Today is officially when spring begins! Theoretically, that means goodbye clouds with excessive rain, and hello sunny spells with excessive rain. Spring is the season of change, and I, personally, have a bunch of things that I plan to change this spring to counteract certain things that are happening in May and June. Hopefully this list will inspire you to do something springy as well.
1 – Walk
I’m certainly not a sporty person, but I can appreciate a nice walk. In winter it’s very easy to hop on the bus or train to get to a stop that would take you 20 minutes to walk, but as spring rolls around, I think it’s not as hard. A steady walk can increase your blood flow, which helps oxygen and nutrients move around your body. This makes you feel more energetic and ready for the day ahead, and can also release happy chemicals such as dopamine and endorphins, reducing stress. Plus, I find it less embarrassing to play music/podcasts in my earphones when walking outside then in a confined bus or train where someone might hear you. So get your steps in!
2 – Books
My relationship with books has always been rocky. It blossomed in Year 9-10, but as studies replaced the time I would use for offline activities, I find myself doom scrolling on my phone to get that immediate stimulation instead of committing to books that do not pull you in as quickly. However, when I am in the middle of reading, I really enjoying myself.
Reading doesn’t have to be curling up on a you-sized chair, flicking through pages while sipping a dark hot chocolate under a cosy blanket, like I see in the media. It can be reading a couple of pages just before you fall asleep, or reading while going to and from school, or listening to an audiobook. Whatever lets you immerse yourself in another life, without the well-known disadvantages of a blue screen, is good.
3 – Clothes
My clothes are either winter-ready or summer-ready. My shorts and dungarees are collecting dust at the back of my drawer, while the thick jumpers leave me hot after an hour of wearing them in the main building. On top of that, another year has gone and suddenly I’m not tolerating what I may have tolerated for the last few years. So it’s time for a re-order.
They don’t have to be pricey; clothes I’ve recently bought have been gems from charity shops. Maybe you can steal some items from your family and friends, or buy and sell on Vinted. We’re all growing people, and clothes can change with us.
4 – Things, but outside.
In the past couple weeks, when there’s been the miraculously nice day, I have been basking in the sun like a light-deficient sunflower. I know there will come a day where we get sick of the sun and crave the shade like vampires, but it is not this day. So how about we start doing things outside. Eating is cool, but it’s nice outside, especially as it’s not hot enough for an entire beehive to infiltrate your meal. Studying indoors is useful, but it’s cooler outside, where people can look and see how studious you are. Just lying down in bed is better for your spine, but lying on a blanket/coat in the sun, soaking in that Vitamin D (and not that UV by wearing suncream) is beneficial for your mind and immune system.
Get outside while it’s nice. Because it may not be sometimes. Mostly.
5 – A positive mindset
Throughout January and most of February, nothing would dampen my morning than stepping outside and seeing it drizzle. Often too little for an umbrella and but too much to be comfortable.
While, potentially, perhaps, other factors may have ruined my mood (*cough* mocks *cough*), spring reminds me that better things are around the corner. Rain and exams and other classic stresses will persist, but you’ll probably look back later and think ‘I shouldn’t have been so stressed out’. So we should all look for something good about each day, and hold onto it. Or better yet, don’t wait, and make your happiness. That can come from cheering someone up if they’re feeling low, or finding the long term advantages of the lesson that you feel is… not so fulfilling, or just being present in the moment.
To summarize, I think spring is all about repairing and growing and ‘newing’. And cute animals, flowers and blossoms.
And rain. But also sun.
Hopefully this list was beneficial to you in some way, so we can all begin this season with plan to be our best selves.
Happy spring everyone!! 🐝🌸🪻🐣⛅
