One of the things I remind clients of often is this: no emotional season is permanent. Just as winter gives way to spring, even the heaviest internal storms eventually shift. When we view our mental health through the lens of renewal, we begin to see that we are not stuck — we are in process.
With spring approaching, nature offers us a powerful metaphor for mental wellness: renewal, gentle growth, and the quiet resilience that has been at work beneath the surface all along.
Emotional Storms Are Weather, Not Identity
In the depths of winter, trees can look lifeless. Branches are bare. Growth seems paused. Yet beneath the soil, roots are alive and preparing for what’s next. Our mental health works much the same way.
From an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) perspective — developed by psychologist Steven C. Hayes — we understand that suffering often intensifies when we struggle against our internal experience rather than learning to relate to it differently.
ACT doesn’t ask us to eliminate difficult thoughts and feelings. Instead, it teaches us to:
- Notice them
- Make space for them
- Unhook from them
- And continue moving toward what matters
Spring reminds us: dormancy is not death. It's a transition.
Mindfulness: Stepping Out of the Storm
When we are fused with our thoughts, it can feel like we are the storm.
- “I am anxious.”
- “I am broken.”
- “I am overwhelmed.”
Mindfulness helps us shift from being inside the storm to observing it. Instead of thinking and saying “I am anxious” we practice shifting to “I’m noticing anxiety is here” or “There is anxiety again!” This subtle shift creates space. Curiosity, non-judgement, and acceptance are imperative throughout the growth process. The more we increase our awareness of thoughts and feelings, one may think “This is terrible! I’m not gaining any relief or forward movement.” Growth and progress take time, just as most things do in life. Growth requires curiosity and non-judgment. As awareness increases, it may initially feel uncomfortable — like nothing is improving. But growth, like nature, takes time.
You don’t need to use difficult thoughts as anchors. You can notice them without becoming them.
Breathing Through Emotional Weather
Spring weather can change quickly — sunshine one moment, rain the next. Our emotional landscape is similar. When difficult feelings arise, the instinct is often to suppress, distract, or fix them. ACT invites a different response: allow and breathe.
Try this imagery:
- Picture your difficult feeling as a passing rain cloud.
- Breathe slowly and imagine your breath creating space around the cloud.
- You are the sky. The feeling is weather.
The sky is not harmed by the storm. And neither are you.
Moving Toward What Matters
Spring is not just about what falls away — it’s about what grows.
In ACT, we focus on values — the qualities of living that matter most to you. Not goals to check off, but directions to move toward.
Ask yourself:
- What kind of person do I want to be in this season?
- What matters to me, even when things feel hard?
- What small step could I take this week toward that value?
You do not need to wait until you feel better to move forward. Often, meaningful action is what helps shift our emotional climate.
Courage is not the absence of anxiety. It is moving with anxiety in the passenger seat.
You Are Not Stuck
If you are in a difficult season right now, I want you to hear this clearly:
- Emotional pain is not a personal failure.
- Difficult thoughts are not permanent identities.
- Storms pass.
- Growth often happens invisibly before it becomes visible.
Just as spring arrives gradually — not all at once — healing unfolds in small, consistent shifts.
A single mindful breath.
A moment of self-compassion.
A willingness to feel without fighting.
A step toward what matters.
These are the seeds, and seeds, given time and care, always grow.
As we approach this season of renewal, consider this your invitation: you are allowed to begin again. Not because you were broken — but because growth is a natural part of being human. No season lasts forever, neither does the storm, and remember, you are not alone.
