Spring: A Thoughtful Guide For The Equinox, From Cleaning To Quotes & Decor Ideas

? Blooming cherry blossom picture taken by me at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, April 2016

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One week into the darker days of Fall and I’m already asking when does Spring start? As much as I try to be present, I live for bright sunny days. No wonder when the Spring equinox hits, my heart blooms with joy for the longer days ahead of me. Some people, however, may feel overwhelmed seeing all the prep on social media. Please remember: you don’t have to enjoy anything or follow any trends that you don’t want to. It’s ok to feel like winter sucked all the joy out of your body. Spring will happen upon us, no matter our home decor or landscaping ?! However, if you wanna get ready for the flower season, this post is a comprehensive – but easy- guide to prepare your mindset and your home to fully enjoy the Spring months from the first day.

? My goal with this post is to take the anxiety and guilt out of the equation. I wanna help you focus on how the season change can lift your mood if only you take actions that respect your pace and your reality. After all, what’s the point of having a picture-perfect house if you can’t feel joy??

I’m walking you through 2 phases of guilt-free restorative prep. First, we start with setting the mindset with inspirational quotes about spring, poems, color palettes, symbolism, happy spring images, and more inspo to remind you that sunny joyful days are just around the corner; Second, it’s time to get ready to clean the house at your pace. And the last stage of prep is Spring decor ideas for your home.

Please, take a seat, take a deep breath, and enjoy this Spring promenade!

Please, take a deep breath (again, I know! Did you really feel the air kick in your lungs?). According to Harvard, deep breathing triggers relaxation responses from the brain, helping with increasing focus and lowering anxiety. There are a few exercises, but just taking a mindful deep breath before you start something is already helpful! And please remember to take a deep breath every time you feel overwhelmed.

I’m very surprised that in 2022 Spring begins on March 20th. Did you also learn at school that Spring starts on March 21st, or was it just me? Well, astronomically speaking, the official first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere may fall on the 19, 20, or 21st of March! That’s because Spring begins during the Vernon Equinox when the length of daylight and night is almost equal in all parts of the World! From that day on, dawns will happen progressively earlier and sunsets later.

This phenomenon will take place during the months of March, April, May until the summer solstice in June. Once the summer solstice happens, bringing the longest period of daylight in the year is the end of Spring and the beginning of Summer.

Spring Symbolism & Signs

Millions of years before we could use man-built technology to shelter from the weather changes and survive, nature already existed on Planet Earth. So, in the Northern Hemisphere (it’s very different in the Southern) the weather changes have a strong impact on our way of living. As much as we can feed ourselves from the packages in the grocery store and agriculture can use technology to grow food year-round, it’s not so easy to do it without natural sunlight, healthy soil, and clean water. That’s why the spring is time for renovation and rebirth. Once the soil and the water are unfrozen by longer, warmer, and brighter days, nature is ready to get into action, being the magical perfection that it is!

Why do flowers, birds, and butterflies symbolize Spring?

Have you ever asked why do so many flowers blossom during Spring?

In nature, the constant flow of sunlight and warmer temperatures awakens the soil, so it’s time to prepare for planting. According to Discovery Place Nature (and 100’s of biology classes I’ve had my entire life), flowers are part of some plants’ reproduction system, and since the soil won’t be frozen anymore, it’s time to spread all those seeds and guarantee some genetic variety (essential to avoid plagues and keep nature’s circle of life). That’s how perfect nature is: why spend energy keeping flowers during winter if they won’t be used for anything? Nature doesn’t work on the notion of accumulation like most of us.

Part of this natural seeding is made by the wind and part is the pollination made by some birds and insects, hence the bees and butterflies, who are attracted to the trees also looking for food. They will feed on fruits, pollen, seeds. And because there is plenty of food, that’s exactly when birds lay and hatch their eggs.

Related: Bee Gifts for the Farmcore Obsessed[ /underline]

In that perfect natural balance, the birds will guarantee enough food for their offspring, while spreading the seeds to keep the circle of life. And that’s why flowers, birds, and butterflies are such strong symbols of spring, because overnight, after a dark dead winter, lives start to blossom right in front of our eyes. Of course, if you live in the city you’ll see it less than if you live by nature, but you can still see the change in the air.

What are the Spring signs in the zodiac?

As humans we also feel the impact of nature’s changes around us, after all, our bodies and mind also struggle under cold temperatures and sunlight deprivation. In Astrology, the beginning of spring also marks the beginning of a new sign cycle. If you’re in a mystic mood, the Spring zodiac signs are Aries (March 21 – April 19), Taurus (April 20 – May 20), and Gemini (May 21 – June 21).

Poems are a work of art and to me, they are the spring of writing! The way poets can play with the words reminds me of fairies playing hide and seek across the flowery meadow spreading magic, joy, and beauty. Just like a poem does!

Spring poems that rhymes

I picked this small batch of Spring poems from The Poetry Foundation and Poets.org, so if you want more poetry, make sure to visit their website!

I picked a few mood-lifting songs that remind us that the sun will shine, no matter how hard winter was. Here are joyful songs about hope, flowers, butterflies, and joy from The Beatles to Vivaldi. And if even the Liverpool boys felt the urge to write a song about Spring, who are we to say they won’t lift our mood?

Ok! Now that your mind is in the bright and colorful spring zone, it’s time to get your second home ready. I say second home because our body, mind, and soul are our most precious residence. House cleaning is as subjective as personal hygiene, so as much as a lot of people go for the spring cleaning, it’s not a rule. Therefore, more than giving you a list of where to clean, my tips are on how to figure out a spring cleaning scheme that works for you. And most and foremost, that you feel good about whatever it is that you did or didn’t to clean your house.

When it comes to cleaning, spring or not, there are 3 ranges of people. Or course this is not scientific, it’s more an empiric observation I’ve been doing. But isn’t it pretty accurate?

Cleaning is punishment

The challenge comes to those who would rather be running a marathon backward than cleaning. For some people, cleaning is the greatest waste of time and feels like punishment. If the idea of cleaning sounds more dreadful than the dirty house and the clutter, there is no magic or sugarcoating here. If you hate cleaning, chances are that you won’t. So make yourself a favor and do it guilt-free. It’s your house and as long as it’s not hazardous for anyone, you should be the only person in charge of your level of comfort.

Love Cleaning

The ones who love cleaning. They can go from chill periodic cleaners to OCD Monica Geller. My mom is in this group. For these people, spring cleaning is joyful. And let’s be realistic here: people who don’t hate cleaning do it often, therefore, there is never too much dirt or clutter to get rid of. These people will walk through spring deep cleaning in a breeze. Maybe they will have some special seasonal decluttering of old winter stuff, celebrate with some rosé during and after, but the cleaning part is routine. These are the people who design spring cleaning checklists so the mortals can use them!

Worth the occasional effort

Finally, there is the group who would rather be doing something else other than cleaning but can’t stand a dirty or messy house. I am in this group. There are two solutions for us: either we pay someone to do the cleaning or we get organized to it as fast and efficient as possible. We are always looking for a win-win ratio between having fun, going out, relaxing in a fresh clean house, and getting rid of the clutter and dirt.

I can assume that if you’re reading about spring cleaning you have a minimum level of interest in doing some sort of cleaning, right? So here are my thoughtful tips on how you can set your mind to do the cleaning that makes you feel better after work (no matter how much work).

Tip #1

Figure out who you are in the Cleaning Venn Diagram at this moment of your life. Because yes, we change, we are seasonal! Then, you own it. Clean freak? Proud! Dirty dirty? At peace with my dust! The more realistic we are about our personality, the easier it is to manage and overcome the challenges. Therefore, the less frustrating our lives become. So for each one of these types of people, deep cleaning means a different thing. If you hate cleaning, wiping the countertop and removing old food from the fridge may have a soothing effect on you. And it’s ok! It’s better to do something than nothing at all, right?

Tip #2

Avoid anxiety triggers at all costs. It means: if you’re struggling with the idea of cleaning, stay away from social network profiles that only show images of houses so clean that look like no human lives there. Do you love cleaning? Don’t watch shows about cluttering. I swear it can elevate your cortisol levels because your brain operates at a different frequency. If something makes you feel guilty, anxious, or angry, then it’s not inspiring, it’s depressing. Start with cleaning the inputs you chose to put into your mind.

Tip #3

Every journey starts with the first step. So, set a realistic goal according to your lifestyle and pre-disposition, even if it seems too easy. Who cares? It’s your house, your energy, it’s not a competition of who scrubs more tile grouts! We feel an instant sense of reward, that triggers joy, as soon as we finish a task we committed to. The opposite happens when we can’t finish a task. And if you’re already in a fragile state of mind, this failure feeling will only add to the bill.

Tip #4

The main purpose of deep spring cleaning is to bring joy into our lives! The whole idea is to make room for the renovations that come with the sun, the blooming flowers, and the sprouting nature. There is no point in cleaning your house if you’re feeling miserable during the process.

Please, be kind to yourself.

On a scale from “I’m turning my house into an enchanted garden 1 week after cleaning the Christmas decor” to “Easter is next Sunday?”, where are you? I picked the most popular spring home decor ideas to inspire you, no matter your level of excitement! Wreaths and doormats for some inviting spring door decoration, gnomes, and bouquets for a magical mantel. Also, I walk you through the interior design trends that are more in tune with the spring aesthetic: cottagecore and shabby chic.

Spring Wreaths For Door Decor

Wreaths are one of the easiest and more eclectic ways to set the decor mood any time of the year. Price wise, it ranges from very cheap to luxurious. Also, the color combinations and styles are borderline endless. If you wanna add just a touch of spring to your modern chic decor, go with a minimalist baby’s breath wreath. Feeling like a fairy and wanna turn every room of the house into an enchanted garden? Go with big full wreaths following your color palette of choice. Finally, the spring wreaths are an easy way to decorate for Easter and Mothers’ Day.

For the materials you can choose from dryed, preserved, artificial, or even natural flowers. Here is a list of great places to by Spring wreaths:

• Etsy -> lots of handmade | $$ – $$$
• Wayfair -> artificial wreaths | $$ – $$$
• Michaels -> artificial wreaths | $$ – $$$
• Target -> artificial wreaths | $$ – $$$
• Anthropology -> preserved wreaths | $$$
• terrain -> preserved & iron wreaths | $$ – $$$

In case you’re feeling crafty and you wanna make your own wreath, here are some popular DIY tutorials:

Spring Doormats For Front Porch

Whimsical spring doormats are the perfect combo between functionality and decor. No matter how good your doormat is, after a while it gets worn-out, so why not get a seasonal one?

If you’re planning a full renovation or looking for a soothing, romantic, delicate, and feminine decor that will bring the Spring spirit into your home year round, go for the cottagecore or the shabby chic. Which one speaks to your heart?

Cottagecore Decor

Cottagecore is a mix of the natural, inviting, rustic slow living lifestyle with a hint of cute shabby decor, a sparkle of magic-and-fantasy-meets-granny design. The idea is to recreate the bucolic environment for the old cottages in the English countryside. And because the cottagecore movement is all about slowing down and following nature’s rhythm, it fits the Spring spirit of honoring the natural circle of life like a glove.

Cottagecore aesthetic is about embracing the nature-loving lifestyle, but with an extra vintage romanticized whimsicality. To bring the cottagecore mood in add nature-inspired objects and textures to your house.

For any room, add as many plants as you’d like. Hanging from the ceiling, planted pots, flower bouquets on vases. And if you’re not familiar with growing plants, there is a learning curve and it’s ok if a few of them don’t make it. Keep trying and learning that one day you’ll also have a green thumb!

Go for wooden shelves, botanical illustrations, floral pillowcases, old books, and natural fabrics like cotton or linen. Combine it with some retro small appliances, a cute whistling tea kettle, and joyful cottagecore mugs in the kitchen. These elements will allow you to create bucolic moments and feel like living in a fairytale book scene.

??‍♂️ See more: The most Whimsical Cottagecore Room Decor Ideas: Kitchen, Bedroom, and Living Room. [/underline] ?

How do you feel about Spring? Does joy come to you easily or not?