These mood boosting blue skies

Since my return from the stunning seascapes of Cornwall, the sun has shone here like it did there – yahoo!

Last Saturday’s sunshine eased my unpacking/washing/sorting process enormously when I got home. I threw the back door wide open, hung my washing on the line and inhaled lunch under the big, blue sky. Magic. And what a contrast to those long, grey, days of Winter where I’ve been huddled under a blanket to keep cosy. It’s as if Spring checked the diary, saw it was March and immediately came over all Spring-esque. Most welcome. But apparently isn’t here to stay, yet.

I tend to make a point of upping my ante in Autumn to manage my mental health not to depend on the presence of something this country is renowned for lacking. And not just in Winter. This on the understanding that ‘Winter’ can last about eight months here too (on a good year)!

However, I still absolutely love it when the sky is blue, the temperature is conducive to being outside bearing flesh and I can return to using the parasol to protect my skin from the orange leathery look. I love being outside in nature feeling the gentle breeze on my skin with the birds singing enthusiastically in the background. It would seem that I am not alone in this as I’ve lost count of the conversations I’ve had this week about the difference this weather makes to the general mood of the masses. Whether tradesmen or friends or teachers or anyone else, we’ve all spoken of the great joy of the return of the warmth bringing sunshine!

It is as if Spring has Sprung into being, all of a sudden. While the snowdrops in my garden are now past their best, the crocuses are in full purple bloom. And the trees outside my bedroom window are now sporting little buds of new life – so very exciting!

As I walked into my Pilates class this week, I was gasp inducingly wowed by the orange glow of the night sky. I commented to my peers that it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen all the signs of Spring before, they never fail to evoke great excitement in me!  Lighter evenings, bolder birdsong, blossom on trees and flowers budding all around. I love these! We reflected that we may be particularly appreciative of all things Spring having endured a particularly long stretch of sun hiding weeks.

When I drove home on Saturday, I was reminded of the reality that the sun is always there whether we see or feel it. I started my drive while still in darkness as the sun hadn’t yet arisen from down under. But as I drove, the sun began to peep over the horizon in all its orange glory until it gradually rose enough to become a whole glowing ball. Then in the time it took to refuel the car, grab a cup of caffeine to refuel myself and pay for both, it literally turned from night to day. How very quickly things can change.

As I continued my super long drive, I drove through patches of sun-covering fog or cloud before each cleared to reveal that the sun was still there, as were further patches of fog and cloud.

This driving experience was such a reminder of the parallels with being a human. Sometimes we can’t see or feel any warmth during cold, hard seasons, but when we just keep going, things can improve suddenly. The harder warmth-withholding times do keep coming but so too, do those warmth giving ones. And every time I come out into the sunshine after a sun deprived season, I appreciate it even more.

However, the arrival of Spring does mean the sneezing has started, huge wasp/bee’s have begun appearing in my conservatory, as if they don’t have enough room outside and my grass has started whispering louder each day,

“I need a haircut”.

But hey, this is life, we cannot have the joy of Spring without the minor irritations or additional garden-based jobs! We all must find a way to manage the rough with the smooth, the work with the play and the sun with the clouds.

But for me, I love, love, love this time of year.

Nectar for the soul

Last week I wrote about the connection between diet and the resulting gut bacteria upon mood, energy levels and body size. It’s not a new idea that what we eat impacts what we feel. However, it may be novel to implement such knowledge via consistent action!

I am grateful that I mastered the art of maintaining a healthy diet (mostly) along with regular exercise over a decade ago. The key has been choosing exercise that I genuinely enjoy – my preferences are changing as part of middle aging – but I maintain movement and I eat food that I find nutritious and tasty. (with a bit of crap here and there too – gotta keep it real).

However, when it comes to consistently satisfying my deeper hungers, I’ve been a bit more sporadic. And less successful. Typically, in January, I have done what most people do then with diet and exercise. I’ve gone hell for leather committing to activities that satisfy my deeper hungers throughout January. But I gradually stop doing these things during February, or maybe March on a good year!  As with many things, this can happen so subtly that I don’t notice it. There is room for improvement!

I’ve been reminded of this again recently while I’ve watched the birds and the bees busying themselves with the business of food. Whether the blue tits feeding their young, the bee’s feasting on flower nectar or even the hummingbird on my screen saver. The bees seem to particularly enjoy the jasmine flowers’ offerings as well as those of a purple flower whose name I do not know. See pic. Answers on a post please.

As I’ve watched the wildlife, I’ve realised that I’ve often treated my deeper hungers like something I can satisfy here and there. When I think about this, I realise it is a bit like having my breakfast on Monday morning and then not bothering to re-fuel for the rest of the week. In other words, completely ridiculous if I’m expecting to experience the benefits of feeding the deeper appetites, in any consistent way. Or to avoid the consequences of not doing so.

I have certainly fallen in to the trap of, ‘I feel good’ (gotta love a bit of Jimbo Brown) so I can skip sustaining all the things that keep me feeling good! A bit like how I used to exercise and diet until I reached my desired weight then revert to old habits which restored my old weight! I was caught in that cycle for many years. But I’ve basically been doing the equivalent with my mental and emotional health.

Cue … time for a different more consistent approach if wishing to experience a different more consistent reality! And a better one at that where I feel good more of the time. I’ll just caveat that with the fact that no-one feels good all the time. But we can do things that support or undermine our experience.

Here’s how I try to commit to maintaining my mental and emotional health. First, I know what works as nectar for my soul. And as one who loves a list and a plan, I regularly write lists about this. My latest list looks something like this:

  • Pray. A lot. (this used to be at the bottom until I realised it helps with the rest!)
  • Nature, Nature, Nature
  • Get to bed early – I’m a lark all the way & a miserable bugger without enough kip
  • Eat healthily as the norm, eat unhealthily in moderation
  • Move; walk, run, cycle, swim (out of desire not duty, mostly)
  • Stretch, breathe, be in my body, aided by Pilates & Yoga, Open Movement/5 R’s
  • Read, write, reflect
  • Sing/dance/listen to music
  • Watch films that move me/make me think
  • Bake
  • Share my heart with trusted friends & respectfully hear theirs
  • Photography
  • Massage/reflexology
  • Rest, rest, rest (still rubbish at this)

I know myself well enough to know what nourishes me – my challenge is to understand that these are not optional extra’s but as necessary as the work of adulting. So I need to schedule times to make them happen with as much commitment as I schedule in my work.

As with all areas of life, if I do not implement what I know I cannot expect to enjoy the benefits of doing so! Or avoid the cost of failing to.

A proactive approach to satisfying the deeper hungers for maintaining good mental and emotional health is essential. And it’s ok to fail or fall short (I’m quite the pro at this!) so long as we’re willing to try one more time than we fail. And it’s important to understand that any prolonged failing to maintain mental and emotional health can cause physical ailments too. The mind and body are linked and the health of each effects/affects the other.

What is your nectar for the soul?