Photograph: Anthony Delanoix for Unsplash 
We would do well to embrace the very best of each season, once it arrives (especially as an alternative to bemoaning the bits that don’t suit us!). We have no control over weather patterns and seasonal changes, and so the most beneficial option, it seems, is to make the very best of the season that we find ourselves in.
Nature nurtures
Spring seems to bring forth colour, warmth and a sense of renewed energy and possibility. The sun starts to rise earlier, birds return from their migrations and cheerfully announce their return, blossoms burst forth from the trees and plants emerge from their dormancy and begin to flower.
Considering all this positive activity in the natural world, the first thing it makes sense to do is to get out there and witness it. Observing the natural world in action, no matter the season, might help bring a sense of perspective to the challenges that we perceive to be problems in our lives.
If nature follows the rules of the season and just gets on with it, so can we. Spend lots of time outdoors this spring; witness the renewed zest and activity all around you; and draw inspiration from the positive energy.
Rising earlier
Waking earlier brings so many benefits – more daylight hours to your day; a feeling of freshness (especially if you are opening your eyes unaffected from any poor health decisions the previous evening) and a sense of control – the day lies ahead of you and is yours to design.
There is something about the feeling of being awake before others that often lends itself to a sense of possibility and potential, and a feeling of not wanting to waste the time that you have introduced to your day.
Setting an alarm for earlier in order to achieve something specific is empowering and rewarding, especially if it is something for yourself. There are many activities that we can choose from – a quiet coffee and time with your thoughts; an exercise session; a meditation or some journaling; an appreciation of the sunrise; a planning session with a cup of tea for your day, week or month; a meaningful message to someone who is important to you.
Having spent the time on something for your own wellbeing, you can move on to the next part of your day, where you ramp up the busy-ness and serve others in your family and your work, with a greater sense of balance and control.
More hours of daylight and warmer weather make it easier not only to rise earlier but also to be active, especially outdoors.
Increased physical activity brings more energy into our day, putting us in a better position to tackle challenging projects at work or at home. The increased physicality and use of our energy also brings with it a better quality of rest – we sleep better when we have led a busy and productive day, and consequently wake up feeling more energetic for the day that follows.
Find ways to include exercise and activity into your days, even if it’s a brief walk outdoors in a tea break or lunch break.
It’s important to step away from our desks periodically to refresh and reset. Our energy ebbs and flows through the day, and we can increase our energy levels easily by deciding on some positive movement.
Tapping into good energy also means opting out of our energy sappers, whether it’s unnecessary time on our phones, negative conversations and gossiping or self-rumination (often associated with sitting) rather than self-appreciation (often associated with moving).
Seasonal eating
The change in season is an opportunity to switch up your eating habits (for the better!).
Spring is characterised by an explosion of growth in nature and with that different natural produce that comes into season. Often, in spring, it might seem easier to eat lighter rather than heavier, and cleaner (in line with the freshness and renewal that we see all around us) rather than processed food.
Spring is a time for more salads and for vegetable dishes, fresh fruit and lots of water and healthy teas. It’s a time for outdoor eating, and for picnics.
Eating seasonally means that you support local produce, and this also benefits your pocket, rather than paying unnecessarily high prices for imported natural produce.
Spring clean
The lightness and energy of spring often brings on a need to clean, tidy and declutter. Sorting and clearing our homes is easiest at this time of year, when we naturally crave lighter and brighter, cleaner surroundings after the confines of winter.
Clearing out and eliminating unnecessary possessions sets us up for the space we need to think, and make progress in important areas of our lives, as the season progresses.
When we consider the state of our homes, the starting point for deciding what to clear out should be how we want to feel when we are in the environment that we have created for ourselves.
With that in mind, we can begin the process of removing items to create space; not for more things, but for more calmness and clarity. Marie Kondo, the author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, advises that before we begin the process of tidying away, we must first complete the task of discarding items that we no longer want or need.
She advocates tidying by category rather than by room or space, with the idea that once you have a full category of items laid out in front of you ( books, papers, kitchen utensils, clothes, camping gear) it is far easier to tackle the entire lot when you can see the mass of what you have in that area all together. She advises that we pick up each item and if it “sparks joy” (one of her now world-famous mantras), to keep it, and if not, to discard it. She recommends working with energy and purpose and tackling each category uninterrupted, so that we can finish the task and clear the clutter.
We can decide for ourselves what to do with what we discard – whether that means throwing it away, selling it, or gifting it to someone who may find it useful. Make time to clear some clutter this spring, and enjoy the space that you create in your life, both physically and mentally.
Spring encompasses only three months of the year. Decide what you want to achieve over this period, and use the natural rhythm of the season to energise your efforts. DM