Slow Down to Spring Forward - monthly wellness with Roscrea's Emma Coonan

As the clocks went forward last week, some of us may have mourned the lost hour in bed, but most welcome this time as the first real sign that summertime is approaching. Longer days and brighter evenings can help to lighten our moods and lift our spirits.

With great power comes great responsibility, and so it is with the sudden sense of power over our time.
As important as it may feel to make plans to enjoy the longer days, it is equally important to protect the extra time, and to carve out space to relax, enjoy the sunshine, and take time for ourselves.

A Sunny Afternoon
Like many people last weekend, I was delighted with the spell of glorious sunny weather. It felt very timely to feel the sun on my face on the same weekend as the clocks were due to ‘spring forward.’

While I was sitting in the back garden listening to music, the song ‘Sunny Afternoon’ by The Kinks came up on my play list. Listening to the lyrics ‘All I’ve got’s a sunny afternoon” I started to reflect on the importance of taking time to enjoy the sunshine when it comes. It occurred to me how important good weather can be for our mental and emotional health, even if we sometimes forget to include it on our priority list.

While I had a list of things in the back of my mind that I felt I should be doing that day, with sunshine being such a rare occurrence, I allowed myself to re-prioritise for a moment, and decided that taking time to just sit in the sunshine was the most important item on my list that afternoon.

Time well spent
We can all feel tempted, and sometimes obligated, to pack a lot into our schedules, especially in the face of competing demands on our time. After a day of work, or doing the school run, preparing dinner, or finding time to get out for some exercise, the day can feel like it’s gone in a blink. How often have we heard ourselves say ‘I don’t know where the time goes?’

It can feel difficult to give ourselves permission to slow down, while there are other things to be done.
It may also be the case, for some, that while things were operating at a slower pace during lockdown, the pace is beginning to pick up again, as the world is learning to live with Covid.

Taking time for ourselves, particularly to enjoy the good weather when we have it, is very important. It can help to improve our mood, put a spring in our step, and provide a boost for our energy levels. It can also support us to feel more optimistic and able to tackle our to-do list.

Slow down to Spring Forward
As I write this month’s column, I am conscious that given the current weather forecast, you might be reading this when the sunshine has passed, and the ‘march of many weathers’ has returned. There may be grey skies above, drizzly rain drumming on the window sills, or, if some of the more extreme forecasts are to be believed, freezing temperatures and a spot of snow.

But when the sunshine does return, and it will, it can be even more important to give ourselves permission to enjoy it.
One way to support giving ourselves permission to prioritise down-time in the sunshine, is to reconsider the idea of time ‘spent.’ Instead, why not try thinking about time ‘enjoyed.’

It may not be possible to enjoy every minute of our time, there are always going to be obligations that we don’t enjoy, however, if we can dedicate time in our day to enjoyment, it can become easier to find the time for it.
This week, why not try adding a new item to your to-do list.

This might be ‘take time for me’ or ‘hit the pause button.’ Whether this list is on our phone, or stuck up on the fridge, purposely adding ‘slowing down’ as an item on our to-do list can help to reposition it in our minds as a legitimate task.
It can also help us to remember to make space for it.

A final thought...

Learning to recognise time spent slowing down as time well-spent, can help us to keep an important balance in our lives.
This may be particularly important as longer days present more opportunities to ‘spend’ our time. Making space on our list for time-enjoyed can support us to stop chasing the clock, to slow down, and to give ourselves permission to enjoy a quiet moment in the sunshine.

Emma Coonan is an Accredited Psychotherapist with IAHIP and ICP, Lectures in Psychotherapy, and is a qualified Adult Education Trainer. After leaving Coláiste Phobal Roscrea, Emma studied English and Media in Maynooth University, before combining her Psychotherapy training with experience in the corporate world.
Emma focuses on applying Psychotherapy practices for everyday living, through developing resilience, stress response, and mindfulness practice.