May is Mental Health Month

How To Reset Your Mind This Spring

May is Mental Health Month, and spring weather is upon us (well…some days).  Let’s use spring, a season of renewal, as a powerful mental health tool.

Each year, spring returns.  Nature doesn’t ask permission to change — it just does. The light returns. The ground thaws and softens. Plants that appeared dead push their way back toward growth.  When you think about it, we are not so different. After months of short days, dark hours, and the heaviness of winter that settles inside of us, spring arrives as an invitation.

Seasonal transitions have a real, measurable effect on our mental state. Research in chronobiology — the study of biological rhythms — shows that increased daylight exposure boosts serotonin production and helps regulate cortisol levels, the hormone most closely linked to stress. So think of spring as a cognitive reset. Its visual and sensory cues of renewal are among the most potent signifiers of change.

Most of us have experienced the enthusiasm of a “new beginning” that fades by the third week. What makes the difference between a fresh start that sticks and one that withers?

The answer usually isn’t willpower. It’s design! When we align new habits with genuine values — rather than external pressure or comparison — they root more deeply. Spring is a good moment to ask not “what should I change?” but “what do I actually want more of in my life?”

Consider the following when determining what you want more of in your life:

What Do I Want?

Consider not only your wants, but also your needs.  Is there something missing from your life that may make it better?  Perhaps it is better sleep, a change in diet, or more joy.  There is no right or wrong answer.

Consider Identity

We live in a goal-driven society.  But instead of setting a goal, set a belief. For example, if you want to move your body more, rather than making a goal to walk five days a week, think of yourself as someone who moves regularly and doesn’t need to force yourself to do it. “I’m someone who moves their body regularly.”  Working on changing your beliefs about yourself may have a greater, lasting impact than a 30-day challenge.

Use The Environment

Go outside.  Soak in the sun and breathe in the air.  Notice the growth and imagine the growth within you.  Let spring restructure your routines.

Start Small

This doesn’t have to be go big or go home.  When people try to change too much all at once, they rarely succeed.  Start with small changes.  If you are the person who believes you move regularly, remind yourself of that throughout the day.  You may find yourself taking the stairs or parking further away.

Track It

Journal it.  This doesn’t have to be pages of text.  It can be a few bullets in a planner or notes app.  Don’t simply track whether you’ve done something.  Notice how that something makes you feel. Emotion is what sustains behavior long-term.

Be Patient As You Bloom

Remember, spring doesn’t happen overnight.  Take plants, for example.  Some flowers pop up in April.  Others may not pop up until June. Trees don’t go from bare branches to full canopy in a week. Growth is quiet, incremental, and mostly invisible until suddenly it isn’t.  Give yourself the same patience.

 Sources

Cleveland Clinic. (2024). Seasonal Depression (SAD)

National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Cotterell, D. (2010). Pathogenesis and management of seasonal affective disorder. Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry, 14(5), 18-25.

Mc Mahon, B., Andersen, S. B., Madsen, M. K., Hjordt, L. V., Hageman, I., Dam, H., … & Knudsen, G. M. (2016). Seasonal difference in brain serotonin transporter binding predicts symptom severity in patients with seasonal affective disorder. Brain, 139(5), 1605-1614.