Rest In Every Season

by Olivia Roland, Office Coordinator

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. The sun stays out later, flowers are blooming, and the fresh breeze blows through the open windows. I always feel happy when spring comes around again. It reminds me of all the little joys of life: a bright purple crocus peeking out of the still-dead winter grass, the sunlight shining through pink cherry tree blossoms, saying hello to neighbors and friends who are spending more time outside in the fresh spring air. Spring is alive, and I can’t help but feel alive too. Spring is a time that is synonymous to a fresh start. Spring is a clean slate, a rebirth. The world is waking up from a deep winter slumber, and many of us feel an itch to get out and do something new, or revive and refresh our living spaces. We clean the house top to bottom, we clean our cars, we finally donate those bags of clothes that have been sitting in closets or trunks for six months. We take more walks, enjoy more time with friends, and we seem to smile a whole lot more.

It’s undeniable that the change of seasons can motivate us to be more active and productive. In fact, this is natural and the way our bodies are supposed to respond subconsciously to the warmer weather. Many animals fully hibernate or become less active during the winter, and humans are no different. Yet almost none of us are actually able to do that when the weather becomes cold and the days get shorter. In today’s world, we simply cannot afford to slow down. We have so many responsibilities to juggle - a career, kids, school, chores at home, pets, friends, spouses, and the list goes on. There are simply not enough hours in the day and we don’t ever seem to have time to rest. We stretch ourselves too thin and many days seem too much to handle. This feeling is exacerbated by the long dark nights and cold gray days. The bleakness seems endless and we become numb and exhausted. After the Christmas lights of December fade into the monotony of January, we tend to go into survival mode. We have to remain just as busy (if not moreso) than we were in the fall, and yet we become more exhausted and burnt out because of the nature of winter. Our bodies tell us to slow down and we keep going at lightning speed because we must.
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So how do we overcome this burnout and depression that seems to rear its ugly head every winter? The answer is rest. At every stage, in every season of the year. We have to be intentional about building rest into our schedules ahead of time. Since we cannot usually slow down with the winter time, we must prepare for this season by planning ahead. Planning a weekend here and there with people who lift you up, using your PTO to take a vacation with your family, taking a weekend morning to sleep in and make breakfast in bed with your significant other, and even scheduling self-care. With these times of rest built into our schedules, we will be able to take on the busier seasons of our lives without burning out, and we always have something to look forward to.
As you look forward to this lovely spring and a time of rejuvenation, don’t forget that even in spring you deserve rest so that you can face the seasons of winter in your life with a renewed sense of purpose and energy.