Winter is famous for isolating us indoors, hiding from our neighbours and losing our tans. With the warmer weather comes more opportunities to head outdoors and get our legs moving again! For many, we don’t intend to let winter get us down, but the extra layers and time it takes to get outside cause us to naturally stay indoors more and become sedentary. Seasonal affective disorder is something many people combat year after year, and the depression can be hard to kick.
And so finally we are seeing the dawn of springtime. The flowers and plants are pushing their way through cold soil to reach towards the sunlight. New life springs up, reminding us that winter does come to an end. This new life we see in nature can be so filled with hope – the hope that despite traversing a difficult season of life time does continue forward and the tulips do return.
It reminds me of seasons of life which seem dark and endless, when time seems to drag on. One thinks, will today be different than yesterday, or will I feel the same monotony, a cloud of grey ahead and behind? Will I see a glimpse of hope today for something different, or will I once again go to bed exhausted having slogged through another thick foggy day? These are questions that I think so many of us feel as we near the end of winter, or, of course, just a difficult season of life.
I awake to sunshine and blue sky much earlier in the morning it seems. I hear the birds singing a new tune outside. Where did they come from? Or rather, where have they been? It is so refreshing to hear their morning song sing out, unafraid of the day ahead. They say hello to the sun as it traverses up above the trees. Today is a new day, they declare. And I echo them – hello new day! What do you have for me today?
April is always unpredictable. Today is one of those grey days that has returned. But having experienced the sunshine, there is hope that things don’t have to return to as they once were. Change is happening – outside, and inside of us.
If you find yourself right in the middle of a difficult season or are beginning to see some new life budding inside of you, now is a great time to reach out for some help to guide you forward. Click here to contact me and book an appointment.
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Get outside and get moving! Physical activity and getting outdoors has been consistently linked to positive mental health and well-being (see links below). Not only is it moving your body and accessing the benefits of natural sunlight, but it opens the doors to breaking isolation and building connections in your community.
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