Migration

If someone were to ask you to describe migration you could probably explain at a level that would show you have some understanding of the concept. Maybe not scientifically detailed, but a general understanding of it.

Humming birds fly south, some geese head to wintering grounds, monarchs cross miles, 20-40% of birds migrate. Bears start to disappear to prepare to hibernate. Trees start changing colors and drop their leaves to prepare to "winter." Summer bugs are suddenly gone.

The entire world around us is changing. We understand this on a fundamental level. Right now as we speak the Northern Hemisphere is tilting further away from the sun. Daylight is shrinking. Darkness is expanding. The sun is taking a lower path.

Humans feel it. We see it with our own eyes. And yet we get all sorts of spun out about the way we respond to it. We call it "feeling a little off." We mentally prepare for our season of SAD. The emotion as well as the anxiety "disorder" that comes with it.

Why do we call it a disorder when we are just another living breathing thing that is preparing for the change? Every single living breathing thing outside right now is preparing for this. Not just to survive it, but to rest through it. Which is partially how you survive it. But not humans. Based on how we treat seasonal anxiety, we believe it is another thing to "overcome." To get through. Why does every living thing get a season, but we don't or shouldn't?

If things are feeling off it's because we are a living breathing thing preparing to do what every other living breathing thing is also doing. We are migrating. From one season to the next. And because our society treats rest like a disease, like laziness, like it's unproductive, we mentally struggle through our seasons, ESPECIALLY the ones coming up.

If you can fundamentally understand that other living creatures need to do this to survive why is it so hard to understand that we need to as well? And how can you embrace it instead of look towards it with dread?

The Danish and Norwegians have this already sorted with a concept call hygge (pronounced hoo-gah.) A state of cozy, safe, and relaxed well-being achieved through simple pleasures.

Pro-tip: If you want to be successful during your upcoming migration try practicing that very concept. Where do you feel cozy, safe and relaxed? What are the things you do to achieve that? Because news flash, we migrate every year too, so the sooner we accept that, the sooner we implement the tools needed to survive that, the easier it will be to make it to the next season.

Happy migrating!