How To Use the Seasons For Your Self Care

There’s lots of self-care advice out there. Heck, on this blog alone there’s like, 73 different self-care related pieces of content! The last half a decade or so has seen a huge surge in people not just talking about self-care but actively realizing that hey! maybe we all really DO need to start taking better care of ourselves. Not just physically; mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well.

And one thing that we come back to time and time again in almost all of our self-care themed posts is, nature.

We’re told over and over how getting into nature is a form of self-care. How beneficial it is for our physical well-being (going for a walk, extreme sports like skiing etc.) How it can help ground us in times of emotional turmoil. How it can soothe our soul and make us more aware of the bigger picture.

Nature and the seasons are one of the only constants in life and in our yearly routine. With every harsh Winter, comes a glorious Spring. With every long, hot Summer, comes the respite in Autumn.

And whilst most of us certainly do embrace the seasons (how many Pumpkin Spice Lattes have you drank? Be honest), it seems almost too obvious that nature is there for us to learn from. It is, after all, one of the best teachers.

So, in this post, we’re going to go through the seasons and look at how we can use the characteristics of each to aid our self-care.

Spring

Spring is all about newness; so that’s the theme we’re sticking with here when we look at how we can use Spring to aid our self-care. Spring is a wonderful time of year, bright and hopeful with light, colour and freshness teaming wherever you look. There are a lot of specific mental health boosting ideas for this time of year but as a broader overview, you might want to consider some of these:

Start a new project

Spring is a great time to get those creative juices flowing and start brainstorming new projects. These could be work related, personal projects like home improvements or even a charity-based project.

Set some new goals

Spring is a time where you might want to begin again. And a great way to actually get the ball rolling if you want to begin again, is to set some new goals. Personally, financially, geographically – start small and start somewhere. Spring is the best time for this.

Declutter your space

We’ve all heard of the phrase Spring cleaning and with the focus on newness, freshness and starting again, Spring is always the BEST time to de-clutter your space.

Get outside more

The weather is getting nicer, and the flowers have started to bloom. It’s the perfect time to get outside more – get into nature – and use the wonders of Mother Earth to aid yourself care.

Summer

Summer is all about having fun, letting go and feeling free. So, we’re sticking with that theme in these suggestions on how you can use the season of Summer to aid your self-care during the Summer months. You’ll find things are less strict. Less about the doing and more about the letting go:

Eat lighter and more vibrantly

Use this time during Summer to switch up your diet. Use an abundance of colour in your meals, with fresh fruit and vegetables. Eat lighter. Not to lose weight. Just because it feels good.

Let go of something (or just, let go!)

Summer is a time to let off steam, relax and switch off. If there’s something holding you back, now is the time to work on letting go. You might want to consider a forgiveness ritual or some intention setting.

Dedicate time for yourself

We’ve all experienced those long and lazy Summer days that seem to go on forever. Summer is never in any rush; you shouldn’t be either! Use this as a prompt to dedicate time for yourself, however long that needs to be.

Water, water, water

There’s always a big focus on water during Summer. We need to drink more of it, for sure. But also swimming and spending time by the beach is another big Summer focus. Water can be really grounding and relaxing.

Autumn

Ah, Autumn (or Fall, for folks on the other side of the pond). So many people’s favourite season of the year and it’s easy to see why. Summer is great but it’s always time for that well needed respite of Autumn by the time September rolls around. The word for Autumn is “change”, which you’ll see themed within these ideas:

Embrace change

Everything changes in Autumn. But Autumn reminds us that even change can be beautiful. If there’s something in your life that needs changing and you’re too scared to do it, let now be the time to get the ball rolling.

Face your fears and step outside your comfort zone

Which takes me nicely onto this next point and that’s facing your fears or stepping outside of your comfort zone. Use Halloween as the inspiration here, now is the time to bite the bullet and face what you’ve been putting off.

Make use of seasonal vegetables and fruit

Another food-based seasonal self-care idea and that’s making use of seasonal food, which is great to do in the Autumn when there’s plenty of hearty vegetables available, like pumpkin, squash, carrots and sweet potatoes.

Tie up loose ends

Sticking with this theme of change but sometimes change doesn’t have to be adding something to your life – it can also be removing something or ending something. If there’s something that needs tying up, do it now, before Winter.

Winter

And finally, Winter. The time of year that focuses of coziness, warmth and rest. There is a LOT you can take from nature and animals when it comes to how to aid your self-care during the Winter months. A good place to start is by using “rest” as a focus word for the season. You can also try the following:

Go inward

It’s been a busy and hectic year, now is the time for reflection. You might want to consider using some journal prompts to help you uncover how you’re feeling, meditation, or spending some well needed time alone.

Rest and rejuvenate

Your body, mind and spirit all need that time and care to relax and rejuvenate during the Winter months, so keep that as a close reminder, whenever you feel yourself over-doing it. Which can be easy during this time of year!

Slow down

As we wind down for the end of the year, it’s good to physically slow down as well. Conserve your energy. Take your time. Hold on to those small and special pockets of Winter, before Spring inevitably rolls around once more.

Hone in on your sleep health

And finally, your sleep health is mega important all the way through the year but take inspiration from the animals that are hibernating during this time. Focus on your sleep health to ensure you’re properly rested.

Nature, animals and the seasons offer us so much wonderful advice and teach us remarkable lessons, without us really realizing it most of the time.

Nature is one constant in our lives, that knows exactly what it’s doing at any given time. It doesn’t wait for permission. It doesn’t question it. It just does.

For that reason, I think it’s a wonderful resource for us to use to aid our self-care practice!

Do you use any elements of the seasons in your self-care practices?

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