#95: How to Work With the Energy of Spring Without Burning Out

Want to know how to use the energy that comes with spring to your advantage so that that feeling of exhaustion you get from going 100 mph, 100% of the time starts to lift?

In this episode, I'll share with you:

1. What the rhythm of spring represents.
2. How the energy of spring might show up in your life.
3. Three ways to invite the rhythm of spring into your life.
4. The one thing you need to remember to do to use the energy to your benefit.

The shift into spring offers up another opportunity for us to celebrate our rhythms and remember to use them to our advantage. Each seasonal shift we experience, just like the lunar shifts and personal cyclical shifts, allows us to not only practice transitioning form one thing to another, but also removes some of the pressure we might place on ourselves because of self-imposed or others' expectations if we place intention around those transitions. 

Resources:
Daily Rhythms Journal
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More Episodes Like This:
#68: How to Make Transitions Effortless, Part 1
#72: Stop Overwhelm: The 1 Thing Your To-do List is Missing
#76: Creating Your Own Intention-setting Ritual

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Transcript

Cathy: 0:01

Want to know how to use the energy that comes with spring to your advantage so that that feeling of exhaustion you get from going 100 miles per hour, 100 percent of the time starts to lift. In this episode, I'll share with you what the rhythm of spring represents, how the energy of spring might show up in your life. Three ways to invite the rhythm of spring into your life. And then the one thing you need to remember to do to use the energy to your benefit. Welcome to episode 95. Happy spring today is the first day of spring. As I am recording this, it is spring. The first day of spring, and it's kind of chilly out. We've had some really nice weather, but today is a little bit chilly, but there's still sunshine. So it's kind of reminiscent of what spring represents. And today that's what we're talking about. We're talking all about what spring represents and for the first day of spring. The other seasons that, um, beginning with summer, I guess last summer I put together a seasonal rhythms planner that was super useful for, um, knowing what to do. And when during that seasonal transition or at the summer solstice, then that led into, um, I did one around fall that was just kind of a list of ideas or things that you could do, um, to honor that rhythm or to step into that rhythm. I think I did fall. I at least did, I have a workbook that I use with fall. I can't remember if I did things to do to honor the fall equinox or not. Either way, I for sure have one for winter as well, and I'm putting together a seasonal rhythms planner for spring, but it's not quite done yet. And I wanted to get this episode out to you in a timely manner. So it will come out later in the week, but I didn't want to hold up or wait for that one thing. Cause I know I've been pretty busy leading up to this and we are going out of town on Saturday. So, um, I didn't want to hold up on this and I wanted to get this episode out to you. So the tool that I am putting together is a, Really useful and it has some really useful resources on it in regards to how to eat during the season, how to move your body during the season of spring, um, other practical things that you can implement into your life to honor the rhythm of spring and to kind of match the energy that comes with this season, just like I've done with summer and with the winter ones for sure. And if I don't have a fall one, I'll be putting that together for next year as well. But um, if you want to make sure that you get your hands on one of those when they do become available, then head over to my daily rhythms journal page and jump on my email list or my newsletter list. If you're not already there. Um, the daily rhythms journal, even if it's not something that necessarily interests you, it will at least get you onto my email list so that when I send out updates, when I send out, um, information about the podcast or other just useful content that, um, helps you begin to honor your rhythm. The rhythms of your life and to not try so hard in life, uh, you'll have it and it'll be right there waiting for you in your inbox, but I will drop a link in the show notes. So you have that. And if you don't have the daily rhythms journal, or if you haven't ever used it, it's a great way to begin to track your energetic rhythms. You can track your physical wellbeing, um, your mental, emotional, energetic, social, and a whole lot more on it. It's just a way of adding intention. Into your life. And it's, and it's a way to introduce you to living more in alignment with your rhythms so that you don't feel that pressure, which is often self imposed pressure that comes from constantly trying, constantly pushing instead of truly living a life that cultivates health, harmony, and happiness for you, not for anybody else, but for you. And that's, what's all about. It's not about pleasing anybody else or doing things because of the expectations of other people. It's about creating the life that you want to be living and one that truly embodies and embraces health, harmony, and happiness. So check that out if you haven't. On with the show. This is all about spring. So what the rhythm of spring represents. It's all about growth, movement, doing. It's about planting and trusting the timing and process of things. So there is an element of surrender. In spring within spring, it's not all just doing, there does have to be some surrender and letting go. And just like with spring, we have equal light and equal dark. There's a little bit of both. And even though, like when spring is growing. We're getting more and more into the light, right? But there's still this element that, um, calls us inward. And I'm going to get to more of that in just a moment, but it's all about, um, spring is about connecting just like the seeds that we plant are connecting with the soil by growing roots or, um, the seeds or the bulbs that maybe we planted in the fall are now beginning to connect with that soil and, and get, um, move through the soil. That's what the seeds are doing as well. It's a time for us to be connecting and collaborating, not only with the earth, but also with others, um, to begin, uh, sprouting new ideas. And it's about newness. It's about rebirth. And if you're a Christian, it's death and resurrection. It's about celebrating life. Right. And all things living cleansing as the spring rains do, um, energy is growing and it's more effortless to connect outward and let your inner light shine. That's the beauty of it. It's about happiness, joy, laughter, discovery, learning, and inviting color into your life. It's about coloring, not only the outside world, but also how can we color the inside world? How can we, how can we color who we are and let that color show in this world? Spring represents preparing. It's about setting goals and beginning to take intentional action. Towards those goals. So remember back in the winter, we maybe set intentions. Now is the time that we can begin to set some concrete goals. And you may have already done that back in the winter, because that's kind of what we do at the beginning of the year. People get excited. We set the intentions. We say, I'm going to set all my goals for the year, but it's a little bit of a practice to learn to set those intentions and to let them simmer and to let them be. And when the time is right, When you feel the energy, and maybe it happens before the first day of spring, you begin to set some of those goals. You begin to take action, slowly and gradually, as more light enters our days during this, um, transition from winter towards summer. That's kind of how we can start to think of, um, The action and the activity that we take in our lives as well, so that it is intentional. And as I mentioned before, spring is also about connecting with the earth, taking moments to be in nature and to connect mindfully with the earth and nature as a means of getting back in touch with the reality that we, just like the trees, plants and animals, are are also living beings. So that's a little bit about what spring is all about and what it represents. But how might the energy of spring show up in your life? How might it show up for you? Right? So the energy of spring, as I mentioned, it's active, it's moving. Um, you might feel More energetic. You might feel more outgoing. You might feel like you're wanting to get out and be social. Uh, it's an increase in outward energy and away from self. You might feel lighter. Your mind might feel more positive. You might feel more uplifted or happy or confident, and you might have greater faith that things are going to work out. Things are just going to be okay. Right? That's what we want to also practice inviting into our lives all the time. But during spring, especially we feel that positivity, just like the farmer has to go out and plant the seeds and then have faith that everything's going to align. The universe is going to line. We're going to get enough rain. We're going to get enough sunshine. We're not going to get too much rain. Um, we're not going to get too much, uh, sunshine, I guess, or to, to dry things out too much. We're the right balance and that those seeds know what they're supposed to do, right? They're supposed to push up through the soil and. produce a plant, produce a crop. Well, that's the same with us. It's about, um, feeling that greater sense of faith and trust and surrender to the process of, of the, the universe. I guess, uh, you might have sparks of creativity and inspiration. You might also, because of all those sparks of creativity and inspiration, you might have sparks of inspiration. Feel scattered because new ideas are definitely plentiful during this time and we get excited, right? We feel that excitement. This is much like the waxing moon phase. And it's also much like the, um, follicular phase in, uh, in the female cycle, in the menstrual cycle, we get this inspiration and we want to do all the things we want to start all the projects. And it is very easy to set unrealistic goals. Spring is no different. It can be super easy to set really big and lofty goals, but we don't have the means to pull them out. We don't have the means to, um, finish them or complete them because we get tired. We burn out. We push too hard. So this is my caution for you. You might Have a tendency to commit to too much during the season of spring. Now, this is especially something to be mindful of if you are an action taking person who gets stuff done, right? I'm raising my hand right here. And if you're listening to this podcast, you might. Um, you may have a tendency to bite off more than you can chew because you dream big and you want to do great things. This is where those intentions you set back in the winter come into play as well as trust and boundaries or limits. You can use the intentions that you set to help you make decisions about what needs to be a priority. Then set goals Based on those priorities, and anytime you catch yourself drifting away from those goals because of a bright, shiny new object, you have to have the limits in place or the boundaries in place. Um, and that may mean an accountability partner or other tool to help you stay on track, like a coach or, um, just various things. Uh, journaling resources or even, focus tools on your computer, right? To, to keep you on track, to bring you back to the essentials or your intentions. This is kind of the role that the yoga teacher plays in a yoga class or the breathwork teacher, right? This is what I do when I teach classes. When your mind starts to drift, The yoga teacher, the breathwork teacher, the mindfulness teacher gently guides you back to the present through your breath or sensation or some other mindfulness suggestion. And it's the role a coach plays in your life. They're there to remind you and to guide you back to your own goals and intentions. Not to try to solve the problems for you, although sometimes it is nice to have their suggestions and their advice. Their goal is to help you stay on track and moving towards the life you want to be living. Spring is also a beautiful time to brainstorm new ideas. Like I said, ideas are plentiful. Use that brainstorm list, then to weed out the ones that are truly the most essential. And then you can begin planning and taking action towards those ideas. You might feel like you want to have more outside time during the spring, naturally, because it is a much nicer time of year. You might find yourself filling your calendar, though, more readily, um, doing more around the house or at work or with kids activities. So, that's something, again, to caution yourself with because it's really easy to fill the calendar this time of year. And, with more light, you might be staying awake later or eating later in the evening. These are all representations of how spring might just naturally be flowing into your life. You might have a desire to freshen up the house, to open the windows, to wash away the dirt, dust, or stagnant energy from the winter. Totally cool. Totally a beautiful thing to do. And you might also have the desire to move your body more. This helps with clearing out and detoxifying your system. It clears out lymph and inflammation from your system. And it's a great time to drink plenty of water so that you can detoxify. So doing some of those detoxifying things for your body, it's a beautiful time for those things. And sometimes it's just the thing that we feel like we need to do this time of year. And that's how spring might show up in your life. So how do you go about honoring this rhythm of spring in your life? I mean, all these things could be happening, and you feel all this energy, and you want to do all the things, and you want to set the goals, and you want to just be really active, and connect, and, and really, you feel lighter and more positive. But how do you intentionally invite the rhythm of spring into your life so that you can align your actions with it? The first one, do the things. Just start. Consider the rebirth process. What needs to come back into your life? Or maybe what needs to be sprouted, what needs to happen? Pull out your intention setting sheets from the winter in the start of the year and set goals. And if you didn't set intentions yet. Set, set or receive them and then get going with the goal setting. Set those goals and start taking action to carry them out. Use the intentions you set to now begin to move towards those intentions, but only take essential action. Be intentional about what you put or don't put on your calendar and that it aligns with the intentions you've set for how you want to be living your life this year. Be active, move stuck energy around. Like I said before, drink plenty of water to cleanse and help with this. Make meaningful connections that make your heart smile and bring laughter and joy into your life. Do some space clearing, open the windows, burn some sage or Palo Santo, move furniture around. I know I'm burning my sage right now as we speak. Decorate with color, dye Easter eggs, paint rocks, paint, plant flowers. Do anything that adds more color. to your life. And finally, get outdoors, get your hands in the dirt, take a hike in nature, or just lay on the ground and feel the subtle vibration of the earth. This is called earthing and it's super powerful. Number two, the second way to invite the rhythm of spring into your life is to welcome in happiness, joy, and laughter. It may be scary, but dare to do some of the activities. That you loved to do as a child. Now, I know I've talked about this on other podcast episodes, um, but connecting with your inner child, that one of the best ways to do that is to dive back into the things that you used to enjoy doing as a child, that's the surefire way to get that little girl or little boy to come out and play. And in doing so you connect with your inner child and you help her or him feel seen and heard. She wants to play with you. And it's good for your health to do so. It's easy to get so wrapped up and busy with all the adulting that's required of you that you might forget to actually play. The things that you maybe even used to consider fun or playful, like moving your body or working out or gardening or walking to the convenience store for some candy as a kid, perhaps now just seem like chores to check off your daily to do list. But spring is your invitation to get out of that mindset. Those things can be fun and even playful. They don't have to be so intense and serious all the time. So that super hard workout, that super intense workout and the seriousness behind it can be softer. It can be gentler. There's a part of you that wants the freedom that comes with being more childlike. And this is the opportunity to invite that back into your life. It could even be a way of celebrating your body, no matter what stage of life it's in. Run, jump, skip, play games, climb trees, uh, turn the music up and dance, turn cartwheels or somersaults, hunt Easter eggs, go on a nature scavenger hunt. That was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. Or maybe just watch baby animals play or baby calves dance in the pasture. That's one of my favorite things as well is to watch those little calves run through the pasture and kick their heels up. Whatever helps you connect with that feeling of happiness and expansion. Go for it. And finally, the one thing you need to remember, and the third and final way to intentionally invite spring into your life, and the one thing you need to remember to do in order to use the energy of spring to your benefit, is to ground yourself daily. Now, I don't mean that you are putting yourself in timeout or taking away privileges, right? It's not that kind of grounding. Although, in a sense, that kind of grounding does actually make our kids, or us, better. The younger versions of ourselves. Kind of really think about our actions and be intentional, right? So it's kind of funny how we use both of those, those words interchangeably. But it's a sense of grounding and settling into presence. I've shared with you some ways that you can do this physically by getting in contact with the ground or the earth. But there's another element to that. It's the element of grounding or settling that I talk about every day in my yoga and breathwork classes and with my clients. It's about mindfulness. It's listening and allowing whatever needs to be received by you to be received. For the action or re- action, action that may need to spring forth during this season. It's listening for that. And you can do this in nature or in your own personal priority time space at home. If you're in nature, attuned to the world around you, notice the squirrel running about or the sound of the leaves in the trees or the sound of stillness. In your home space, notice the sound of the clock ticking or the laundry going in the background or the kids playing in another room. Just listen. Connect with the rhythm of your heart and your breath and calm your energy down. Take moments of time to rest and settle daily so that you have the physical energy to carry yourself forward into this busy season feeling nourished. Ground yourself so that your inner light can shine brighter and so that you don't get swept away in the hustle, but rather use that energy of spring to your benefit. Without time for grounding, the overactive lifestyle you may tend to invite becomes one of distraction, self imposed pressure and exhaustion. But with regular time for grounding and settling into who you were made to be, you cultivate ease, patience, self understanding and knowing exactly what to do without overthinking life. So yes, it is wonderful to use the energy that's around you this time of year to get going on projects. And also it's extremely important to remember to settle into presence with yourself daily. This means stepping away from all the rushing and hurrying, even if for just a moment or two and checking in with yourself. And wherever you find yourself when you do, whether it be in nature, in your car, your priority time space, or perhaps even just locked in the bathroom for a couple moments by yourself, may it bless you with ease to approach whatever challenge or chaos lies ahead of you, that you may move through it easier than if you hadn't paused for yourself. And allow life to unfold, but be intentional about how you approach it so that you indeed do cultivate greater health, harmony, and happiness in your life. I'm Cathy Stricker, and you've been listening to health, harmony, and happiness with Cathy. Cheers to cultivating a global impact through health, harmony, and happiness.