Bounce Back From a Dark Winter and Awaken Spring in Your Heart All Year  

Hi Friends,

Today I’m talking with you about how to recover, and reset your life from a long, dark winter to awaken spring in your heart all year long.

But first, I want to give a big shout out to my listeners! I appreciate your time so much and especially your ratings and reviews. Special thanks to listener epc124 who had this to say in their review on Apple, “Donna Galanti is all at once a thoughtful host, funny and warm, and someone who you feel you can immediately trust. Her anecdotes are relatable and sometimes poignant, as she leads listeners through those setbacks, we’ve all experienced and are looking to move past. I can’t wait to hear more!”

Wow, thank you!

And I also want to share how much I enjoyed being interviewed recently on the Talks with Dr Shafer podcast! We chatted about finding joy even during life challenges along with honest thoughts on caregiving and depression. Shafer has such a warm energy and draws out heartfelt conversations! You can catch the episode on YouTube or Spotify and be sure to follow Talks with Dr Shafer as well to listen to some fascinating guests. See links to connect with Shafer in my show notes.

Now on to the season of spring! It’s in the air here in the U.S. MidAtlantic. I’ve never been a fan of spring before. I yearn for autumn with crisp air, abundance of warm color, and falling leaves. Oh, the scent of woodburning fires and rich earth. Before this year, for me, spring and summer were just one long, muggy, buggy lump of months to get through before fleeting fantastic fall.

But this spring something changed for me. I came out of a long, dark winter. A winter that lasted two years. A literal and figurative winter.

Perhaps you’ve recently come out of a literal and figurative winter as well. Perhaps it was just one season or a multitude of seasons that seemed like it would never end. Navigating the gray and gloom of winter days while also navigating a life challenge that felt as if it went on and on.

If so, I can totally relate. It happened to me, too. Recently, I dealt with a life crisis with my son along with years of increasingly caring for my elderly father from afar who suffered from strokes and Alzheimer’s. My dad passed away right as November began last year and the cold and rain swept in. And I fell into a gloomy abyss. Trapped inside as the days ended early in darkness. 

And so, I put my father to rest. I grieved for him. I missed him. And I was lost. All within the dim cocoon of winter.

But in my cocoon, I was healing and resting. I was recovering from giving so much of my energy to others who needed me. I didn’t know it at the time, but I needed me—and I needed the winter to reflect and withdraw into myself. I needed winter to resurrect myself and blossom in the spring.

And that’s how I feel now in glorious springtime. I’ve emerged from being colored in sadness to being colored in bliss and joy and hope. There’s a reason spring is known to be the season of positivity as we move our bodies again and take action again through the presence of hope.

This year, I’ve truly awakened spring in my heart. Not only that. I feel as if this awakening is not short lived, not for just one season—but for all seasons. And for all my life moving forward. And I’m here to tell you that you can feel the same. This awakening of spring in your heart is something you can fold into your days all year long.

I love the origins of the word “spring” for one of the four seasons. Spring was first known as lent, or the lenten season, which comes from the Old English word lengten, which means “to make longer or greater in length.” This makes sense as the days begin to get longer. 

It wasn’t until the 14th century that the term lent for spring was changed to springing time. This season became known to be an "act or time of springing with the first appearance; a birth, a rise, or origin" of many things including the rise of leaves and plants.  

Just as nature appears each spring with unfurling of color, so can we spring into our own unfurling with new beginnings—with the birth of new possibilities, places, and people. But we don’t need this springing time as our alarm clock to rise with growth and renewal, we can rise by our own choice at any time. And by adopting a spring attitude throughout all seasons, we can also lengthen the benefits of spring in our heart all year long.

I like to embrace the words of fashion designer and socialite, Lilly Pulitzer, who said, "Despite the forecast, live like it's spring." 

And if you’re emerging like me from a long, dark winter of the soul, I want to share with you ways I’ve discovered to awaken spring in your heart and keep it all year long.

Just like Ebenezer Scrooge, who at the end of the classic story A Christmas Carol, awakened from his dark night of the soul and declared, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year long”—I declare the same could be said for spring. Declare it with me. “I will honor spring in my heart and try to keep it all year long.”

I truly believe we can honor this affirmation. Just as Scrooge awakened his heart to live life to its fullest in harmony with all around him, so can we with a forever springtime spirit. 

And just like some people experience “spring fever”, I believe we can carry that fever all year long. Why allow spring to have all the fun? Allow yourself to feel hopeful for adventure and exploration any season and any day of the year. You can boost your mood with springtime habits every day.

I’ve pondered on this a lot lately and want to share with you my steps on how to recover from a long, dark winter to awaken spring in your heart for all seasons.

1.      First, do something different every day

In falling in love with spring, I realized part of my new spring crush is that every day is different. No day in springtime is the same. Every day I go outside, and the world has expanded with more color, more growth. Leaves pop open, vines uncurl, and grass reaches for the sky. 

The world is greener. Flowers cycle through color from yellow daffodils to pink tulips to purple violets. The abundant color is so vibrant it looks surreal, as if painted by an artist. And each night that artist adds more paint to his canvas to surprise us each morning.

We can adopt spring’s attitude of new and different and wondrous every day. In doing something new every day, big or little, it can add surprise to your day. Opening yourself up to welcoming surprises can bring you a joyous feeling because you never know what you will discover. Trust me. I’ve been opening myself up to this as well.

It could be making a new friend or reading a new book. Or going for a new walk. Or looking at something or a person in a new way. Try and do something new every day to wake spring in your heart and foster it always. 

2.      Here’s my next step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Lose Track of Time 
 

Spring doesn’t pay attention to time. It follows its natural course to do naturally what it does every day. It gets lost in itself to become what it’s meant to become. It’s immersed in its process of unfolding.   

You can do the same. Get lost in yourself. Lost in a project. In a book. In a walk. In daydreaming. Put your phone away. Really away. And don’t check it. Or better yet. Turn it off. If you need to, let someone know what you’re doing and where you’re going. I know, it can be unsettling at first to not be so connected but then eventually it becomes liberating. And you’ll want to do it again and again. Allow yourself the gift to get completely lost in something peaceful, uplifting, or inspirational.

Immersing ourselves in something so deep and so focused without the concept of time can unleash a self-awareness and appreciation for what you study. Whether it’s in nature or writing a story or playing piano or building something or painting a picture or wandering through a museum.  

When was the last time you were truly engrossed in something so deeply that the rest of the world and your worries slipped away? Try it sometime. Make it a habit. You never know what you will discover AND uncover about yourself and the world around you.  
 

3.      Here’s my next step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Cultivate your life

The French artist Henri Matisse once said, "There are always flowers for those who want to see them." I love this quote. And our flowers can be many things. They can be the beauty and wonder and surprise we can find on any given day in any season that bring us joy. 

Part of cultivating your life also means tending to it and nurturing those parts of it to bring you an abundance of benefits, whether it’s in your relationships, your work, your spirituality, your experiences, and more.

 Reaping the good in our lives takes care and time. Don’t be lazy. Because the rewards can be great. We can have richer moments with those we love. We can have more satisfaction in our work, partnerships, and creations. We can have more meaningful experiences that renew our soul and spirit.

4.      Here’s another step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Keep a sense of constant renewal and growth

Having a consistent growth mindset means that you believe you have potential throughout your life to expand your abilities and capacities. Think of it as being a lifelong learner, which is what I call myself. Do you feel the same way? Do you seek out knowledge and skills and apply them to enhance yourself? To grow yourself? To enrich yourself? If not, I recommend embracing a learning mindset.

Some people stay still. They don’t seek expansion. They do what they know day in and day out. Go to work. Go to the gym. Go home. I think that if we see ourselves in constant renewal and growth then we open ourselves up to new potential. And we can shed the old parts of ourselves that no longer serve us and be refreshed with the new. Just like nature is in constant change as the leaves fall each year and grow again in spring, so are we changing. 

Change is constant, whether you accept it or not. Even if you are standing still you are changing by the very forces around you and inside you. 

By taking control of change and shaping it in our favor, we can design our new selves while holding on to the good parts of our old selves. 

In spring, there’s this constant content motion with flitting butterflies, wandering bumblebees, creeks running, and birds hopping and singing. This constant motion in nature is an exploration, a way of connecting to our world. Taking your own action will help you continue to explore and connect. 

5.      Here’s my next step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Embrace new beginnings

Beginnings can be scary as they always follow endings. Do you find yourself eager for spring as it’s a time to look forward to new beginnings? A time to plan and tackle new things? Perhaps you used winter as an excuse to hold off on these new things? And perhaps you begin something new in spring but as the newness wears off, you find yourself letting it go? 

There is truth in what the writer Leo Tolstoy said with this, “Spring is the time of plans and projects.” But we can also falter in these plans and projects just like we can falter in our New Year’s Resolutions once our eagerness fades away and the challenge of it settles in.

In life, we constantly face new beginnings whether through our own choice or by other external pressure. And this proverb echoes this truth: “No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.” Which means, we should always expect new beginnings in our life just as we can expect spring.

But no matter how a new beginning happens, we DO have the choice in how we react to it. We can react with fear and dread, or we can react with confidence and trust. 

I know embracing the concept of new beginnings isn’t easy. It’s a habit to be formed. It involves letting go of the past, accepting that change is good for us, finding comfort in the new, and being open to opportunities. It may also involve setting new goals and creating new routines.

 While it can be hard to start over, facing a new beginning with acceptance, flexibility, and an open mind can create an unexpected wonderful new journey for you. I believe it and so should you.  

6.      Here’s another step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Spring clean all year long 

Part of the notion of spring cleaning is to declutter. Spring is a time many of us will go through items in our houses, stuffed in closets, hidden in the basement, or stored in the garage. Does this sound familiar?

Taking on a declutter mindset every day can help you keep your living space simple, organized and peaceful. 

And decluttering your home daily is just part of a spring clean mindset. Taking on the habit of decluttering your mind daily can also awaken spring in your heart. 

Let old thoughts fall away that no longer serve you. Negative, looping thoughts that clutter your mind and spirit. We all have them, right? Negative thoughts that keep you stuck and prevent you from moving forward. 

Just like it’s time for those tubs of items stashed away in your basement to be donated, it’s time to get rid of the stories you tell yourself that keep you bogged down in leftover baggage you don’t need. Baggage that weighs you down with the past—and can often cripple you. I know. I struggle to let this baggage go too at times. 

Think of this as a chance to clear your physical space and clear your mental space. Letting go of old, negative thoughts and replacing them with new, positive ones can literally change how you view yourself, your place in the world, and the world and people around you.  

7.      Here’s my next step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Get outdoors in every season

Spring is bursting with people getting outdoors. They’ve been hibernating inside all winter and now explode out of the house. I say, every season and most days are a great time to get outdoors. 

You may live in a mild climate where it’s easy to be outdoors most of the year, but if you don’t, like me—you’ll have to make the effort to get outside in every season.

And making the effort requires two things:

1.      Preparing with the right gear for every weather

2.      Preparing yourself mentally to be motivated to just do it!

You may say, but hey, Donna, I go to the gym in winter or do aerobics in my living room or ride my stationary bike in my house. And, yes, that’s great. But we NEED to get outdoors. 

As humans, we were not meant to live our lives indoors. We need fresh air. Interaction with the elements. Sunshine. Movement. All these things improve our mood, provide doses of Vitamin D, and give us a different perspective. 

Statistics say that walking is one of the best exercises we can do. It’s a full body work out and low impact. I love many different types of outdoor activity. Biking, hiking, kayaking, and walking. In winter, hikes and walks are what I do.

And I prepare with the right gear so getting outdoors for a brisk walk in cold weather is comfortable. You aren’t going to do it if you’re cold, wet, and miserable right? 

So be prepared like me. I have a long winter coat that covers my legs. I’ve got insulated boots and sneakers along with thermal socks and gloves. Let me tell you that the brand Heat Holders are AMAZING, especially for someone like me who has Raynaud’s syndrome. I have a full hat that covers my ears and provides shade for my eyes. I have earmuffs. I have my walking sticks for the woods to balance myself. I am like, LET’s GO! In spring and fall I wear raincoats and waterproof boots. Nothing prevents me from walking and hiking all year. And nothing should prevent you either, no matter where you live. 

Preparing with gear is the easy part. Preparing yourself mentally is a bit harder. There are days when I sit in my chair and stare outside at the wind and snow and gray and think, ughh, it’s just so much easier to stay indoors. Of course it is! But I also know that once I get bundled up and get out there and stride along that I will be glad I did. I will come back warmed up, stretched out, and refreshed in spirit. And THEN I can reward myself by cozying up on the couch with a cup of tea and my cats. 

My tip? Don’t think about it. Once you get bundled up, you’re ready. No excuse now to not go. Just do it.

8.      Here’s another step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Be a seasonal foodie

Spring is a wonderful time to expand your palette with seasonal food. Here in North America, that can mean fresh asparagus, rhubarb, peas, artichokes, and strawberries. However, every season has its bounty. Change up what you introduce to your table with the changing harvests throughout the year from salads to pumpkins and apples to root vegetables.  

Visit farmers’ markets and take advantage of the growing seasons for fruits and vegetables. Immerse yourself in the smells and tastes of what every season has to offer and you’ll enjoy a surprise and delight at your dining table with family and friends. 

Consider creating annual gatherings with those you love to celebrate a new harvest with a seasonal potluck. Food is a wonderful comforting way to connect with others and bring them together.

9.      Here’s my next step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Embrace hope

Each year the leaves die and fall and each year they grow back bursting with life again. They aren’t dead forever. They are renewed. They are resilient. We know they will return. We have hope they will. We are certain they will.

Spring is often called the season of hope for all its glorious growth, but we can find hope in every day and in every season.

I say, make it a habit to find something hopeful every day. There is a great power in hope. Without hope we have no purpose. Hope is truly the foundation of all we choose to do and how we choose to react to life. 

As I mentioned, I just recently emerged from my long, dark winter of the soul—literally and figuratively. But I clung to hope during this time. And on some days, it was all I had to cling to.

In my darkest days when I was tired of overcoming, tired of the depressing place I dwelled in with the constant caregiving of my increasingly helpless elderly father—I just wanted the situation to end. And I realized that there was an end to it. That this was a temporary situation. And the end would be a sad one with the loss of my father but also an end to our difficult situation we were bound in together as parent and child. I understood that one day I would be happy again. And I was.

 And if you embrace hope and fully grasp that whatever dark winter you’re in will eventually end, you too will be happy again. Have hope you will—and happiness will return in time. 

10.  Here’s another step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Be social

Spring is a time to celebrate the awakening of the world. But I say, look for things to celebrate in every season. Especially in the colder, darker months. 

Research global celebrations and adopt them as your own such as Guy Fawkes Day, St. Lucy’s Day, the Winter Solstice, or the Lunar New Year. The colder, darker days are the days when gathering with friends and family can be the most important. The days when we most need to boost our spirits. 

Creating your own seasonal social traditions can give you many things to look forward to throughout the gloomiest months.

11.  And here’s my next step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Let go of something that no longer serves you

We talked about letting go of negative thoughts that inhabit your mind, but this is much more than that. Look into letting go of things that no longer serve your path. 

I’ll share one example in spring of letting go. This year, for me, spring is draped in glorious vivid green here in Pennsylvania and the leaves seem neon in color. I wondered how they seemed brighter than usual and was thrilled to learn why! 

In his book, HOW TO READ A TREE by Tristan Gooley, I learned that the first leaves in spring are lighter in color than the mature leaves we see in summer. I had no idea! And these new leaves often have fine, light hairs to protect them from frost in early spring to then disappear leaving behind the deep green leaves of summer.  So, in time, these light hairs fall away as they no longer serve the trees growth. They are no longer needed. I love that. And I'll be watching for those darker leaves coming. 

If you love nature like me, then I suggest following Tristan Gooley, who is also known as The Natural Navigator on Facebook, and check out his books at naturalnavigator.com. I also loved his book THE LOST ART OF READING NATURE'S SIGNS.

So, take the letting go habit of spring and blend it into your life on a regular basis. Make it a habit to check in with yourself and evaluate your life on schedule. Set aside time to do this every month, every quarter or whatever works for you. Make an honest list about things, habits, places, or people that aren’t good for you anymore and why.

Get used to goodbyes. Life is full of goodbyes and if you incorporate them in your life consistently, they will become part of your natural journey. You will become better at letting go and starting over. We can’t experience new beginnings and new journeys without those endings. 

12.  Here’s another step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Do nothing! 

You may not think it, but spring is a lot about doing nothing. Things unfold naturally and organically. There is stillness at night as magic stirs undercover with the growing of things in the dark and then movement at dawn as nature wakes up each day. 

Some think that spring is for new dreams, but allowing yourself to daydream all year long has great benefits. There’s great power in envisioning. It can spur on creativity and foster positive thoughts and joy. It can bring you new projects to pursue or new ways of seeing something in your life.

Instead of scrolling your phone or watching television, try sitting in quiet and just let your mind create meaningful scenarios. They can be things you long for, are working toward, or want to plan to do. 

For me, I envision creating my first garden in the backyard. I know nothing about gardening but long to learn and create a bounty to harvest for our table. To find peace in the growing of things. This leads to dreaming about the foods I’ll create with my harvest, the friends I’ll have over to enjoy it with, and the memories made. 

13.  Here’s my next step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Refresh your look

Many of us look to spring as a time to refresh our look. Lose weight. Get healthy. Buy new outfits. Get a new hairstyle. 

I want to throw out here the concept of Adopting a “Refresh Myself” Attitude all year long. It’s not just for spring! Spruce yourself up throughout the year. Perhaps even schedule it, like with the start of each new season. It will give you a much-needed boost to feel renewed all year long. 

14.  Here’s another step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Tap into your creativity

Spring is all about creating as we witness the artist “nature” with its limitless color and design. Even if you don’t consider yourself creative, we all carry the ability to create inside us. 

Tapping into it can unleash wonders inside you that you might never have known! Try painting or writing or creating music or photography. You never know where it will lead.

15.  And here’s my final step to awaken spring in your heart every day … Immerse yourself in all your senses

Spring is a time where our senses awaken after a sleepy winter. There is an abundance of sensory experiences all around us. 
 From the sights of the burgeoning leaves and grass and flowers…
 To the sounds of birds singing, lawnmowers humming, and water flowing…
 To the smells of fresh cut grass, fragrant flowers, and rich earth…
 To the tastes of seasonal foods like spinach, rhubarb, and artichokes…
 To the touch of turning soil beneath your fingers to plant seeds for a garden…

We are immersed in all our senses with springtime delights. But we can also remind ourselves to immerse ourselves in our senses with every season—every day. 

There’s a richness in each season whether it’s the woodsmoke of an autumn fire or the comfort of a winter stew or the feel of grass beneath your toes on a hot summer day. Embrace your surroundings every day and you will become more connected with your world. 

The writer and entrepreneur Anthony J. D’Angelo once said, “Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” 

I love these words and I hope you honor them and celebrate spring every day with sunshine in your spirit. Let go of that dark winter in your soul and awaken spring in your heart all year long.

Resources:

Dr. Shafer Stedron

Dr. Shafer's Life Coach Services. https://drshaferstedronova.com/

Talks with Dr. Shafer podcast on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3U5QpZp

Talks with Dr. Shafer podcast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4aGjDVS

Author Tristan Gooley, The Natural Navigator

Follow The Natural Navigator on FB and check out his books here: https://www.naturalnavigator.com/books-and-library

Cold weather gear:

Heat Holders products. Visit here: https://www.heatholders.com/