Flaxdale Therapy

Spring is probably my favourite time of year. Although I do like all the seasons it’s spring that brings promise and hope. From the moment those snowdrops start top push up through the ground, I know spring is on its way. With it comes more sunlight, and for me more energy to use during the longer days. I find winter can be quite hard, I feel I need to sleep a lot more, which is perhaps natural. Our pre-electricity ancestors would have slept more in winter, to conserve energy and as there was little to do in the long dark candle lit evenings. However, today we are pushed to carry on at full speed, regardless of the natural need of our bodies. I also find that living with a fatiguing long-term condition, this need to rest feels greater and resting is not always easy in modern family life.

Once spring comes in fully, I am ready for it. One of my springtime rituals is to observe the tree blossom that appears in my garden and local area. First the blackthorn and cherries come through, and then pears and apples. I like to go under my apple trees and look closely at the flowers, smell their lovely scent and think about the promise of fruit that will come. I like to watch the bees on the trees, going from flower to flower, no doubt happy to have something to collect from after a long winter, in turn providing an essential link toward the autumn apples forming. We have one crab apple tree that you can hear the buzzing long before you reach the tree itself. This small piece of mindfulness gives me my springtime hope and reminds me of the natural annual cycles that my body still responds to.

I know that not everyone can find hope in spring, for some people hope and looking forward feels a long way off. One thing I appreciate being a counsellor is helping people to reconnect with their hope, as hope can be a powerful motivator to move forwards to a better, more energised self.