Spring Equinox Reset for Eco-Conscious Founders and Creatives
Working in the environmental space every day is a rewarding experience that can sometimes lead to burnout if we’re not too careful. We’re combatting climate change, habitat destruction, social inequality, and not to mention, deniers that there is even a problem.
Which is why it’s so important for us to take a break and recharge. The planet needs you, but so do we. You need to take care of yourself! This is a lesson I learned this year as I was in the midst of a busy first quarter. The work will always flow, but it’s up to you to step out of the stream and take a moment of pause.
And I believe the Spring Equinox is a perfect time for a reset!
This Friday, March 20, marks the start of a new season! I invite you to step off the hamster wheel for a bit and hold space for yourself. Taking a trip into our inner worlds will help us reflect on the first few months of the year and where we want to head next. Below, I’d like to share a few ideas for rituals, practices, and journal prompts that will help us evolve into the second quarter of the year. What are you hoping to continue working toward this spring? What would you like to leave behind? I’ll also be asking myself these questions as winter wanes and our world awakens.
Ideas and Practices to Reset Your Mind, Body, Business, and Spirit This Spring Equinox
Plant Seeds of Intention: Sometimes we can get lost in working our way down the to do list. I’m trying to get better at being more intentional with my actions and why I’m taking them. Ask yourself:
What do I want to cultivate in my work this year? Community? Growth? Care?
What do I want to cultivate in my personal life this year?
What effect do I want my work to have on people? On the earth?
What small daily actions can I take to bring myself joy?
What is one thing I want to work on, just for me, that I can do for an hour a week?
Reciprocity Check In: What we put into our work, our creative practices, and our relationships is what we get back. Are you putting enough love, care, and devotion into the things that truly light you up? Do you remember why you started in the first place?
Mindfulness Moment: How are you honestly feeling about your work right now? What about overall? The fight for a better world is feeling especially difficult right now, and it’s okay to feel disheartened and burnt out. Ask yourself what you need and set time aside today to do it, just for you.
Equinox Ritual: Try a ritual to commemorate the changing of the seasons. Plant your seeds of intention with actual seeds! Create a garden in your backyard, balcony, bedroom, or bathroom. Plant a tree. Write your dreams in a letter and open it again at the end of springtime. Visualize how you want your spring to go and write it out in detail. Nourish yourself with a favorite recipe or at-home drink.
Go Outside: connect with the very thing that made you start in the first place, aka nature. Get outside! Take a walk, spread out a picnic blanket and read at the park, hike at your favorite local spot, visit a body of water you love, count the clouds. Spending time with nature outside of a work context can help restore your soul.
Bring a Bit of the Outdoors In: I love getting myself some flowers to brighten up my space. Open the windows and let fresh air circulate through your home. Set up a favorite shelf with tokens of the outdoors: a cool rock you found in the stream, pinecones or acorns, or seashells. I have a shelf with shells from my hometown and my favorite rocks (I was that kid with the rock collection!)
Watch Something Cozy: that reminds you of the springtime and connects you with your inner child. I love the 90’s Moomin cartoons based on Tove Jansson’s whimsical little world.
Refill Your Cup
I hope that you try a few of these things to refill your cup! I know I’ll be choosing a couple rituals for my own Spring Equinox celebration. I’ll be growing some seedlings that I got from my library’s free Seed Library (support your local library!) Let me know what you end up doing to celebrate.
When we think about a rebirth in our work, it’s important to remember the spark that got you started. I propose you do one small project that is purely for the joy of your business, organization, or creative practice. I’m in the process of making an interactive trailmap to represent the world of Branch & Bay, and I can’t wait to share it. What’s something a little whimsical or “out there” that you think might make a cool feature of your brand? I say you try it out! You never know where it might lead.
I hope you have a wonderful Spring Equinox! I am so proud of you and everything that you’re doing to help the earth and all the amazing people and creatures who live on it. But now, it’s time to help yourself. I hope you take a small break this Friday and carve out a space just for you.
Until next time!
Sarah
