Spring Self Care

The spring season is a busy time for those of us living close to the earth and all that activity means our self-care routine is even more important.

There’s the gardening and food preservation, the hiking and foraging, the community events, and so much more. All of those things that come with warmer weather after a long winter are wonderful and yet require that we keep ourselves running well, we need to care for ourselves so we can take care of them.

And while taking care of yourself doesn’t change much from season to season, these spring self care ideas will help you sink into this time of year in very special ways.

Focused on Nature

Self-care opportunities do not have to be full of extra cost or take place somewhere removed from the earth. Sure a massage or facial is a wonderful thing and we are all worthy of special treats now and then.

But instead of thinking of self-care as some kind of special and rare treat, these activities focus on simple, daily things that keep us attached to the earth and season while helping to refill our emotional and mental wells and keeping our bodies healthy at the same time.

Get Outside

Getting outside is always a great self care idea, there’s plenty of evidence that being outside is an amazing way to take care of your mental health.

Be sure to take advantage of all the different types of spring weather. This means getting outside on both the sunny days and the rainy days, too. Stay safe, warm, and dry to prevent illness but enjoy the season even in wet conditions. If your spring is warm and dry, stay hydrated and get out there. It’s truly important to see what your local world offers you in every bit of weather.

Simply allow nature to show you what’s happening. Take notes and leave your phone in your pocket (no scrolling or social media, pay attention to the world). Skip the ear buds and music, too, let the sounds of nature invade your brain and quiet any spinning thoughts.

This time outside, just enjoying nature and soaking up the Vitamin D from the sun has a way of slowing us down and giving us a bunch of mental clarity while also giving us some physical health benefits, don’t skip it.

Spring Cleaning

So often in our modern world, the idea of spring cleaning has become this giant overwhelming, perfectionist checklist. Let’s not do that – let’s not make it work for ourselves, our homes, and our families not about following some kind of online or magazine trend.

This is a good time to open up the windows and let fresh air in after what was likely a long season of closed up to keep the heat in. Do the things that make your home feel like a sanctuary.

Fill a vase with some fresh picked flowers as a visual cue inside your home that the winter months have passed.

Eat Wild

Use some of the first offerings of mother nature by trying some new recipes in the meal plan. This isn’t necessarily about creating gourmet meals or using exotic mushrooms, though of course it could be if that’s your thing.

Keep it simple and forage right from the backyard. Use what’s available as it comes to you and make it tasty. As always be sure of identification before eating anything but use this as a way to connect with what you already know and use it when its fresh in the new season.

Put some dandelion petals into a loaf of bread. Add violets to your salad. Toss some spring greens into a smoothie. Add lilac petals to a cake for dessert.

Drink Fresh Herbs

Spring presents us with a multitude of fresh herbal treasures. Many of them tasty and healing.

Skip the dried herbs and use fresh instead during this abundant time. Go straight to the herb garden or local park and pick those herbs for use rather immediately. Oh sure, you can dry some for later but use some for tea drinking while it’s still fresh.

On a hot day, make some tea and ice it. Make it extra indulgent by adding cream for Thai-inspired iced tea or pouring carbonated water over it for an Italian soda.

Finally iced tea that you won’t forget in the other room! These recipes give show you how to use what you have to craft teas with the flavor and healing benefits you need. Get my Guide to Iced Tea to help you get creative and stay refreshed!

This is one of those self-care activities that can easily become part of the daily routine. Make it a habit to brew up fresh tea daily, take some in a travel mug, drink it at night after a long day, etc. Once it becomes a routine you can carry it through the rest of the year by using seasonal fresh herbs when available and those you dried as necessary.

Don’t forget many of those berry leaves can also be used for incredible fruity spring tea.

Gather Spring Flowers

Many of those spring flowers are gorgeous and can be used in a multitude of ways for crafting and decorating.

Press some flowers and send them later in your greeting cards, use them for bookmarks, and more.

Use flowers to make homemade body products for your skincare routine all year long. Dandelion infused oil has a multitude of uses, for example.

The great thing is that these are fun projects to add to the to-do list that don’t take a long time to make or much hands on time at all and can be a fun new hobby or new skill that can lower stress and bring joy in the pressures of today’s world.

Rest

Many of us wake from winter slumber and become all kinds of busy. We plant and garden and attend to home repair. We get active in sports and community activities. All of these are good things but they can easily become overwhelming and draining. Be sure to take time to rest.

Take advantage of the longer hours of daylight and sit on the porch with a cup of tea, curl up in the evening with a good book. No human being will function well for long without rest – make time for and give importance to rest.

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