Art of living seasonally with rhythms of the natural world

Living seasonally in harmony and in balance with the seasons of the natural world supports your physical and mental health and holistic well-being. It roots you to the rhythms of nature and gives you structure in life. Seasonal living is an endless source of inspiration, joy, and energy in everyday life as a balanced person and a homemaker.

Little girl with white dress in the forest enjoying the seasonal living.

Dive into this blog for homemaking and natural living articles, from scratch recipes, DIY tutorials, and ideas on how to repurpose things. Read some more in my article on how to save money AND create less waste with my money-saving hacks.

What seasons are there to follow?

Living seasonally has many forms. Seasons come and go in repetitive cycles. Whether it is the seasons of the natural world, the tides, the lunar cycle, the calendar, or the hormonal and menstrual cycle, they do not seem to have a super clear start or end either. They naturally flow from one season to another.

In our personal lives, seasons might be periods like childhood or adulthood, or tied to events like starting school, summer vacation, getting married, having the first child, or the loss of a close one.

We almost naturally slow down after a loss, to grief. We get more energy to do activities on summer vacations and we start reflecting on things and priorities after the birth of the baby. These are natural rhythms of life. In this article, we mainly focus on the seasons of the natural world.

Seasonal natural living bucket lists for more inspiration

I have gathered for you more natural lifestyle inspiration in a seasonal bucket list that I am publishing monthly. You can join the email list below to get them in your inbox when they are published, or read here the ones that have already been published:

The art of living seasonally with the field of wheat.

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Benefits of living seasonally

Seasonal living and seasonal changes give you the natural rhythm and structure in life. Seasonal life is grounding, it shelters you.

Little girl on a filed at the fall season.

As we know, small children thrive when they have a clear and understandable daily routine. We adults as well need and long for a certain clarity in life. Following the cycle of the natural seasons gives us the possibility to renew ourselves with every new season. You can glide slowly to the next season or make a clear starting point to start a new chapter like many do on the change of the year for example.

Seasonal living gives you balance in life, the expectation. It is logical and you can feel the pulse of the earth. Seasonal living is one part of the natural living concept and the natural lifestyle I write about here often.

Observe your energy levels

When you live seasonally you acknowledge that the different seasons have different peaks of energy. Different moods, different traditions, and moments of celebration. Living with the rhythms of the natural world is a great way to create a balance in our daily lives. We don’t need to have a constant fight against the natural seasonal flow and be drained by the unnatural lifestyle.

Logically – when you feel you are in balance it radiates to every part of your life: you have a better mood and mental health, sleep better, and have more energy to be more active. That gives joy and strength to enhance your physical health and creates a positive cycle that feeds itself continuously.

Seasonal rituals, traditions, and annual celebrations

We have different rituals and celebrations in changing seasons depending on the culture and country in which we live. In Nordic countries, for example, Midsummer is a big deal to celebrate the summer solstice after the long dark winter. The winter solstice on the other hand is almost at the same time as Christians are celebrating Christmas.

Little girl placing a flower wreath on the bench on summer season.

The time of year changes also depending on the calendar used. In the Gregorian calendar, the New Year celebrations are in the deep winter time. Unlike the Chinese New Year which is somewhere from January to February in the Western Calendar. Islamic countries on the other hand have the biggest festive during the month of Ramadan, which rotates a few weeks earlier every year in the Western Gregorian Calendar, for the Islamic year is about 11 days shorter. The change of the year gives many the power to start new things and try new challenges.

How to live seasonally

To start to live seasonally you need to start listening and observing the surrounding nature. Pay attention to the signs of the natural growing seasons and the day lengths first. Observe and follow the heartbeat of the natural world. Try out and feel what suits your lifestyle, don’t force it. Following the natural environment and the living things in nature, you have clear signs to flow into the next season.

Create a seasonal culture in your home with the help of natural raw materials. Light-colored flowers in the springtime to decorate your home. Add some leafy branches and stronger-colored flowers for summer in the vase. Make some natural wreaths using natural elements as a mark of the changing of seasons. Dry some flowers and branches to have a dry bouquet for the winter months.

A natural wreath made with foraged grains and blueberry. branches on a weathered wooden surface.

Seasonal mindset

When a new season comes, notice the changes. The changing of the seasons comes with different levels of energy. Some seasons seem to take more than give. If you slow down and feel the change you start to live in the flow of the seasons instead of swimming upstream. Be in the present moment and savor it.

The peaks of energy come naturally with the sun and sunlight. Concentrate the activities with your energy and plan more for the high-energy days. Accept that during the winter season and colder months, you might have fewer things done than you can in other seasons.

Eating and cooking seasonally

The seasonal kitchen follows the natural seasonal cycle of growth. Though it is sometimes difficult to accept and understand that it is unnatural to have strawberries in December try to find and prefer ingredients that are naturally in season.

Use fresh fruits and salads in cooking during the amazing abundance of summer and fall – the amount of fresh produce is almost overwhelming. Add seasonal foods and treats to your daily life and you get the best nutrients effortlessly.

Seasonal eating gets easier when you rely on local farmers. Local producers offer fresh produce that is cultivated in their natural growing season and harvested in the peak season. What they have to offer are the ones that are in season and you can’t make a mistake.

Seasonal calendars to guide seasonal cooking

If you are living in Finland, do check out the Satokausikalenteri, the seasonal calendar for fruits and vegetables in Finnish, with recipes and plenty of information in Finnish. I have used it for years and find it very handy.

In English, though, I found one very neat thing, a more compact Seasonal Produce Guide with a magnetic background to attach to the fridge, to remind you what is in season right now. Or a more aesthetically pleasing old-style metallic sign of the Produce in the Season by the Month poster. With the help of these kinds of little reminders, cooking seasonally can also be an adventure to try out whole new vegetables and recipes in season!

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Hand touching the bark of wood during the fall season.

Cleaning seasonally

The seasons of the natural world have an impact on weather and our activity and energy level. Do not try to do a heavy deep clean in the dark wintertime if you do not have the energy for it. Use an annual cleaning schedule or natural celebrations as a landmark throughout the year to keep your home rhythmically tidy and cozy throughout the year.

There is a reason why it is called spring cleaning and not fall cleaning or winter cleaning. In spring you gain energy from the light and you have energy to air out the dust and darkness that has gathered in the corners of the home. In fall and winter time the weather brings in mud and snow and springtime sand. Nature comes to your home like it or not.

Respect for nature living seasonally

When living with the seasons and observing change and flow of the natural world you start to have a greater respect for nature. Living and eating seasonally gives possibilities to appreciate a slow living -lifestyle as well as a great way to think about zero-waste living or to aim for a calmer low-waste lifestyle I share the tips and hacks here in the blog.