Embracing seasonality

This week I've been thinking a lot about seasonality, in all its dimensions. There's a few reasons for this.

Firstly, we've had the summer solstice this past week - the metereological high point of the summer; our longest day and our shortest night.

Secondly, in my professional NHS role, this time of the year is always super-busy as we finalise our annual report and accounts, and take them through the Board approval process.

And finally, this weekend just gone, I've spent a few days away with my 17-year old son visiting prospective universities in Warwick and York.

Each of these things has got me thinking as a health coach about seasonality and how we can think about in the contect of our own health and wellbeing.

Embracing seasonality

Let's take the summer solstice. Since ancient times its has been a moment of celebration within our culture, the point where we celebrate the life-giving impact of the sun on life; how it feeds and warms us, and lights up our world.

It's also time when we should enjoy the joys of the summer (at least the weather has played ball this week). There is a lot of evidence to suggest that while we do not hibernate like some of our mammalian cousins, the seasonal cycles do impact how we feel and what we do. In the depths of winter we feel more like hunkering down indoors, often isolating ourselves from everyone except close family, with warming hearty food and early nights. But in summer we come alive, enjoying being outdoors socialising with others, and getting the most of those long days.

If you're anything like me, I love those early summer mornings when, even early in the morning, there is already heat in the sun. But I equally love those warm summer nights where you can sit in the garden until late.

Enjoy this time of year. Soak up the sun - safely of course (early morning sun is a great way to do this). The vitamin D that the your skin produces as the sun warms it is vital for our immune system and our bone health.

Equally, enjoy all of those colourful and nutritious foods that are in season now. We know that the vitamin and mineral content of these foods is much stronger and therefore much better for us when they are in season. In fact I would go as far as to say that you should try and stay away from foods that aren't in season as they will inevitably have been stored for considerable time or imported. Farmers markets or local greengrocers are a great way to be able to see what's in season at this time of year, and eat food that it is at it's peak in terms of nutritional content.

Another year gone

But what about the year gone by? As I worked to sign off another year's annual report at work, I asked myself what would I be putting in my own personal annual report for the year gone by.

Taking stock of our achievements, and equally where we have struggled, is an important part of how we grow as individuals and improve. What would your annual report say about what you have done in the past year?

Mine would reflect the progress I have made in my running, in my health coaching, and in doing better at prioritising my sleep. It would list the amazing times I've had with my friends as we celebrated together our various fiftieth birthdays. But it would also say that I've still not managed to crack my diet 100% of the team (even health coaches struggle!) and that I've not achieved some of the promises I made to myself about reading more books, spending less time on screens, and getting more disciplined in how I use my time.

Spend some time writing your own annual report. Be honest with yourself. What are you proud of that have you achieved, but where have you come up short? What would you want to be able to say that you have cracked in your annual report next year?

You'd be surprised how this simple 20 minute exercise can really help you take stock of where you are in your life, and help you reflect on how you want to improve and get healthier, and what you need to to do to get there. Creating time to reflect to ourselves is the key to how we improve.

How did that happen?

But what do we do in those moments that we feel life is passing us by?

As I was walking around Warwick University with my 17-year old son, I found myself remembering my time at university thirty years ago. How could it be that thirty years have passed since then?

But most strikingly I found myself thinking how could it be that I now have a son who is not far from leaving home and going to uni? How did that happen? How did he grow up so quickly?

In times like those it can be easy to feel slightly depressed and fixate on the feeling that life is passing you by.

There is a term I really like - middessence. It means that liminal time between younger and older adulthood. I prefer it as a term to middle aged. For us men, middlessence is often a time when we start to think about our place in the world, and ask ourselves what we have achieved, and what our older years might look like. Unfortunately for some of us it is also a time when we might also be struggling with our health, had a health scare, or know we need to lose some weight or get fitter.

But I would argue that, if we embrace it properly, middlessence should be a time of celebration - our summer, when we enjoy the fruits of our hard work in the earlier years of our life, and where, if we have children, we can enjoy watching them become young adults. And with the right support, it's not too late to address any health challenges you might be having.

Take some time to reflect on everything you have to be positive about, all that you have achieved, and just as importantly, all that is to come.

Health coaching is not just about fitness or nutrition. I will help you take stock of where you are in your life, your achievements, your values, what is important to you, what motivates and energises you. These are all vital parts of our health and wellbeing. Without a proper sense of where we are in our lives I would argue it's very difficult to be truly healthy and happy.

If that sounds like a conversation you would find helpful reach out and book a free consultation via a link on our website.

In the meantime, enjoy all that the summer has to offer.