What is living seasonally? In a nutshell, it’s becoming more aware of the cycles of the seasons and approaching our lives with more intentionality to align with each season.

Seasonal living is about understanding what each season brings. Every season in nature has a rhythm and pattern to it. By understanding these patterns, we can align parts or all of our lives to them giving us peace, rest, growth, and action in a more holistic way.

Seasonal living means:

Taking more notice of the natural world around you, like flowers starting to bloom or what phase the moon is in.
Eating different foods throughout the year and learning what is in season and when.
Understanding the seasons and their energy, then building time in your schedule to grow or rest as needed.
Adjusting throughout the year to balance what your body and mind need in each season.

Why should we live seasonally?

For most of humanity, our ancestors lived in connection with the natural world. It wasn’t mystic or woo woo, it was just life. They were hunter/gatherers or farmers. They needed to follow the seasons because there was no other way. They would plant in spring, harvest in fall, play in summer, and rest in winter – following the natural seasons of the year.

As society became more industrialized and technology advanced, we lost that connection with the rest of the natural world. We live in a time where we can have heat or air conditioning in our houses whenever we want. We can get any food from the grocery store at any time of the year, and meal and grocery delivery means we never actually have to leave the house.

We stare at screens all day and night and are expected to provide a constant high output at work all year. No wonder we’re exhausted and anxious.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m an introvert and not leaving the house sounds great. I also lived in Arizona for 10 years, so I’m ALL about central air conditioning. And if I’m honest, I have no desire to be a farmer. But in embracing technology, we humans have lost a need or want to connect with the bigger picture of the natural world around us. A world that calms us, has meaning, is beautiful, and is more and more overlooked.

By reintroducing bits of seasonal living in our lives, we can reconnect with the natural world and tap back into those natural rhythms of the year to help calm our bodies, minds, and souls.

Each season has a different energy and purpose

The seasons are cyclical. Year after year every season brings the same energy and output. Plants start to grow in spring, and leaves fall in autumn. It doesn’t change. Some seasons are time for activity, and other are time for rest. By understanding each season, we can see how our energies might be better directed throughout the year to match this natural cycle.

Winter

Winter is a time for rest and reflection. A time to do deep inner work. Think of the trees and plants outside. They appear dead, their leaves fallen or the plant brown or gone. But underneath the ground their roots are strong, and they are waiting to reappear in spring. Depending on where you live, darkness is much more prevalent, and nature moves slowly. This is the time to grant yourself grace to do the same.

Spring

Spring is a time for renewal and rebirth. The world awakens again as buds appear on trees and flower shoots start to emerge from the earth. It’s a time for welcoming new things, learning, and growing. To push outward and explore the world around us through new connections. A time for gentle play and curiosity. Think of the animals awakening from their hibernation or new baby animals born and exploring the world during this time. This is the time to reset and start something new.

Summer

Summer is a time for energy, activity, and abundance. Spend time outdoors in the sunlight and walking through nature as much as you can. This is usually a busy season with energy at a high. This is the time to be social and seek connection with both people and the world around us. Outside the trees and summer flowers are full and plentiful, and it’s the time for adventure, play, and exploration. To connect to the things you are passionate about. This is when fresh food from the garden is abundant, and Farmer’s Markets are overflowing with bounty.

Fall

Fall or Autumn is the time when nature starts preparing for winter. Crops are harvested, trees start to lose their leaves, the days shorten, and the world begins to quiet once again as it gets ready to sleep. It’s the time to let go of things that are no longer serving you. The time to start slowing down and preparing for the quiet, reflective time of winter. A time for giving thanks, completing tasks, and looking inward. Begin to nourish your body to prepare for the darker and colder time ahead.

How to start living seasonally

The beauty of seasonal living is that it’s a daily practice. You don’t have a rigid set of rules, and if you stop doing it or forget, you can easily shift back into it whenever you want. There aren’t any drastic changes, just being more aware and small steps whenever you feel like it. Seasons will come when they will, instead of matching an exact date on a calendar. Making small changes throughout the seasons helps ease us through the times of transition.

One of the best and easiest things you can do to start living seasonally is to just take the time to observe. How does your body feel during each of the seasons? How about your mental health? Do you normally suffer seasonal depression during the late winter? Are you jumping out of your skin with energy in summer? Being more aware of what our bodies and minds are doing throughout the year allow us to work with ourselves and the seasons to balance and align our needs.

Also start looking outward. Observe how the world around you changes during the seasons. Listen to the birds start to sing after winter. Hear the leaves crunching beneath your feet in fall. Breathe in the silent stillness after a snowfall. Take the time to slow down for a few seconds and pay attention to nature throughout the year. Doing this often will bring awareness to your surroundings. And once you start noticing the little things in nature, you’ll keep going and start to notice the changes in the air itself as the seasons turn.

From there, you can start adjusting your life in small ways to align with the seasons. One of the easiest ways to do this is seasonal eating. By changing your diet slightly to buy and eat foods when they’re at their freshest – in season – you can reap the benefits of bolder flavors and reconnect with the seasons. Another easy adjustment is simply getting outside. Go for a walk. Look up at the clouds or stars. Take a few deep breaths of air. Notice and appreciate the natural world in a way most people simply skip over or ignore.

Overall, seasonal living adjusting our attitudes, expectations, and goals to be more in sync with the natural world. It creates awareness in our own lives and releases the expectations to be constantly at 100% all of the time. There are seasons of activity and seasons of rest. The earth needs time to rest, and so do you. Realigning with the cyclical rhythms of the seasons allows your life to flow in harmony with the seasons of nature. So, I encourage you to begin observing the world around you and start making tiny changes to start living seasonally.

Want to dig more into living seasonally? Sign up for the quarterly newsletter for a Seasonal Living handbook delivered to your inbox each new season.