There’s a moment every year when I suddenly realise that winter is loosening its grip, and spring is actually here again. This year, it happened on my drive to work. It felt like only yesterday, I’d driven to work in that dark, wintry night time light that seems to have been around forever, but this morning, all of a sudden, I thought, that’s blue sky up there. And that’s the sun! And ooh, look! Daffodils!
And so, Spring in Wales has begun to clear its throat, about to impart the wisdom of hope, perhaps encouraging us to look after ourselves a little better. I was teaching Mental Health First Aid this week, and the homework I always set my students is to take at least 15 minutes in the evening to do something for themselves – not for a spouse, or a child, or the dog – for themselves to take some time for self-care.
It doesn’t have to be grand or complicated. Depends on what you enjoy doing. Reading a book that carries you somewhere else for a while. Taking a walk outside. Or just simply being outside, standing on your own doorstep. Riding a horse across open fields, if that’s your bag. Climbing a mountain just because the view is worth it, and then singing The Hills are Alive at the top of your voice, like Maria in The Sound of Music. She knew what filled her with joy, and made made sure she did it, and there’s wisdom in that.
Here in Wales, we’ve just celebrated St David’s Day, and daffs have been nodding, flags have been flying, leeks have been plunged into hearty cawl, and the quiet confidence of Welsh identity is rising to the surface, which is timely, given that the Men’s 6 Nations is currently upon us.
Wales rugby supporters are a remarkable breed. At the moment, supporting Wales requires a particularly strong supply of optimism, but if there’s one thing Wales fans have always possessed in abundance, it’s belief. Wales might win. They could win. They WILL win!
In rugby, before a scrum, the referee calls three simple words: “Crouch. Bind. Set.” Get ready. Hold onto each other. Move forward together. There’s something in that for life, too.
At The Ajuda Foundation, that spirit sits at the heart of our Mental Health First Aid training. Our courses give people the knowledge, confidence and practical skills to recognise when someone might be struggling and to respond with understanding and support, and bring them out of darkness into the light again.
Maybe that’s the real lesson of spring. After the darker days, the light returns. The daffodils appear. Our voices rise again, and those voices sing with the glorious and optimistic Welsh certainty that better days are always just around the corner.
If you’d like to learn how to support your own wellbeing and help others in your community do the same, take a look at our upcoming Mental Health First Aid courses. Find out more here: Ajuda Mental Health Courses