Honoring Our Seasons

Humans are part of nature. Just as Mother Nature has seasons, so do we.

Throughout the year we can see and feel the Earth changing. We notice how dark, chilly days gradually become longer, brighter and warmer. Spring is a beautiful time of new growth and new beginnings. Then the summer days shine down on us, energized and ready for adventure. Summer is bright and expansive. It exhibits an extroverted energy. As we move into fall, the Earth brings its’ energy inward once again. Then in winter Earth becomes dormant and still. A time of introversion.

As a part of nature we also go through these same seasons within our own lives, and it is important honor and respect the different parts of our natural rhythm.

If you are like most humans in the 21st century, you love being productive and feeling accomplished. It feels good at the end of the day to check items off your to-do list. It feels good to say “look at all the stuff I did today!”. (At least I know that I enjoy this feeling.)

Imagine this is like the flowers blooming in spring. It is rewarding and a necessary part of the cycle. But we don’t expect the Earth to be in full bloom all year long. We understand that winter is natural and temporary. Why, then, is it so difficult for us to slow down in our own lives?

I believe it is because we live in a society that emphasizes productivity as a measurement of worth. You are WORTH more if you DO more. You have to earn your worthiness through socially recognized accomplishments.

How often do you hear people say, “I did nothing this weekend” when really they mean, “I didn’t do anything productive this weekend". They could easily say, “I rested this weekend. I relaxed this weekend. I recharged this weekend. I spent quality time on the couch this weekend.”

To most people resting, relaxing, recharging and spending time on the couch = nothing. Only having something to show for your time is something.

My qualm with this is that it dishonors our natural seasons by making the spring/summer times more important than the fall/winter. This leads to always trying to be in the productive, outgoing energy and ignoring the slow, inward energy. In some cases this slow, inward energy may even feel scary or dangerous because of the fear of ‘not doing enough’ or falling behind. So we continue to push forward even when our bodies & souls are craving quiet.

The result? Burnout. Chronic fatigue. Illness. Declining health.

Since starting my journey as a chiropractic I have cycled through the four seasons several times (the timing of your own seasons does not always match the timing of Mother Nature, although sometimes it does). When I began working at the Wellness Lounge I was fresh out of school and full of excitement. I was in creation and collaboration mode. AKA - Spring! I put myself out there, went to dozens of events, talked to people whenever I could and was extremely outwardly focused.

But after a few months of this I started to feel tired. I was not as excited to network or participate in events. This scared me. Was I losing my motivation? Was I not committed enough? Was I not DOING enough??

The first time I encountered winter in my professional life I FREAKED OUT. I tried to keep pushing through, terrified to slow down. Terrified to take my foot off the gas. But you can’t ignore Mother Nature for long and soon enough my body FORCED me to slow down. Right after Christmas of 2019, after I had been in this “do more” mentality for over a year, I came down with the worst flu of my life. I was sick in bed for days. My body ached, I had a fever and headaches and no desire to move. I cancelled my New Years plans and told the Wellness Lounge that I wouldn’t be coming in to work for a while. I slept and watched The Crown on Netflix (great series btw).

The moral of the story is this - slowing down is normal. We are not designed to always be in bloom. If you ignore the season of rest your body will eventually break down. The fall and winter are full of nourishment and purpose.

I am currently entering a season of fall in my own life. My body is craving more yoga and less high intensity workouts. I am loooving my quiet morning journaling and starting the day with stillness feels so necessary. In the evenings I find myself taking more baths and wanting to crawl into bed earlier than normal. And my extra time has been spent reflecting, reading or meditating whereas before I might be networking, taking photos for my social media or planning my next event.

Because I have been here before I am not scared. I know that soon enough I will feel re-inspired to step into that expansive energy, DO more and take my business to the next level. But for now I am going slow, being mindful not to over-schedule and allowing myself to settle into a more calm state of being.

I encourage you to tune in to your own current season. Are you excitedly working on a new project? Are you starting something or ending something? Or are you feeling called to turn your focus inward? Is it time to let your foot off the gas a little and create more space in your days for relaxation?

Welcome every season as it comes and reap the benefits of being an integral part of the rhythm of life.