5 Family Mental Health Tips for Spring
It may not feel like it every day, but in mid-April, we’re officially in spring. While we often associate spring with concepts such as renewal, growth, and hope, sometimes our mental health does not always seem to get the memo.
What can you do to help your family’s mental health this spring?
Read on for 5 tips to help you all enjoy the season.
5 Family Mental Health Tips for Spring
Embrace the outdoors
As the days grow longer and the weather warms (though intermittently, here in the Midwest), do what you can to embrace the outdoors and spend time outside.
Exposure to sunlight has been shown to boost mood and improve sleep, by helping reset the circadian rhythm. Even 5 minutes of direct sunlight, especially in the morning, can be powerfully beneficial. Just remember that sunscreen!
Spending any time outside, especially in a green space, can also have profound affects on anxiety and mood. Maybe it’s time to try taking a family walk, playing a game of catch in the yard, sit on the front porch on a nice evening, or dust off those bikes in the garage.
To take it up a notch, consider adding gardening to your family’s activities. Children and teens may get more excited about maintaining a lawn and eating fruits and vegetables if they have grown plants themselves! Even if your weather or outdoor space is uncooperative, try planting low maintenance plants indoors. You can use the opportunity to work on independence, responsibility, patience, and care, together.
2. Family Goal Setting
Maycember, anyone? It can seem that in the rush to the end of the school year, schedules get jam packed with activities with school, sports, extracurriculars, holidays, and friends and family. It can be easy to become overwhelmed and disconnected.
Instead, be proactive and sit down together as a family (or one on one), to discuss your goals for the upcoming busy season ahead. Talk about priorities and values, and see what you can do to help the season be closer to what you want it to be. If you can, take the time to consider not just what you all have to do, but what you want to do as well. Maybe you can each or together even choose a word or intention for the season, and hold each other accountable for that view.
3. Maintain Consistent Sleep Schedules
With the longer and busier days, it can become all too easy to compromise on sleep. Teens can be guilty of this as final exams and AP tests loom, but parents might also find themselves stuck in this trap. However, sleep of sufficient duration and adequate quality is absolutely vital to our abilities to focus, learn, and handle stress as it comes.
As a family, hold each other accountable to maintaining a sleep schedule that benefits each of your unique needs. Parents can take the opportunity to model prioritizing sleep, as actions speak louder than words!
4. Practice Sensory Mindfulness
This one can be as intensive and long, or as short and sweet, as you want it to be. The springtime is a great time to practice the psychological skill of sensory mindfulness. Whether it’s while taking a walk outside, baking cupcakes for an end of school year party, or simply opening the windows to the fresh air while you clean a room, you can try sensory mindfulness. There are many versions that you can learn about online or guided versions on YouTube, Spotify, and relaxation apps. To keep it simple, pick any moment, and take some time to observe and notice each of your 5 primary senses. For instance, while you are walking outside, what is at least one thing you can see, smell, taste, hear, and touch. Notice how these make you feel emotionally too, and share that with one another! This technique can help us feel more present and engaged in our everyday lives, which can be especially important in a season of busyness and transition.
5. Practice Mental Flexibility
As the weather fluctuates up and down, day to day, even moment to moment, we can also learn to practice mental flexibility. “Rolling with the punches,” or being open and adaptive, is key to psychological health. It’s certainly easier said than done, but this is also a skill that can be practiced and improved. If you notice yourself struggling to cope with unpredictable changes or upsets to a schedule, consider how you normally cope with such changes. Being open and sharing how you handle these moments with your family can help your partner and children also develop resilience for the season and for life.
Support & Guidance
I hope some of these tips resonated and help you and your family enjoy the wonderful season of spring. If you ever need some more support for your child or family, no matter the season, help is close at hand. Just click the Get Started button at the top right of your page for a free consultation.