You may have heard the concept that says humans are a lot like nature; that is, different phases of our lives mimic that of nature.
On author, speaker, and former monk Jay Shetty’s podcast, he expands on this idea in his episode titled 4 Seasons of Life We All Live Through & 4 Practices to Optimize Your Energy and Thrive Year Round. I encourage anyone reading this to listen to the episode because he provides various ways to appreciate and honor each of our internal seasons. However, this post will touch on the highlights of the episode that I found especially helpful.
Summer
Summer encapsulates the feeling of “go, go, go” time, according to Shetty. It’s a casual and fun time where the days are longer so we can do more. It exudes playfulness and a time for achievement.
If your internal season is summer, it might be a time where you’re preparing to start a new venture. You may be feeling a sense to put something new out into the world whether that’s creating a new product for your business or creating a new habit in your life.
Fall
Like summer, fall can be a season for productivity. This season is often seen as a time for “gathering and storing; work and harvest” as well as a time to release some things, Shetty shares. Fall embodies the adage of ridding yourself of the old to make room for the new.
Winter
According to Shetty, winter is a time for reflection, depth, quiet, slowing down, sparse beauty (where we can see some of the deeper things within ourselves), protecting, and preserving.
While also being characterized as cold, harsh, and difficult, this is also a time for deep recovery and restoration.
Making progress in winter won’t look like fall, summer, or even spring where creating and productivity may come effortlessly. We move forward during winter by going deeper — reflecting on who we are and where we are in our lives — as well as resting, preparing, learning, and hitting the reset button.
Spring
The desire for newness is often felt during spring. Words like rejuvenation, rebirth, and renewal is what Shetty uses to describe this season. Spring is a time to return to a “beginner’s mind,” a mindset where you’re approaching life with a childlike fascination and curiosity to absorb new things. During this season, you may find yourself learning new things by reading new material, listening to new podcasts, or trying new hobbies.
It’s important to note that when we experience the different internal seasons, it may not always match the external season we’re currently experiencing. In other words, you may be in winter internally while it’s spring outside your window. Additionally, the duration of internal seasons can fluctuate. Just like nature, we may have some unexpected warm days reminiscent of spring or some chill, rainy days during summer.
I found this podcast episode helpful as I tried navigating through a season where I felt stuck. I realized that when I felt stuck, I may have been in fall internally but I was trying to force myself to be in summer. Shortly put: I wasn’t honoring where I was at all.
If you found this post valuable, comment down below!
For similar posts on wellness, click here.
To stay inspired, follow @ aaliyainspired on Instagram and Youtube.
Leave a Reply