Slow spring living looks different for everyone. For me, it is not about doing less or trying to make life look a certain way. It is about boundaries, buffers, and making room to actually enjoy the season. Spring feels like an awakening. More light, more color, more fresh air, and more reasons to step outside and pay attention. Below are a few simple ways I like to slow down and savor spring

I live a much slower life than I did five years ago. It’s by design. That doesn’t mean I don’t work hard. I do. A lot. And I love that part of myself. I travel. I entertain. I love all of it. I like my days packed with things to look forward to. 

You won’t catch me in a prairie dress, or a dress at all. I rarely bake, though I do love to cook. 

Slow living isn’t about doing less for me. It’s about boundaries and buffers. Making sure my busy time is buffered by slow living. Mornings spent writing. Long road trips that restore.

I use the seasons as a guide. Each offers a different way to live slower. Spring is an awakening. Full of popping brightly colored buffers, time spent listening to the birds and planting seeds we hope to reap in the summer. 

Below are a few ways I like to slow down in the Spring. 

Six Ways to Embrace Slow Spring Living

One.
In California we participate in daylight savings and that means as March arrives so does a clock change and while our nights are brighter, our mornings are darker. I embrace those dark mornings by lighting candles, grabbing my journal and spending some time on my morning pages. If you aren’t familiar with morning pages, I highly recommend Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. 

The concept is stream of consciousness, no filter, no editing, no rereading. She suggests three pages every morning. I don’t subscribe to that. Some days I fill three pages, but most days it’s a page or so followed by a list of gratitudes. Some days nothing at all. But most days I strive to get something on paper. 

Two.
Start your gardening. It doesn’t matter if it’s in a pot or in the ground, gardening is good for your soul and your mental health. You don’t need dirt to start. Just use March as a month of planning. Spend some time figuring out what you want to plant. Start small if this is your first time. Tomatoes, cucumbers and some herbs. Almost nothing tastes as good as a hot, summer homegrown tomato. (Link to gardening post)

Three.
The birds are singing, flowers are blooming, the sun is shining and the temperatures are rising. That is Mother Nature’s invitation to get outside. Sit, walk, stand and stare. 

Four.
Open the windows. Let the stale winter air out and the fresh spring air in. Mornings and evenings are still dark and a little chillier but midday is the perfect time to air out the house. 

Five.
Eat what’s in season. Visit a farmers market if you have one near you and let what’s there decide your meals for the week. If not, just buy what’s in season from your local grocery. Spring produce is some of the best. Asparagus, peas, strawberries, artichokes. Cook simply and let the ingredients do the work.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Six.
Buy yourself flowers. Not for a reason, not for a table setting, just because they’re at the farmers market and it’s spring and you want them. Put them somewhere you’ll actually see them. The grocery store ones count too. Buy a large bouquet and break it up into small vases you can spread all over the house. LINK to my Instagram on this. 

Spring is soft. It nudges you. A little more light, a little more warmth. It’s beckoning you out. Asking for your attention. Slow down, step outside, savor what spring has to offer.