With the warmth of the sunshine, singing of birds and blooming of flowers; spring is the season where the natural world starts to bloom again and our minds, body and soul begin to embody more joy and lightness.
Spring is so evocative of re-invigoration, energy and growth - it’s the perfect time to embrace a few of these spring renewal ideas for yourself and see what changes you can make in your own life during this transitional season of change.
“If you’ve never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom.” – Audra Foveo
After a long winter of hibernating and bunkering down - spring is the perfect chance to hit refresh on our self-care routines and discover new ways of looking after ourselves.
5 Self-Care Rituals to Welcome Spring
Rituals have long been wrapped up in sacred and spiritual ceremonies - but in their essence, they’re something we do for ourselves to acknowledge what’s important to us.
Rituals mark occasions, movements, and progress to new phases of life. They’re beautiful and can help us find purpose and meaning.
Here are five simple rituals you could introduce for spring:
1. Embrace a Full House Spring Clean & Declutter
Nothing helps you feel a little lighter and refreshed than a good clean-out and declutter. As the days warm up and a spring breeze hits the air, it’s time to crack open the windows and air out our homes.
Decluttering can feel like an intense process; there are some easy rules to follow (like, have you used it in the last six months? Or is it something you still need?), but it’s not always simple knowing how to have a purposeful clear out.
When it comes to the art of decluttering, it’s more important to focus on what matters to you. This doesn’t have to mean empty sideboards and bare walls if your home decoration style is all about eclectic collections and hanging art. Just make sure everything adds value in some way.
2. Celebrate the Spring Equinox
‘Equinox’ comes from the Latin words aequus and nox, meaning ‘equal night’. The equinox happens twice a year. During the equinox, the length of day and night is almost equal across all parts of the world.
If you’re someone who enjoys marking occasions and creating a sense of transition through acknowledging these moments, then celebrating the equinox could be the perfect self-care ritual for you to embrace spring.
Celebrating the equinox can be as simple as taking an evening hike and soaking up the extra light, having friends over for a garden party, or simply filling your house with seasonal flowers - anything to mark the occasion and formally acknowledge that spring is here.
3. Establish a New Morning Routine
The Spring Equinox will usher in earlier dawns, which means more morning light - the perfect opportunity to rethink your morning routine and how you’re setting yourself up for the day.
Winter leaves all of us clinging to our warm beds, reluctant to face another dark, cold morning. It often means our morning routines become slower, so try to think about how you can benefit from shaking things up.
Setting your alarm half an hour earlier to journal, read, or fit in a workout before your day starts are all great ways to practice self-care and establish a more wakeful, energising morning routine.
This is one of those seemingly benign rituals that can actually create a significant shift in your mindset.
4. Spring Clean Your Wardrobe
How we dress and curate, our appearance has long been studied as a form of social science looking at how we establish different parts of our identity. The clothing we wear can be a strong external representation of who we are - but it can also directly influence our mood (dopamine dressing is a real thing).
So, taking the time to declutter and sort through your wardrobe and picking out the key pieces to steer you into spring could be more than just practical - it can actively boost your sense of renewal and a positive mindset.
5. Start a Journal.
If you don’t already, journaling is a great self-care ritual to get into the habit of - and if you’re already a regular journaler, the arrival of spring can help you mark a sense of renewal.
Journaling has been proven to help with anxiety, stress, and goal achievement. Taking time to gather our thoughts regularly can help us with decision-making and support our overall sense of where we’re going in life.
Journaling doesn't need to be complicated. You could start simple by writing down three things you’re grateful for each day. To mark spring, you can reflect on where you were this time last year and what you’ve achieved, some visions or goals you have for the year ahead, and anything you’re ready to let go of in this new season.
5 Self-Care Practices to Welcome Spring
Creating new habits is a core part of our self-care journeys. There’s nothing wrong with self-care just to feel good, but connecting self-care practices to some outcome you might have in mind, no matter how small, can see you not only sticking to them more but purposefully creating positive changes in your life.
Here are five self-care practices that will help you not only welcome spring but actively improve your quality of life:
1. Get Outdoors More
As mentioned, we can expect to start seeing longer evenings and brighter mornings with the Spring Equinox. Coupled with warmer weather, it’s the perfect time to embrace the outdoors and start moving your body more.
Green space - walks in the woods, hiking through mountains, or spending time in a flourishing garden - is the name given to spending any time outdoors in green areas.
Spending time in nature has long been connected to positive health benefits, and with the rejuvenation of hiking trails and parklands that come with spring, it’s the ideal time of year to ensure you’re soaking up the green.
2. Take a Swim
The counterpoint to green space is blue space - being close to bodies of water. Again, spending time near and in bodies of water has been connected to some amazing emotional and physical health benefits.
Being near or in water promotes psychological restoration - the recovery of depleted resources - including our attention and emotions, stress recovery and social engagement.
There’s no better time for restoration than spring, and getting out to the ocean, lake, or even the local pool on a regular basis is a superb self-care practice to put in place.
3. Shop Seasonal Fruits & Veggies
It’s not just what we do outwardly for our bodies that counts; it’s what we put in them too.
With the change of the seasons, seasonal produce will also start to shift, and there’s something incredibly wholesome about shifting our eating patterns to suit what mother nature can provide for us.
If you’re unsure, try shopping at your local farmers' markets - sellers there will be working seasonally, so you can guarantee what’s on offer will match the change into spring. Or do a little research online and see if you can make more conscious choices about what’s going in your shopping basket - and your body.
4. Explore With Loved Ones
If your social life has felt a little non-existent during the winter months, spring will bring a renewed sense of connecting and reaching out.
Authentic, happy relationships with loved ones is one of the most significant determiners of happiness in our lives - investing in them is one of the best things we can do for our self-care.
Spring is the perfect time to plan a road trip, a picnic in the park, a trail hike, or simply hang out together in the garden and enjoy afternoon tapas into a sultry evening.
However you like to socialise, put more of it on your spring self-care plan.
5. Try & Slow Down
The famous quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson comes to mind here: “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
Spring has been waiting patiently all winter to begin, and there’s something we can all learn here.
We often get so caught up in the hustle-bustle of our lives that we forget one of the best self-care practices we can invite into our life is the act of slowing down. Take your time over your first morning cup of tea. Embrace a slow yoga flow before you start your day. Simply sit and enjoy three deep, soul-stirring breaths at the end of the day.
Try to find one moment in every day where you stop and slow down, even if just for a few moments and see what a difference it makes.
Find Your Spring Renewal
The wonderful thing about self-care is the emphasis on the word ‘self’ - it’s all about doing what’s right and works for you.
Try to avoid doing things because you think it’s what you’re ‘supposed’ to do and focus instead on the rituals, practices and routines that genuinely add value to your life. Use the ideas included here as a guideline and see where they take you.
Above all, see spring as the beautiful opportunity it is: a chance to refresh, renew and refocus on what matters to you - and don't forget to invite yourself to bloom.