Written by Jennifer Wendt, Ph.D.

Spring is in the air! It is a season filled with hope, growth, new life and excitement. The weather is warming, the plants are in bloom, ideas and plans of new activities begin to emerge.  If you are a gardener, you know that Spring is a time to nurture your plants and prepare them for a year of growth.

A gardener takes time pruning, fertilizing, planting and watering to help plants flourish during this natural season of growth.

As we begin to awaken with the warm weather and plan for spring and summer it’s a natural time to nurture ourselves for a season of growth.  Just as the gardener prepares her plants to grow and reach their potential, we can prepare ourselves to flourish as well.

After a full season of growing, a plant has branches and leaves that are no longer prosperous and are ready to be trimmed.  This process removes parts of the plants that are no longer growing, making room for new growth to flourish.

We can examine our own lives for pieces that are ready to be trimmed.

Trimming can be small and delicate or it can be a major pruning. The ways which you can prune your own life are countless and very personal.

Here are some ideas you can consider:

Material items – maybe you have old, unused or unappreciated items in your home that are ready to be trimmed.

Habits – look for a habit that no longer serves you well, or takes up too much time

Communication – examine how you communicate with others and evaluate its effectiveness.  Maybe there is a way you communicate that is not helpful and could use trimming.

Thoughts – when we listen to our automatic thoughts, there is likely one that is more critical and not supportive of our well-being.

Just as a plant needs to be fed and nourished with fertilizer and water we also need nourishing in our lives.  It’s important that we take time to cultivate the parts of our lives where we want to support growth.  In today’s society our lives are so busy that it is easy to take things for granted.  We have heard the saying “If it’s not broke don’t fix it!” but that saying also leads us to think that we don’t need to pay attention to something until it is broken.  A better strategy is to pay attention and make sure we nourish what we value.

Here are some areas to consider nourishing:

Relationships – take stock of your relationships and consider one that may need nourishing

Health – put fresh ideas or energy into healthy meals, exercising or stress relieving activities

Family Time – consider how your family is getting along and plan an activity that may increase

Environment – your living or work environment can have an impact on your mood, happiness and success.  Simple steps can be taken to make a work area more efficient, a living space more inviting or a family area feel free from clutter each of which may help lift your mood.

Planting & Adding Something New
A gardener enjoys planting fresh flowers or vegetables in the spring to enhance the beauty and harvest of the garden.  Planting new things in our lives can also enhance our quality of life.

-Plant a new activity in your schedule – choose something you have always wanted to try or something you used to enjoy.

-Add a plant to the yard or windowsill that is an inspiration of growth and inner beauty

-Add 5 minutes of time to practice mindfulness each day

I encourage each of you to take time this Spring and nurture your wellbeing with these steps.  Find one thing you can prune, something you can nourish and add something new to your life.  Remember to start small.  It can be as easy as giving away a few old items, calling up a best friend and reading a new book.  Lean on the energy and the natural growth of the season to feel refreshed and nourished for the seasons ahead.

Happy gardening everyone and enjoy this Spring!