Sunnier, longer, warmer days always cheer me up after a long, cold and dark winter. Spring is my favorite season. I love hot summer days but so enjoy watching the earth wake up from its winter slumber with new leaves popping from the trees and spring flowers adding color to the landscape. And hearing the birds singing again early in the morning always brings a smile to my face.

Spring also feels like the right time for me to rethink about life goals. I know it’s usually something people do for New Years. But I’m still in winter mode in January and my focus tends to be on staying cozy and getting through winter at that point. Not starting healthier habits. I try to have somewhat healthy habits all year long but winter is definitely harder for me to keep them going. April and May is the perfect time for me to reevaluate where I am currently at and start new habits to help me get to where I want to be.

So here we are. Spring! When spring comes I’m ready for fresh foods and longer walks outside. The longer days and sunshine give me extra energy to get more done and do new things. Maybe it’s the increase in vitamin D but when it’s still sunny outside after work, I no longer feel like putting on my pj’s as soon as I get home and eating dinner in front of the tv.

Most of my life I’ve focused on two things to stay healthy. Healthy food and exercise. Those two things have served me well for the most part.

But I often felt like something was missing, so I added meditation. We’ve been told it’s good for us so I’ve tried to make that a part of my daily life habits for years. I kept it up because I was “supposed” to and maybe there was some benefit to it even though it often didn’t feel like it was “doing” anything and I never seemed to have any big life revelations some people talk about while meditating.

This year however, I’ve been focusing more on the mental messages coming through to me. We get these messages both externally and internally. They are both tricky and need to be managed in different ways.

External messages are what come in through other people, family traditions and even from society as a whole. It can be hard to even notice these are coming in, much less figure out what to do once you realize what is happening.

If messages are coming from specific people, avoiding them is ideal. This can however, be challenging if they are family members or co-workers. Limiting time together will help but not completely eliminate the effects of negative comments or energy.

Societal messages are almost harder to deal with. They are engrained in our minds and behaviors. We may not even realize they exist.

Finding places where positive external messaging exists and using positive internal messaging can help to override negative messaging.

Surround yourself with supportive people! They may be friends or family. They could also be a support group or club. It could be in-person or online. They don’t have to be people you confide in. They just need to be people who are positive, caring people who accept you as you are in that moment.

Internal messages are the messages we tell ourselves both consciously and subconsciously. The beauty of internal messages is that they are what we have the most control over. And they are the most powerful. When positive internal messaging takes over, the negative external messaging will be much more noticeable and also easier to ignore.

So how do we get ourselves into thinking more positive messages? For me, it comes from being in and creating positive environments. Being around positive people, reading books about positive, strong people and listening to podcasts and talks from positive supportive people. It can also be from repeating or listening to positive affirmations. You can find them online or you can create your own. Find what speaks to you. Surround yourself in positivity. To the point where it may feel a bit ‘cheesy’. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Even 5 minutes of positivity can change your thinking and the course of your day. Sounds unbelievable but it’s true. Try it and find out for yourself.

Positive thinking and energy is only one part of the puzzle. The trifecta for me is the combination of these things. Healthy food, exercise I actually enjoy doing and positive incoming messages and energy. If I only do two of these and not the third I don’t feel as well. All three are needed.

And the most important thing is to just get started. Baby steps. Walk around the block, eat an apple, tell yourself you’re doing the best you can and stop yourself when you start thinking negatively. Do this every day. And incrementally do a little more as you’re ready.

Here is a simple recipe from Serious Eats to get you started with some healthy eating. It’s perfect for spring. It has the coziness of a soup for the chill of spring and the freshness of lemon for bright sunny days. I also like to add cooked rice or cauliflower to the recipe for a little more heartiness but it’s delicious as is and so simple!

30-Minute Creamy Lemony Chickpea-Tahini Soup by Serious Eats

For exercise just start where you’re at. Walk, run, bike, do yoga, pilates, dance to some music. If you can only stand for moments at a time, do that, and do it often. Can’t get out of bed? Move what you can, arms, legs, whatever can move, move it.

And for positive thoughts. I want to tell you that you’re amazing. You’ve got this. You can do this.