Embracing Spring
After an extended few months of dormancy I am finally about to begin embracing Spring. This year the winter feels to have dragged and dragged with the rain damping the mood of most days. Even me, who has encouraged us all to embrace the process of wintering has struggled recently and I feel permanently stuck indoors. The weight, or rather ease, of all the indoor chores seem to squish me into place as I gaze outside upon the dreary, grey world. Those happy hormones of mine have been calling out for sunshine, blooms of flowers and the buzz of happy bees.
It is rather hard to find the motivation when all you are faced with at the moment are vegetable plants struggling to grow, sparse flowers and the irritating swarming of midges. I do not appreciate how much I am being bitten by the pests, like some sort of punishment for daring to escape from the eternal winter!
I am discovering the only root to survival is to embrace the moments of Spring that is occasionally gifted to us. This looks different across the week, however in general I’m working on getting outside as much as possible. In general, the process of breaking any habit based cycle, which would appear to include over-wintering, is patience, self awareness and determination. One thing is for sure, I am determined to start embracing spring, no matter the weather.
Getting outside
The other weekend I bumped into two neighbours , both of whom said the same thing about life as of late. The conversation with both of them went something like this;
Me: Oh hi!
Neighbour: Hello! Gosh, it’s been ages since I last saw you. Feels like I haven’t really seen anyone though, I’ve just been keeping inside.
Me: Me too. It’s the rain.
Neighbour: Tell me about it. I’m fed up of it, absolutely fed up of it.
Me: *Nods in agreement*
This conversation has happened several times since. Everyone seems fed up and everyone seems to be feeling the loneliness of not seeing people within their community. It is important we get outside, even in the less than ideal weather – as I’ve spoken about before – yet I know it is easy to forget. I speak from experience here, my passion for heading outside in the run up to winter has certainly been dampened during the exit of it. Both figuratively and literally.
It is time for me, and you, to look after ourselves and purposefully inject the joy that comes with being outside. Getting outside not only makes us feel better but it has been shown to improve our creativity. This means our problem solving, creative thinking, meal planning and the like will all get better for doing this regularly.
Walk with purpose
In a previous blog post I provided you with five top tips for getting outside each day I would encourage you to have a read and see if it inspires you. If you’re still left feeling a bit flat then you should definitely continue reading on.
I have met many people who can’t go on a walk for walking sake. They need a sort of reward for their walk, whether that’s a nice view, an item from a shop, or a drink at a nice pub at the other end of it. Once I spoke to someone who bought a dog purely so they could have purpose in their walks.
This activity is for all of you who need that purpose, it is for all of you who want to begin spotting the little things, and it’s for you who want to creatively use their senses to connect to the world around.
Embracing Spring Activity Sheet
You will need:
- The scavenger hunt sheet (see below)
- An open mind
- Space to walk
Method
Using the scavenger hunt go on a short or long walk. This could be around your local area, to the shops or you could take yourself off to a beauty spot.
Some of these spots need you to use your nose, others your eyes and the rest your ears. It is a full sensory experience.
Tick the items off as you find them and feel good for spotting these beautiful signs of spring.
Embracing Spring Activity Sheet
Download this activity sheet for FREE. Share with post with friends you feel would benefit from a fun outdoor activity.
If you like is, then make sure to bookmark this page so you can download the other seasonal Scavenger Hunts.
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