Changes Within the Season, Changes Within Me

As we enter the spring season, start looking around and notice the surrounding changes. The trees are slowly growing back their leaves, flowers are starting to bloom, insects are flying and hopping around, and the sun is brighter than ever. 

These changes signify how the Earth and climate around us adapt to continue the circle of life. Without the four seasons, there would be no balance in the world. If all we knew was the hot, sunny summer, we would never be able to appreciate the cold, snowy winter. 

Change is necessary and inevitable. Much like our personal lives, nature is unpredictable, yet always finds a way through. Spring is particularly a powerful metaphor for change as we explore a transitional period between the old and new. 

The Cold Beginning

As we began the year, the cold stillness of the weather prevailed. Cold gusts of wind, cloudy days, and for some, the soft blanket of snow. Winter represents a time of rest, relaxation, reflection, and resilience. During these sometimes harsh conditions, humans and nature find it safer to lie low and survive. We have a bit more time to slow down and appreciate where we are now. We have made it to the end of one year and enter the beginning of the next, and we await the changes to come. 

While winter can be great and transformative for one person, others can experience seasonal depression. Irritability, social withdrawal, drowsiness, and persistent sadness are common symptoms attributed to seasonal depression.  

Why is it that the weather can have such profound effects on us? 

Scientific reasoning, such as drops in serotonin, the disruption of the body’s internal clock, and vitamin D deficiency, are various reasons why seasonal depression may be caused. 

Our spiritual attunement to nature can also be attributed to these feelings. Although everyone has their own favorite seasons and responds differently to the weather, it comes from the same core foundation. That is, our interconnectedness with Earth. 

The Earth provides us with everything: the water we drink, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the homes we live in. It has given us everything we could ever need. I like to point to the concept of “Mother Earth” embodied in Native American culture to fully explain this. Mother Earth is the source of all life, and as humans, we live harmoniously with the environment, and we must show Mother Earth gratitude for all her generosity. 

As we live on Mother Earth, we feel everything happening to her. The winter can cause these feelings of depression because the environment around us is dark and quiet. We sense the lack of movement outside and the freezing over of what once was. This can send us into a frenzy; the hot, comforting sun has been put away, and we feel deprived of the warmth we love. 

This isn’t to say that those who love and prefer the winter are wrong in their feelings. They, too, share an interconnectedness with Mother Earth. We sense the beauty, serenity, and transformation of winter. While we know the environment may be dark and quiet, this is a sign for us to relax and bask in the cold air.  

Despite your feelings and experience with winter, we are inevitably transitioning into my personal favorite time of the year, spring.

The Power of Spring

As we leave winter, the ice melts, the days get brighter, and the world outside gets busier. We have left our era of rest, and with this new energy, we go out and create. 

For Mother Earth, this means creating new life within plants, animals, and humanity. Our days get greener as trees and bushes create new leaves to replace the ones they shed last season. Animals emerge from their hibernation and create new life, extracting nutrients from these newly bloomed plants. And humanity creates art and life, appreciating and nurturing the plants and animals. 

Those with seasonal depression begin seeing signs that they will be leaving their rut soon. The days get longer, warmer, and busier: a change that one may need to feel renewed and ready to face the world again. 

However, everyone responds differently to the seasons. Others may feel unready to exit their time of rest; they feel rushed by the bright sun to be productive. Their rest is disrupted, and the transition between seasons can be erratic. 

I will admit, spring does take some time getting used to. There’s rain one day, hot, blazing sun the next, and cold, harsh wind another. Though, I feel this perfectly represents the polarizing nature of spring. 

Spring is like us, figuring things out, and not getting it perfectly all the time. We may feel frustrated that the weather is seemingly unreliable during spring, but we have to ask if we could do any better. 

When we face changes in our lives, how often do we get everything right? When you start a new job, challenges may arise in those first few weeks. Our mistakes aren’t an indication of failure or incompetence; they’re a symbol of us learning and adapting. Things take time to develop before we enter the change that was destined for us. 

Similarly, Mother Earth needs time to prepare all the changes for our next season. Without spring, there is no foundation for the summer. Going from winter to summer is simply impossible and feels unearned. 

Spring is necessary and powerful. We get a glimpse of both extremes, a place where we find pieces of the old and pieces of the new. Some of us are ready to move on, but there are still those old pieces left. Others aren’t ready to let go as pieces of the new scare us with their quick arrival. 

Wherever you are, embrace the change. Remember that the old and new rarely intersect. You are in a temporary state, and you choose what to make of this experience. Set the tone for change, and appreciate all the groundwork done to make all that’s been done possible. 

This spring, reflect on which parts of your life you want to let go of and which parts of your life you want to embrace. Where we are right here, right now, is something we never get back. Don’t wait until next spring to make changes in your life.

Embracing the Spring

While spring looks different for each region of the world, appreciate what spring means to you. If you already love the spring, find ways to foster this relationship. Further your interconnectedness with the season by planting and watering some seeds, taking walks outside, or creating a bouquet. 

If you have trouble accepting spring, list some things you aren’t connecting to. Whether your allergies act up in the spring, or you feel like you aren’t ready to exit winter, list them down and reflect on the disconnect here. 

While this may sound counterproductive, it is a way to pour your feelings out. It’s also a way of identifying which parts of you aren’t ready to fully embrace the change. Prepare yourself, and then look for ways to cultivate joy even in the seasons you’re not fond of. Joy can be found in any season.  

Before we enter summer, I also encourage you to show gratitude to Mother Earth. Respect that while she can’t always deliver your favorite weather, she never deprives you of it. The snow, the rain, the sun, they will come once Mother Earth has felt it necessary to provide them. 

Remember that nature as a whole has different needs; we must sacrifice our personal preferences for the greater good. The balance of life and nature is in the hands of this ever-changing climate. 

The least we can do is allow Mother Earth to provide us with these gifts and become attuned to our interconnectedness with all life on earth. 

Prepare for What's to Come

If you’re living in Las Vegas or some other desert climate, we can say with 100% confidence that this summer will be very hot. Remember to brace yourself and the other living organisms around you. 

Leave water out for animals and insects looking to cool down. Water the plants that can’t physically move and provide nourishment for themselves. Buy your pets protective foot gear from the hot asphalt. And consider purchasing a good, stainless steel water bottle you can keep to stay hydrated during the day. 

Spring gives us plenty of time to prepare and get a feel for what’s to come. Start thinking of what’s ahead and how we can get there from where we are now. 

Make a change, and look to Mother Earth for inspiration. Your own personal world revolves around you. You may be in a transitional period, such as spring, transitioning from old habits to new ones. 

It may feel uncomfortable, unnatural, and unpredictable. It’s a part of your path, and will take you to new beginnings. Start today, and allow Mother Earth to grow alongside you. You are both in this together; embrace her for her imperfections, and she will embrace you as well.

About the Author

Leilah Ortega is a Journalism student at UNLV with a concentration in Social & Digital Media. She is currently in her senior year and plans to graduate this Spring. After she graduates, she plans to pursue a career in journalism and make a change through her work. Leilah is Vice President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Las Vegas chapter. In her free time, she likes to draw, listen to music, and write.