Post # 62 - Checking In With Myself Before Spring Arrives

Posted under: Relationships & Self | The Full Life Edit

There’s a quiet moment at the end of February that I’ve learned not to rush past. Winter isn’t quite over, but something is shifting. The days stretch a little longer. The light lingers. Spring begins to whisper instead of shout.

Before the pace changes, before new expectations creep in, I like to pause and check in with myself. Not to evaluate or judge — just to listen. This check-in has become one of the most grounding practices I return to each year.

🌿 Why This Check-In Matters

So often, we move from season to season without noticing what we’re carrying. We push through winter, eager for spring’s promise of renewal, without acknowledging how the colder months shaped us.

This end-of-February check-in helps me:

• Notice what this season gave me
• Acknowledge what it took from me
• Decide what I want to carry forward — and what I don’t

It’s not about preparing to “do more.” It’s about understanding where I am before I move on.

✨ The Questions I Ask Myself

This check-in isn’t complicated. I don’t need a full journaling retreat or a perfect mindset. I just ask a few honest questions and let the answers arrive gently.

1. How do I actually feel right now?

Not how I should feel. Not how I want to feel. Just the truth. Tired? Hopeful? Restless? Calm? Naming the feeling helps me honor it instead of pushing past it.

2. What supported me this winter?

Was it rest, routine, connection, solitude, warmth, creativity? Recognizing what helped reminds me of my resilience and what I might need more of going forward.

3. What drained me more than I expected?

This question helps me spot patterns — commitments, habits, or dynamics that quietly took more than they gave. Awareness is the first step toward gentler boundaries.

4. What do I want to leave behind?

Winter has a way of accumulating emotional layers. This question gives me permission to release guilt, pressure, or expectations that no longer fit.

🌸 Turning Inward Without Judgment

In the past, check-ins sometimes turned into self-criticism. I’d focus on what I didn’t accomplish or how I could have done better.

Now, I approach these reflections like a conversation with someone I care about. With curiosity. With compassion. With patience.

Checking in isn’t about fixing myself — it’s about understanding myself.

🧠 Relationships Begin With the Self

This check-in lives under Relationships & Self for a reason. The relationship I have with myself sets the tone for every other connection in my life.

When I pause to listen inwardly:

• I communicate more clearly with others
• I set boundaries with less guilt
• I show up more honestly in relationships
• I recognize my needs before resentment builds

Self-awareness strengthens connection — not just inwardly, but outwardly too.

🌿 What I’m Not Rushing Into

As spring approaches, there’s often pressure to reset everything: goals, routines, energy, plans. This year, I’m resisting the urge to rush.

Instead of asking, What should I start?

I’m asking, What do I want to tend gently?

Instead of demanding growth, I’m choosing continuation — carrying forward what already works and letting new things emerge naturally.

🌱 A Simple End-of-Winter Ritual

My check-in doesn’t need to be elaborate. Sometimes it looks like:

• Sitting quietly with a cup of tea
• Writing a single page in my journal
• Taking a slow walk and reflecting internally
• Speaking answers aloud to myself

The ritual isn’t the point. The attention is.

🌸 What This Practice Gives Me

Each year, this pause gives me clarity. Not loud clarity — soft clarity. The kind that steadies instead of pushes.

It reminds me that I don’t need to arrive in spring as a “new version” of myself. I just need to arrive aware.

Aware of what I need.

Aware of what I’ve survived.

Aware of what I’m ready to nurture next.

🌿 A Gentle Invitation

Before spring fully arrives, I invite you to check in with yourself — without pressure, without performance.

Ask:

• How am I really doing?
• What did this season teach me?
• What do I want to carry forward gently?

You don’t need answers to everything. Even noticing the questions is enough.

Because growth doesn’t always begin with action. Sometimes, it begins with listening.

💬 Tell me: Do you pause between seasons to reflect, or do you usually move straight ahead? What helps you check in with yourself? Share in the comments — your reflection might resonate with someone else right now.

– M.E