Have you ever considered viewing your life through the lens of seasons?
How would that change your planning, your rhythms, your expectations?
The entire globe functions off the concept of seasons. Even those living in tropical or icy climates still function around the idea of seasons as agriculture, tourism, and daylight change with seasonal predictability. Living in Florida, we experience seasons according to the upper limit of the thermometer – ‘the bad place’ levels in summer to gloriously brisk in the ‘winter’. We also recognize seasons as our traffic shifts to accommodate snowbirds and tourists. Seasons are a universal fact of life for all of us in some way and so that’s easy to take for granted, missing out on the rich opportunities available when we pay attention, plan and calibrate our lives to align with the season we are in.
We’re starting with the universal idea of weather seasons and it is important to take note of how those seasons affect our bodies and our souls. When temperatures dip, our bodies boost fat production to store more energy and increase fuel efficiency. Insulin resistance increases in order to boost this fat storage. Viruses increase whenever people spend more time indoors, whether hiding from the cold or from excessive heat. Less fluid intake in colder weather (due to decreased thirst) can lead to greater dehydration and many chronic conditions like arthritis, diabetes or insomnia can shift symptoms with the seasons. Our skin and joints also change with the seasons. Mentally and emotionally, changing daylight affects our melatonin production, which can interrupt sleep. Hopefully, you know by now that sleep is foundational to our mental and emotional health! Sunlight affects our serotonin production. Even cognitive function and levels of generosity have been shown to shift with seasonal changes. (see links below for details) Clearly, it is worth considering the ways in which we can support our bodies and souls for these shifts – planning ahead and directing compassion toward the limitations each season brings.
From a spiritual perspective, studying seasons offers a lot of insight into appropriate expectations and focus. As the farmer would tell us, every season has its benefits, constraints and its required tasks:
- Winter = absence, darkness, and death which require pruning, waiting, resting, and reflection.
- Spring = renewal which requires paying attention, establishing disciplines, and cleaning up.
- Summer = flow which requires slowing down, trusting the process, appreciation, hydration, and gathering.
- Fall = expectancy, fulfillment and harvest which require reaping, storing, feasting, and thanking.
When you look at your life overall right now, what ‘season’ would you say you are in? Based on that season, what should you be expecting of yourself? For instance, if I am in a season of ‘winter’, I should be resting, I shouldn’t be expecting a lot of productivity. Are you engaging the activities that go with the season you are in? If I am in a ‘fall’ season for example, am I reaping and thanking or am I still trying to hustle and ‘plant’? Mark Buchanan does an excellent job of diving into these details in his book, Spiritual Rhythm.
Then there are the more specific seasons unique to each person such as: holidays, work spikes, back to school, etc. May I encourage you to pull out your calendar right now and mark out the seasons in your year that are universal, as well as unique to you? When do things shift considerably for you? Just like the farmer who knows the ebb and flow of agriculture, plans for it and works with it, so too should we understand the overall fluctuations of our year and plan accordingly. Once you have identified your ups and downs, ask yourself what you need more of in each of those seasons. Is there help you need to enlist? Is there anything you can prepare ahead of time to make that season easier? Are there things that need to be cut out during that season? What expectations need to shift for that time of year? Do you need to block off recovery time at the end of that season? Is there a unique opportunity to advance in some area of your life during that season? Plot those specific strategies into your calendar – assigning the preparatory tasks you need to do for each season to specific dates so that you do not forget. In this way, you will move through the highs and lows of your year with intention, instead of coming out of a busy season feeling like you just got spit out of the spin cycle of a dryer or moving through a slow season perpetually unsettled because you never embraced the purpose of that season.
If you are subscribed to our newsletter, you’ll notice that our monthly theme reflects the season. Each month, you’ll experience a reminder to lean in to the purpose and rhythm of that time of year. If you’re not already subscribed, join us here.
Let this post be inspiration for taking on the cultivation mind of the farmer, seeing your life as a cyclical process you can move through with alignment instead of an endless march of ever expanding expectations!
Links:
3 surprising seasonal health changes to know
As the season changes, how do our bodies respond?
