Rites of spring allow everyone better perspective

I love spring. When the trees begin to bud I am sick of cold weather and overcast days. I’m glad I live in Central Texas where spring comes early.

Although I have never been particularly fond of yard work, I find it appealing in the spring.

I am not a very good fisherman either. But it sure is fun to try my luck at a few crappie on Lake Waco and read about guys like Bill Geno, Darwin Miller and Charlie Pack in the crappie fishing tournament.

In spring, green is always my favorite color. Although I love my profession there are spring days when I would love to trade places with someone who works outdoors.

Spring is definitely a time of renewal for me. A landscape of bluebonnets is as pretty as tulips in Holland or goldenrod in Colorado. And in Central Texas, wild flowers are only a short drive away.

Mental health professionals notice that on spring afternoons the phone rarely rings. Patients seem to “forget” appointments more often than they do at other times of the year. Certainly this is true for me. During the last 20 years, I have noticed a definite cycle. Frankly, I look forward to spring when patients don’t need my services as much. Mental healthy professionals have long suspected there were explanations for this phenomena. Now scientific research shows some of the reasons.

• People are sedentary during the winter months; their activity level slows down a great deal. Regular exercise definitely produces a more optimistic outlook on life. With severely depressed patients, exercise alone often produces dramatic results. Although the mechanism is not clearly understood, exercise seems to relate to the production of certain chemical substances in the brain which are akin to those used in certain pharmacologic preparations for the alleviation of depression.

• More calories are consumed during the winter months. Combined with less physical activity, the body image can definitely take a nosedive. And for most individuals the way they feel about the way they look has a lot to do with their overall outlook on life.

• New research tends to indicate that a positive outlook corresponds with an increase in light. When depressed patients are placed in rooms with extended periods of light, their depression begins to lift. So sunshine and longer daylight hours accounts for a more positive outlook.

• Statements like, “the sap is rising,” or “in the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love,” seem to point to uplifting thoughts about the season. Religious symbols, even pagan rituals suggest rebirth, renewal and inspiration. Consider accounts of early settlers who dug their way out of snow-covered huts voicing the cry, “I’m just glad I made it through to another spring.”

Who can be sad as the bulbs emerge and burst into color? Who can fail to appreciate the beauty of budding fruit trees, the plum, the pear, and the peach? Get out and enjoy the sights. It’s spring in Central Texas.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1985