time of re-birth, of letting go. It is a time to blossom and grow and perhaps take a leap of faith on something you may have been contemplating. As we embrace this new season, may we appreciate all that it offers us and the opportunities it brings.

The following are our top five suggestions to help us embrace this regenerative new season towards improved wellness.

1. Reconnecting with others
Winter is often a season of hibernation, more time alone and this winter has led to even greater isolation for many. It may be over the phone, email, or in person, however you can manage it, reaching out to a friend each day and connecting with loved ones, holds great benefit for you and also for others. Holding care and compassion front and centre and coming from a place of pure kindness will not only strengthen your relationships, but also have a flow on effect from the recipient to others. It is these small gestures that can help shift one’s perspective, supporting their emotional wellbeing, offering healing on many levels.

2. Spending more time outdoors
Through the darker colder days of winter, we often spend long hours in enclosed spaces, with little or no natural air flow. As the seasons shift, it is important to embrace nature and the outdoors, by taking a walk with a friend, going for a run, bike riding, or practicing yoga outside. The many benefits to exercising outdoors are endless, from helping us better cope with stress, improving our mood, and relieving mental fatigue, all with the added benefits of the exposure to sunlight and vitamin D. Take advantage of this crisp cool air, before the heat of summer, enjoy the warm sunshine after the dark of winter and embrace this opportunity to eat, play and embrace the outdoors.

3. Practicing mindfulness
The constant demands placed on us each day can become overwhelming and lead to lowered vitality, fatigue and diminished productivity. Often our entire day can fly past without a moment of pause, to centre ourselves. As our capacity to give back to ourselves becomes less, our creativity and vitality often suffer. By giving ourselves the space and time to sit quietly in the present moment, we can help clear the mind, re-centre ourselves, and often shift our perspective. Mindfulness, yoga, and meditation, each offer many holistic health benefits. This can guide us towards a space of calm and peace, we may discover new intentions, and self-compassion. If you have ever considered embracing a mindfulness practice, now is a great time to start. With many online courses offering a range of daily classes, we now have the opportunity to utilise this online learning and practice from home at a time that suits us best.

4. Eating in line with this new season
Eating with the seasons is important for our overall health and wellbeing. Through winter we may have embraced more slow cooked, comfort foods. Spring is the time to embrace lighter, fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables. The foods grown locally, and in season, will hold greater nutritional levels and by supporting local, we avoid excessive transportation. Some of these seasonal foods include citrus fruits, avocado, beetroot, cabbage and broccoli to name a few. Spring is a great time to embrace fresh juices and offers an easy way to ensure you enjoy a range of fresh fruit and vegetables each day. Herbs and teas can also offer support through this new season, supporting the clearance of toxins, letting go of the old and cleansing.

5. Consciously select what we are exposed to
Take great care to consciously choose what you are surrounded by and exposed to. The amount of information we are exposed to nowadays can be overwhelming. It is important to choose carefully what we watch, read and listen to, to ensure we only put our precious time into absorbing information that is accurate, important and aligned with where we want to go. It is important to understand what is happening globally and locally, but it is equally as important to gather the information from reliable sources and to limit the amount of time we are exposed to this information. It can be easy to slip into bad habits and become reliant on screens and news feeds to ‘switch off’ at the end of the day, but digital devices actually stimulate the mind, making it more difficult to relax. By having a great book on hand, we provide ourselves with a wholesome alternate option, to spend less time scrolling, watching or absorbing the information we are dealt, and to put time into reading a book instead. Here are a few books that may resonate at this time. Peace Is Every Breath by Thich Nhat Hanh, This One Wild And Precious Life by Sarah Wilson, and Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty.

As this new season begins, let’s embrace it, reminding ourselves that it is full of opportunity. To ensure we act mindfully, listening deeply to our true essence, may we frequently ask ourselves, what is something you can do today which will help you feel one step closer to fulfilling a dream? Spring is a time to set clear intentions, embrace your dreams and prepare to blossom.

May we take comfort in this new season of enriched hope, newfound optimism and embrace the beauty and wonder Mother nature has to offer. In the wise words of Lady Bird Johnson, ‘where flowers bloom, so does hope.’

With health and happiness,
Emma

Our favourite teas for spring