Modern culture has de-emphasized our relationship with nature. This post explores how we can live in better harmony with the seasons and build upon the natural rhythms to enhance psychological wellbeing.
I've been helping to lead a series of Women's Retreats, and found myself coming back time and again to center on a theme inspired by the season. A longing for understanding of seasonal purpose, with a deeper curiosity about nature's cycles led me to an exploration into the literature about seasonal wellbeing and what we can do to enhance it.
Some questions I pondered were:
What can make Seasonal Affective Disorder better or worse aside from exposure to light and vitamin D availability?
Climate change is inevitably creating unstable weather patterns, how is human response to climate adaptation taking a toll on mental health?
How has technology disconnected us from observing the outer world and living in natural rhythms and patterns?
What do indigenous cultures and spiritual practices centered around natural cycles have to teach us about how to live contentedly, no matter the season?
Though each of these questions merits at minimum a separate blog post, attempting to answer them led to one conclusion with an answer that is in my wheel-house. If the basics of cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance focused therapy are applied, we see quickly how we think about the season we are in, and how we act accordingly, can significantly impact our mental health. We can go from seasonal dysphoria, to seasonal enhancement if we tweak our thoughts the right way.
The good news, is that how we think and act in response to stimuli is in fact, mostly modifiable. Granted, it needs to be more flexible than ever in a world of increasing and unpredictable weather change. The executive functioning of our brains allows us to over-ride automatic habits if we become conscious of how we're interpreting external events. So moving towards optimum health is basically a series of daily choices about how we think and respond. Deeper work on any of the themes raised in this post can be facilitated by a therapist which helps enormously with perspective taking and reinforcements for change-making.
Examples
Below is a series of 4 negative automatic thoughts that might occur in each season with possible consequences:
Summer: "I'm dying from this heat, I don't want to go outside, I'll just stay indoors with the curtains drawn. Anything worth doing is going to be crowded anyway." Consequence: Boredom, social isolation, avoidance, envy of those who seem to be having fun.
Autumn: "Summer is over and it wasn't even that great, winter is coming, it's cold and windy, days are gray and darker. I feel like work is all I have to focus on now." Consequence: Frustration, regret, hopelessness, pessimism, feeling increased pressure to be productive.
Winter: "This cold is endless, I don't want to go out, after the holidays it's going to be forever before Spring comes." Consequence: Impatience, loneliness, depression, decreased creativity.
Spring: "It rains all the time, when is it finally going to warm up?! There's mud everywhere, but I need to get gardening. I'm ready for a vacation, every one is starting to travel..." Consequence: Dissatisfaction, restlessness, agitation.
It is only human and serves an evolutionary function to interpret the stimuli we are presented with, but what if we were already equipped with some thoughts about the seasons that help us focus on what's positive and appropriate? How would that change our thoughts and actions for a more joyful outcome each season? Below are some seasonal themes with tips to help us better live in harmony in a well-rounded manner.
Seasonal Themes:
Summer: Energy and Joy
Be Active but Aim for Balance: To maximize the increased energy of the season and to allow for maximum joy, we need to take advantage of longer days and warm weather. We may engage in outdoor activities like swimming, hiking, or picnicking but staying in the shade or being sure that you are protected if it is midday is key. Going early or late to avoid crowds and minimize heat exposure is ideal.
Listen to Your Body: Recognize if you need to cool off. Invest in materials that keep you comfortable and safe in the heat such as sunblock, hats, parasols, icepacks/coolers, and cooling neckbands. Realize that you need to take it easy in order to not overheat and be fatigued by too much activity. Seek balance!
Attend to the Body: Drink plenty of water and eat light and healthy meals with hydrating foods like fruits and vegetables. Use quiet time midday to drink a cold beverage and enjoy time in the shade reading a book or working on a project, take a nap and recharge for the evening. Your body is working hard to try to cool itself, give it rest.
Enjoy Social Time: Summer is great for socializing and enjoying time with friends and family. Plan gatherings or vacations, even on a small scale so that you don't have regrets when colder weather comes. It's not quantity, but quality that counts. Gatherings need not be a complicated operation. A quiet chat by the pool, or in the garden on a balmy evening with cherished friends or family is enough.
Autumn: Reflection and Harvest
Reflect and Plan: As the year starts to wind down, it’s a good time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and plan for the future. Make it a balanced assessment, don't dwell too much on pressure to perform, or drown in thoughts of regret. Rather have a gentle exploration of what has gone well, and what you'd like to do for the upcoming few months.
Embrace Cozy Comfort: Transition into Autumn by incorporating cozy elements into your life, like warm drinks, comfort foods, and softer, warmer clothing. Seek to meet your needs by finding comfort in indoor activities, and bundle up for outdoor immersion so that you can also see and feel a part of the changing season.
Harvest and Preserve: If you’re into gardening, it’s time to harvest. Consider preserving fruits and vegetables for the winter. Think about “gathering and enjoying fruits” and “preserving” in a more abstract sense as well, asking yourself what you'd like to put away for the season, or appreciate more of before colder weather sets in.
Ponder Shedding: Ask yourself where you can prune back, and shed in preparation for winter, keeping what’s essential for life, and restoration, and releasing that which is not. Take a good look at emotional issues to shed, and try to stretch yourself to understand the function of the "item to be shed" for you, and then let it go.
Winter: Rest and Recharge
Rest and Recharge: Winter is a natural time for rest, but humans don't need total hibernation. Allow yourself to slow down and prioritize self-care. Take naps but don't overdo it and set an alarm so that you don't interfere with your biological clock too much. Eat hearty but well balanced meals. Think of creative recharging activities such as doing a spa day at home complete with DIY face masks, massages, and scrubs. Hydrate with lotions, and drink plenty of warm beverages. Think of activities that give a sense of purpose to your day, but aren't too exhausting to try.
Engage in Indoor Activities: Use this time to enjoy indoor hobbies, and maybe start or re-start a hobby such as reading, crafting, or cooking. Indoor exercises or winter sports can keep you moving and healthy.Take a dance lesson, fitness class or yoga class to get in some social contact indoors with others. Music is a great mood booster, with certain music selections proven to boost dopamine, a feel good neurotransmitter.
Initiate Something Social: Propose a coffee or tea party or dinner party centered around a warm meal. Find someone with a common interest and do the activity together. Many people feel isolated in winter, so it takes extra effort to seek and create opportunities for connection.
Spring: Renewal and Growth
Embrace New Beginnings: Spring is a time for new projects and fresh starts. Consider setting new goals or beginning a new hobby, but make it manageable. If you'd like to garden, start small and do not get overwhelmed by projects. If you're feeling a desire to roam, figure out a way to change scenery even briefly, a house or apartment swap, a short trip, or visiting a town or city nearby can be enough to lift spirits in springtime and need not cost a fortune.
Declutter and Clean: Spring cleaning isn't just for your home; it’s also a good time to clear out mental and emotional clutter making way for a refresh. Pace yourself and don't overdo it.
Get Outdoors: Enjoy the blossoming nature by spending time outside, realize that rain and cloud cover is critical for giving newly budding plants protection and energy for growth. Take an umbrella and be invigorated by the promise of renewal.
Conclusion
Living seasonally is natural, and can help us feel better connected to ourselves and others. What we need emotionally varies depending on our external cues. Understanding that adjusting our thoughts and our routine to match the natural light, weather, and energy levels of each season is important. With mindfulness and observation we can pay attention to how we feel during different times of the year and adjust our inner dialogue and lifestyles accordingly. By aligning our lives with the rhythm of the seasons, we can cultivate a sense of balance and harmony throughout the year.