FINDING COMFORT IN TIMES OF TRANSITION

Here in Australia it is transitioning from winter into spring. Many of our trees are flowering and bulbs bringing welcome bursts of colour and scent are blooming. The temperatures are starting to rise and the thoughts of buying summer hats have flitted across my mind for the first time in months. The energy in the air is palpable.

Another season is being ushered in, and time is moving on. As it always does. This past winter has been long and cold and dark. Longer and colder and darker than any I can remember anyway. There were weeks upon weeks of wishing for the warmth and the buds on the trees, any sign at all that things were changing. And then little by little, it was here.

And so it is with seasons of our lives. Nothing lasts forever, everything does eventually change, or move or end. And yet, when we are in the midst of something that is stretchy and hard, it can feel like the very longest winter. If you are still waiting on your spring to arrive, here are some ideas to keep your hopes up:

1. Buy some plants or flowers for indoors – In my experience, bringing nature inside can spark joy like no inanimate object can.
2. Find comfort and pleasure in the little rituals – just as rituals are comforting for children, so they are when we are adults. Make a cup of tea in a nice cup, just the way you like it. Make your bed with fresh sheets, and mist some essential oils (diluted of course!) across your pillow. While you are at, dab your favourite scent on your wrists, so that you unexpectedly catch a waft from time to time.
3. Go for a walk around your neighbourhood – look up and around, enjoy noticing the way other people live and make a home. There are so many ways to live a life, it can be heartening to remember that through the simple act of observing others.
4. Take yourself somewhere in nature – beach, lake, forest, sand dunes, desert. Somewhere where all you can see is nature. Feel small, in a good way. Feel grounded and reconnect.
5. Treat yourself to a story – pick a new audiobook, movie, friend or podcast and find out about someone else’s life. Listening to stories of overcoming adversity can provide you with new ideas to tackle any issues in your own life, as well as the realisation that everyone is working on something hard.

How do you nourish yourself?