The welcoming of spring comes with warmer weather, new expectations, and new goals. With this in mind, people often have to reset. Spring resets are intentional periods of time for renewal and growth that can be associated with spring cleaning and new beginnings. This can take many forms; setting goals, decluttering space, or spending time outside during the time gained by the start of spring. While spring is an amazing opportunity to grow, it is still important for people to consider their mental health during this time. There are many strategies to avoid burnout when going through a period of transformation.
A lot of people feel a fresh start effect due to the coming of spring. In short, this is the feeling of high motivation. This is common at the beginning of the year, with the thought that all of the past years’ mistakes are behind you. Part of the reason people feel this way beginning in spring is due to environmental factors.
“The amount of time that we have outside is really crucial to our overall well-being,” says Melanie Flint, an AP Psychology teacher.
In the spring, there is increased sunlight and warmer weather. This positively affects people’s moods and gives them more energy. Because of the increased sunlight, it raises vitamin D levels. These changes reduce psychological changes caused by the winter season. The coming of spring also allows for a reset in people’s circadian rhythms, also known as their 24-hour cycle.
There are many reasons why resetting works. People’s living spaces become cluttered over time. It reduces functionality in their home and makes them have a general feeling of chaos. Decluttering creates feelings of control and reduced anxiety. It also allows people to declutter a physical space and feel the achievement of creating a clean space.
Though a lot of positives come, people can feel the newfound pressure to be productive and social in the spring. Since the weather becomes warmer, the winter feeling of being cozy and staying inside seems to fade away. People are expected to spend time outdoors in the sun since they have the opportunity to do so with the extra hours of daylight. New goals create pressure and guilt for people, thinking that they should do something. This also causes a desire for a slower-paced lifestyle and guilt when resting.
“‘I have to be accepted in order to survive’ is a survival instinct,” adds Flint.
Having mental reset strategies that work is essential for this type of pressure. Having daily routines creates a feeling of comfort due to having a situation that can be repeated each morning. People feel less stress by knowing what is going to happen and not having to worry about deciding what to do each day. Deep breathing techniques have been proven to work for many people. These strategies send signals to calm your brain down, which helps to lower stress levels. It has also been proven that physical activity can cause people to feel more relaxed and productive. Even a simple walk through a green area can help calm them down.
It is important to embrace the period of growth as a person. Having a mindset that allows people to stay open to change forces them to look at the positives. Change is inevitable. Trying to prevent it from happening is futile, but living with it will bring happiness. It will show that they have the ability to overcome their current situation, set goals for themselves for the future, and achieve them.
