Have you ever heard about the term – the springtime lethargy in the context of health, both physical and emotional. 

For years I was rather sceptical of the theory. In my youthnes and confidence of having a know-how to everything, I rather considered that as one big excuse for laziness. Saying straight I honestly pondered it as total nonsense. 

Today, here in front of you I need to admit to my mistake, I was wrong. Not only the term, but also the sensations are real. Last few years, when I became more aware, and much more considerate of myself, I realised that all of these really affects me. The mood swings, the tiredness, and at the same time the excitement of the spring and the cheerful attitude. How can it be that in one person the  positive and negative goes almost in parallel at the same time? 

At first, for years, I was convinced that it is only due to the time change to summer one and my biological clock needs to adjust. Then I researched further and it turns out that the time change is only part of a much bigger process. My body is absolutely healthy and reacts naturally to what the environment serves us every year. 

According to studies the changes that happen around the same time like: longer daylight, brighter sun and colours as well as time change, require a lot of energy consumption to get used to hence the consequences of heavier tiredness and shorter temper. On one hand, the weather gets warmer, there is more sunlight needed for every life and nature is awakening, which triggers a positive emotion. But then on the other hand the body seems to not be ready yet after winter and the conflict appears. I also think that in places like Europe where we live, during the long months of winter our bodies are using all the minerals and vitamins that we accumulated during summer and there are only fumes left. It’s like we were trying to get the car on full speed without fuel in. 

Does it mean that we are just sentenced to lose a few weeks of our life every year? Not necessarily. Even though I am definitely pro nature and for things like that to balance naturally, I realised that there are some steps that can consciously be taken to get us in better shape and avoid springtime lethargy. Below are five in my option the best ones:

Observe your body.

Get to know it, and be patient! Don’t rush into anything just become aware of the reactions and with time you will be able to see what triggered that reaction. This way you will be gentle on yourself and treat both the body and mind with tenderness, love and care. Do what works for you, maybe pick on a small part of your body, e.g. face and with love take the best care of it by massaging, applying a mask, and giving it the best treatments possible.

Increase physical activities, preferably in the fresh air.

If you enjoy any sport, keep doing it with full awareness. There is something about running that when legs are moving the mind gets better. Of course I am aware that running is not for everyone. But there are so many more activities, less demanding ones, such as taking a walk, riding a bike or skating. 

What I discovered also is some simple yoga or pilates outside can do the trick and absolutely not, you don’t need to be advanced. Every expert started one day. In accordance with the old saying you don’t need to be an expert to start, but have to make the first step to succeed. 

Perhaps you ask how to exercise if you have so little energy? My answer is exactly because you have a little energy you need to force yourself. If you want your physics to change you have to move your body. These are the basics of the science lessons I remember from primary school.

Wake up on the first alarm in the morning.

Try not to snooze the alarm clock. Perhaps go to bed earlier even if you are not so tired yet. In his research Dr Michel Moseay completed for better sleep habits even over the weekend we should wake up at the same time, regardless if we were having the late night before. Eventually, we will be tired enough in the evening that we will naturally want to go to sleep at a reasonable time to get enough rest. That process should take about 2 weeks to start to see the difference.

Eat well, drop or at least limit caffeine and sugar intake from your diet.

I cannot even describe how discovering it was to me when I finally understood that we really are what we eat. So if we stuff ourselves with crap don’t expect that nothing good will come out of us. When explaining to my children to convince them to eat some healthy food I asked them to picture a magnificent building, then asked them what is it made off and questioned whether it would be equally beautiful if it was made of waste? No, of course not. So why do we expect from ourselves to be the best versions of ourselves if we are stuffed with junk? The decision here is in our hands. We chose how we picture ourselves and perhaps looking after eating habits is the first step to execute that better self. 

I dropped sugar for the first time in October 2019, not waiting for Monday, new year etc. It was a spontaneous decision taken after finishing a pack of sweets on Friday afternoon that I will not have any more till the end of the year, and I completed it. Was it easy? Hell not! Was it worth it? Definitely YES! I am really happy that I stepped into that journey (but this is the full subject to another article ;))

Take breaks if possible.

It is not written on stone that vacations can only be taken in summer. Maybe we should encourage and work on a cultural change of taking more frequent vacations. I think that vitamin D, which the sun naturally feeds our body, is definitely lacking when the short days of winter seem to have no end. Is it a myth that we have new energy after taking vacations? I don’t think so. There is like a new strength in us. Let’s purposely schedule more breaks staged during the year. If affording a full holiday is not an option, let’s try to take a shorter break, day in a spa or maybe just in the forest, reconnecting with nature and with ourselves. 

If you apply all of the above and after about a month nothing changes, perhaps it is the time to make complex examinations, check the levels of vitamins and minerals you have. Perhaps consult with specialists about the supplementation requirements. Please never take any medications without specialist advice. 

I am happy that I got interested in the subject and learned so much in the process. Naturally, I still experience the sensations but knowing why they appear and how to help them removes the related frustration from my life. I really enjoy the awareness and connection gained from listening to my body and its reactions. It also made me a less reactive and more proactive person. If this is something that interests you I would encourage you to explore the matter as this subject is ocean dip and what I described above is only a tip of the iceberg.