in: Wellness

Spring Self-Renewal: 5 Tips for a Love-Filled Spring

Dr. Hick believes these steps will get you on the path to spring self-renewal—with sunshine, new experiences, and love for yourself, your life, and others.


You did it!

You made it through the unbearably long, cold, and short days of winter. Now it’s time to come out of hibernation mode and start the energizing springtime self-renewal process—for a happy, healthy, more love-filled spring.

Winter Slow-Down

If you are like much of the world, with winter, comes a slowing down of all things in life. Holidays redirect attention to gatherings, shopping for gifts for loved ones, and preparing for the year to end. This is followed by a long stretch of days that seem to last forever.

Energy and motivation tends to slow, as your attention directs to huddling up around the fire under a cozy blanket, trying to stay warm. You may have lost sight of health and physical goals that seemed so important in the warmer days of summer and fall.

And even with the promise of more sunshine, blooming of flowers, and warmer temperatures, it can be challenging to know how to emerge from the hibernation of the winter months and make the most of spring.

Spring Self-Renewal

Dr. Hick believes these five steps will undoubtedly get you on the path of springtime readiness—boundless sunshine, new experiences, and new love for yourself, your life, and others.

1. Get Clean

Like it or not, a lot of gunk—yes, I said gunk—gets stored up in our lives. Whether it takes a physical manifestation or an emotional one, it is vital to do some spring cleaning of your spaces.

  • Physical Space: Go through each space in your life (one space at a time), including rooms in your home, closets, drawers, planters, cabinets, drawers, and desks, that became all too cluttered with physical gunk over the winter months. You don’t have to clear everything out, just give it a little TLC.

If you are holding on to items (that you know you don’t, haven’t, or won’t use), give some thought to why you might be wanting or needing to hold on to that item. This can be key to resolving some of the emotional blocks that create physical blocks.

  • Emotional Space: Similar to clearing out physical gunk from your life, clearing out the emotional weight you may be carrying around will create space for new experiences, relationships and feelings. Spend some time reflecting on what you may be holding on to emotionally or relationally (hint: the ex that you can’t seem to stop social media stalking) that could be holding you back.
2. Get Healthy 

Nothing says winter like warm, comfort foods. For many, these are not exactly the healthiest of foods to get you feeling your best self. Spring is a time for taking a fresh look at how you have been “comforting” yourself through food and/or alcohol.

  • Have you noticed that you have been eating more of a particular type of food?
  • Have you been de-stressing with an after-work drink (or three)?
  • Have you been eating more or less in any particular ways that don’t feel healthy?

With the New Year comes New Year’s Resolutions, and for most, that means exercising more. However, if you are like many, resolutions begin to slip after the first month. By now, you may be well off your resolution course.

Spring is the perfect time to reinvigorate your exercise plan. Get outside, try a new activity, and find a reasonable plan—as opposed to rigid and unrealistic—for making exercise a regularly part of your life.

3. Get Creative

With the new energy that seems to surround so many during the spring season, finding new ways to play with your creative spirit will bring your spring to life. Here’s a few ideas to get the ball rolling for you.

  • Artistic – take an art class, create a vision board, draw in your local park, or redecorate your home
  • Literary – make a dent in your to-read list, delve into a trashy romance novel, or take a writing class
  • Movement – sign up for a dance class, try a new exercise class, bike ride around your city
  • Culinary – take a cooking class, try a new recipe, learn to make a fancy cocktail
  • Play – host a game night with friends, go putt-putt golfing, take an improv class
  • Adventure – take a road trip to a new place, explore a new part of your city, try a new restaurant
4. Get Connected

Winter is a time for going inward as you wait out the long winter, which for many, means you’ve neglected some important relationships in your life.  

As you are coming out of hibernation mode, connect to those who lift your spirit up, help you feel your best self, and bring meaning to your life. That may mean reconnecting to those you’ve lost touch with or could mean making new connections in your community, spiritual life, or purpose.

5. Get Clear

With renewed spaces, health, creativity, and connection, it’s time to get clear on what you want out of your spring. Do some reflection and exploration around the intentions you would like to set in the following areas:

  • Love Do you want to invite, nurture, and/or explore love in your life?
  • RelationshipsWhat relationships need a little TLC? What new relationships do you want to establish?
  • ProjectsAre there some projects that have been calling for some attention in your work or personal life?
  • Money/FinanceHow would you like to transform your relationship to money? What financial goal could you work on?
  • HealthWhat actionable steps can you take to address your physical or emotional health?

Spring is alive with endless possibilities for personal growth that is essential to establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with others. With some attention to these five actionable steps, you’re likely to experience a renewed sense of connectedness to yourself, your relationships, and your physical environment.

Open the door to spring and get ready for a happier, healthier, and more love-filled season.

 

About the Author:

Kristen Hick

Kristen Hick, Psy.D. is a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in the area of awakened dating and healthy relationships. She is the founder of Center for Shared Insight, a private psychotherapy practice in Denver where she and her clients focus on Individual Relationship Therapy. Dr. Hick’s expertise lies in helping individuals create healthy, meaningful, and loving relationships with others through healing, strengthening and transforming their most essential relationship, with themselves. When not helping clients fulfill their personal relationship goals, she enjoys the Colorado outdoors, capturing life through photography, practicing yoga and hopes to one day manage her first unassisted headstand. You can connect with Dr. Hick on her site, Facebook or Google+

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