Anybody else feeling a little bit cranky? angsty? agitated?
Maybe it's mercury in retrograde...or...maybe it's transition turbulence.
That's what I like to call the shift from winter to spring, especially after daylight savings time-which is an unexpected zigzag for our systems that can cause more havoc than you think. It's well-documented that just after Daylight Savings Time each Spring, there's a 24% increase in heart attacks due to the earlier wake time and sleep deprivation. There’s a spike in car accidents and suicide attempts. The sympathetic nervous system gets activated and our stress hormones become elevated. This can include increased inflammation so you might be feeling cranky in your joints as well as your attitude.
Some of that is normal actually. We need to get a little revved up to start building our energy for more daylight and less sleep. Whether you spend time outside in nature or not, we are all biological beings that respond to the cyclical patterns of nature. Just like the seeds need to build up energy to burst through their sheath and then push up through the earth to the daylight and moisture, we need some more fire in our bellies too to move into a more active time of year and that isn't always comfortable. And not all of us, but some of us, or part of us might not be sure we're ready to come out of our winter cocoons. We might be enjoying binge watching Sex Education on Netflix and sleeping later. Just sayin'...
What can we do about it? What I'm trying to do for myself is just cut myself some slack and not worry that something is wrong with me that I have to fix.
I'm also being very intentional about spending some time alone every day just with myself (screenless too). Even if it's for 3-5 minutes just sitting and breathing--or on Monday where I just sat on my stoop feeling the sun on my face and taking in big gulps of fresh air. That seems to be helping me come back to my center of gravity more easily. Afterwards I feel a little more sure footed, even with the shifting sands (or mud as the case may be in Vermont) of the seasons and the daylight. Some of that has to do with the integrating power of deep breathing and I'll be doing 3 free information sessions about that this month if you’d like to learn more about that. Sign up on my private appointments page.
Here are some additional tips, from fellow yogi Bo Forbes, on how to manage daylight savings:
Go to bed 10 minutes earlier (or more if sleep deprived) each night for 12 nights.
Wake up 5 minutes earlier each morning.
Take your Vitamin D in the morning.
Get 30 minutes outside each morning.
Stop screen time 2 hours before bed.
Oh yea, yoga helps too and, as always, I'd love to support you with that! Click on these links to see my upcoming workshops and classes.
Worried about COVID 19 and the flu? Bypass group classes and come do a private with me! I'm having a 10% off spring discount on my Whole You Yoga Package and packages of 4 and 8 sessions. Sign up on my private appointments page.
