Our Guide to a Blissful, Dreamy Spring

Flower petals scatter the floor, accompanying the sound of rain hitting the windows. The days feel longer, as if you were in middle school again, the sky a certain shade of blue reminiscent of a time before you met them. Maybe your nose tingles more now that seasonal allergies have set in. The school year winds down for those in middle school, high school, college, preparing for diplomas handed out, caps thrown, and goodbyes said. There’s a sort of essence that spring brings, and it’s hard to define by its scent or the memories it wraps in a warm hug. For some, it’s a liminal space for summer and new beginnings. For others, it’s a nuisance with its flower pollen and excessive tissues. Regardless of what spring means to you, there’s always something you can do to alleviate the stress or enhance the grace and flowers. And so today, we present Gen Z State of Mind’s Guide to a Blissful, Dreamy Spring, with something for everyone everywhere.

1. To sprawl 

On your coach, your bed, a cold, hard bathroom floor, a green field with dandelions sprinkled throughout. Regardless of where, it’s important to use this time after a long, hard winter to recharge. When I find myself riddled with anxiety, the first step I always take is to put my feet on the ground, reminding myself of where I am (grounding, if you will). Applying this wider (and with more comfort), lounge somewhere that brings you back to yourself. Stare at the ceiling, read a book, doodle on your hand with a pen from the cabinet, count the tiles on the floor, listen to Blood Orange— the options are endless. In this day and age, where work, pressure, numbers (“How many followers do you have? How many hours of work did you clock? Did you watch enough movies this year to be considered a cenophile?”) dominate every moment, we barely get any time to sit and think. Take this liminal space of Spring to brew in your thoughts and surroundings, and who knows, maybe you’ll have a newfound appreciation for the things you never once thought you’d notice. 

2. Dream about your favorite characters and universes

Do you ever get that dazy feeling after reading a book or watching a movie that slowly embedded itself into your bones? You start seeing your favorite characters in everything— any jewels and wine remind you of the High King, any rugby or numbers remind you of those players, cookies and knives remind you of a certain Chief Commander and Regent. If escapism is your cup of tea, immerse yourself fully by creating stories of what you would do if you were transported to your favorite universe. Would there be zombies? What powers would you have? Who would you end up in a love triangle with? Did you know their secret before everyone else found out? 

But if you love where you are, feet on the ground, tablet in hand, and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, you can still incorporate your beloved media into everyday tasks. When rainy days hit, reminisce on Cork, Ireland, and whether it would be a certain blonde or brunette standing beside you. Channel your inner Spencer Hastings when you make your morning coffee. Pretend you’re Mark Zuckerberg (from The Social Network, of course), coding for your school assignments. 

You read, and you watch so that you can piece together the things you don’t know: what it would be like to be an astronaut, why you feel the need to be a perfectionist, who you are inside. When you resonate with a character, new feelings blossom within. Because you know that your struggles and worries and quirks transcend universes and realities, situating themselves in your favorite books, movies, TV shows, magazines, comic books. Honestly, anything.

3. Bake something 

Regardless of how much experience you’ve had in the kitchen prior to this. Do it with family, with friends, or alone with a TV show playing in the background. Explore seasonal treats (floral ones if you’re from a certain region) or bake an all-time favorite. The options are endless and really depend on your own buoyancy (because whatever floats your boat, am I right? Ok…..)  If I’m being honest, I can’t really bake! Or cook, for that matter. But if the flowers can bloom this time of year, then I feel like I owe it to myself to try out a new skill. It might come with the fear that I’m going to set my fire alarm off, but it might also allow me to realize that I have a new future in culinary. Some things are just worth the risk, because the potential pain of the consequences will never outweigh the potential happiness of my own efforts. It could all crash and burn, but it could also be a funny story I tell everyone about my inability to remain in the kitchen, or cinnamon rolls I share with my loved ones. 

4. Explore new scents 

Gen Z State of Mind loves perfume! Throughout my freshman year of high school, my favorite spot to linger was always this one bookshop tucked away in the corner of a crowded brick street, hidden away from the touristy lake area. Books decorated the shelves, different languages, theories, and backgrounds all meeting together without knowing each other. But the beloved area that I had reserved for my 14-year-old self was located on the shelf next to the register. I was enamored by the sample perfumes in varying colors. A collection with undertones suitable for every scenario and situation. A floral, vibrant scent for the beach, where I imagined I would lounge with a coconut in my hand. A musky, parchment scent for my future boyfriend who would most certainly work in academia. Bubbly scents that I dreamed I would buy full sizes for when I was a successful lawyer. 

It’s safe to say that the tides might change and the leaves change color, but my love for perfume has never dwindled one bit. For spring, find something that defines who you want to be this year, or find something for someone you adore (gifting scents, I’ve found, is a love language in itself). The undertones and lingering hints form themselves into words and convey the messages we might never dare to say out loud. Or do (life is truly too short to only love someone when they love you back). 

A perfume for each of your personas. Or combine them all and become one. 

5. Contemplate at the risk of crashing out

Sometimes you need to lose your mind in order to find it again. I’ve always struggled with pushing everything— all that hurts me, threatens to, breaks me down bone by bone— into the dark, because if I can’t see it then it’s not there. It’s a juvenile thought process, though, one I should’ve outgrown after hide and seek at the ripe age of 8. But, it’s always easier to put things that have bothered you for your whole life on the back burner; after all, if you’ve dealt with it for so long, what’s a little bit more time? But in fact, there are so many studies (many of which I will not get into for the sake of scientific accuracy) that prove how detrimental it is to harbor all your emotions in one small box you throw into your attic, aiming to forget forever. The box gets too full, and the explosion is one that rivals Pompeii. 

As a victim of someone buried under all the rubble and ash of the past, I can only say that it was long overdue. Suppressing emotions is a form of escapism, but in reality, you will find yourself like prey hiding in a forest, hoping to outsmart it and disappear before it hurts you. 

So contemplate. Ponder the people around you. The skeletons you’ve buried. Decide if you’re a good person or not. And if not, who you are hurting. Is it yourself? 

Journal, lose your mind, find your way back. The only way out is through. 

We hope that you, dear reader, know that there will always be a home for you here at Gen Z State of Mind. You survived winter, and it’s almost summer. So bake, set off the fire alarm, dream about Nate Archibald, cry that he’s not here, smell perfume, decide you don’t like the smell of tea leaves, journal in a sunny area, make a wish on a dandelion. Eventually, spring will pass too, but never the hurt, the stories, the love you experienced in these rainy, sunny months.