Thawing out: Shaking Off Winter and Stepping Into Spring
Written By : Grace Weidenhamer
My eyes flutter open to the soft morning light and the sounds of chirping birds. I float out of bed, make an iced coffee, slip on my tennis shoes, and take a step outside—the sun hitting my skin like a warm hug. This is the morning I DREAM of all winter long; fortunately, it’s not that far away. Last week, in the middle of my morning routine, I ran into the bedroom, threw open the curtains and the window (startling my boyfriend from his slumber, no doubt), and said, “Do you hear that?” THE BIRDS WERE CHIRPING! I know that seems dramatic, but if you live in a cold climate like me, the sounds of morning birds mean spring is coming, and to me, it's the most beautiful sound in the world.
The ground is defrosting (along with my personality), the sun is breaking through grey skies, and everyone is coming out of hibernation. It’s time for a spring reset!
I may lose a few people here when I say the words “spring cleaning”, but just hear me out! Spring is a metaphor for new beginnings. The season brings rain to wash away the old and bring about positive change. For me, the start of spring is the perfect time to declutter your physical and mental space. As important as it is to shed that winter layer in your home, it’s just as important to do so in your mind. Break out that journal you bought in January that you promised yourself you’d write in every day (yes, I am talking to myself here) and get everything out that you’ve been storing for winter. Take some time to do some self-reflection. Go through your Instagram followers and unfollow accounts that don’t bring you joy, delete old texts, emails, and photos that are taking up space on your phone. Start the season off with a clean slate and a clean headspace.
Crack open your windows, turn on your favorite tunes, and break out those rubber gloves. In the winter, you couldn’t pay me to clean my dishwasher or scrub my baseboards. If you’re like me, you have a to-do list that’s running off the page. Once a week, or as often as you are able, tackle ONE task you’ve been putting off. You don’t need to set aside a full day to scrub your space from top to bottom. Block off an hour a week to do something that’s not on your typical chores list.
Be real with me for a sec. When was the last time you looked at your goals for 2025? Are you on track? Have you been disciplined in working towards your goals? To be honest with you, it’s been a minute for me as well. But hey, that’s okay! We still have nine more months left in the year. If you’ve been slacking off on your resolutions, now is the perfect time to revisit your goals, reflect on how you are doing, and adapt them. Something a lot of people forget is that you can change your goals. People change. We evolve based on our circumstances, and sometimes, goals we made months ago aren’t realistic anymore. Maybe your goals were too attainable. Maybe your ambitions or interests have changed. Re-evaluate your goals and know that it’s okay to make edits. Your life is a working document, and you are the sole editor.
Winter is for Friday nights in, curling up with a good book, and forgetting about the outside world for a while. It’s time to defrost our social calendars and get back out there! Use the energy shift that spring provides to propel you off the couch and into making plans. Whether it's a hike with your friends, grabbing coffee with someone you haven’t seen in a while, or a date night at a new restaurant, it's time to get social. It’s okay if winter left you a little rusty in your socialization skills, but now’s the time to start implementing quality time with friends back into your weekly routine.
Let’s get physical! Use the springtime buzz to breathe some energy in and get active. We all have our own fitness goals, but getting active and, most importantly, getting outside is crucial for our physical and mental health. Make it your mission to get outside once a day; take a 10-minute walk during your lunch break, or spend a few extra minutes outside with your pet. Just like New Year’s, you don’t have to go out and buy an expensive gym membership or start training for a marathon. Moving your body in any way, especially outside, is a win.