Spring Into Wellness

With longer days and warmer weather, spring is the perfect time to refresh your wellness routine. Use Library System resources to put a spring in your step whether you're hoping to boost your mental wellbeing, jumpstart your physical activity, or introduce new nutritional habits.

GROW YOUR WORLD

Cultivate your green thumb.

Gardening provides natural light exposure, low-to-moderate intensity exercise, and contact with green space, all of which are great for your mental and physical wellbeing. Not to mention, if you choose to grow your own fruits, vegetables, or herbs, you’re gaining nutritional benefits as well! But what if you don’t have access to adequate outdoor space for gardening? Bring your gardening activities indoors—the benefits you reap from gardening are the same whether you are growing an indoor houseplant, potted plant for your porch, or a full garden in your yard.

Add plants to your menu.

Make sure you’re getting plenty of whole foods (especially fruits and vegetables) which benefit your entire body, including your brain. Eating plenty of gut-friendly whole foods actually helps your mood and energy levels. Steer clear of dietary déjà vu by incorporating brand new plant-filled recipes, and remember to “eat the rainbow.” The coloring of various foods often helps to tell us what nutrients they possess. Scanning your plate and finding a rainbow of foods is an easy way to see whether you are incorporating necessary parts of your diet.

Feed your curiosity.

Learn a new skill, take up a new hobby, or investigate a topic that piques your interest. Nurturing a personal passion, whether for languages, crafting, travel, cooking, or any number of others, can help return you to your center—a space where you can reflect on and appreciate the things that make you…you!

Seed Library at the Berea Branch

Get started on your gardening journey by taking home up to ten packets of seeds—free with your library card.

South Carolina State Park Passports

Enjoy free entry into any South Carolina State Park with the South Carolina State Park Passport. Greenville County residents with an adult library card can check out one state park passport for seven days. Visit greenvillelibrary.org/scstate-park-passport to learn more.

BingePass for Great Courses from Hoopla

Check out a Great Courses BingePass from Hoopla for seven days of unlimited access to hundreds of online video lectures. Free with your library card at greenvillelibrary.org/ download-and-stream.

MOVE & BLOOM

Get outside.

Reap the benefits of green space and sunshine by trying out a new walking and hiking trail, taking a stroll around your neighborhood, or having a backyard picnic.

Try a new exercise.

Keep your routine from getting stale by incorporating new moves into your favorite workout.

Listen while you move.

Pairing exercise with an engrossing audiobook can help you work out more frequently. Saving an exciting read for exercise uses a technique called “temptation bundling” to combine an appealing activity (listening to an audiobook) with a valuable activity that may lack instant gratification (exercising).

Audiobooks from OverDrive & Hoopla

Add to your workout with audiobooks using Hoopla or OverDrive. Free with your library card at greenvillelibrary.org/download-and-stream.

Yoga Classes at Your Library

Visit greenvillelibrary.org/eventseries/yoga to find an upcoming yoga class for adults.

Free Music Streaming with Freegal

Refresh your exercise music playlist with unlimited music streaming. Free with your library card at greenvillelibrary.org/download-and-stream.

Kind Unwind

Express gratitude.

Practicing gratitude may actually improve your heart health and sleep in addition to its conclusive psychological benefits. Try writing “thank you” notes, expressing gratitude verbally, or journaling with a focus on gratitude and see how gratitude impacts your mental and physical wellbeing.

Tame your inner critic.

Letting go of the idea of perfection in order to practice self-compassion can be a challenge. Self-compassion can be the solution to an overly harsh inner critic and is actually a stronger motivator than the fear and selfdoubt prompted by negative inner dialogue.

Practice mindfulness & meditation.

Mindfulness involves focusing on the present moment and being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. Living mindfully can help reduce stress and improve focus. You can introduce mindfulness into your daily routine in a variety of ways. Meditation is just one way to build your mental muscles for everyday mindfulness.

Stream guided meditations from Hoopla, Freegal, or OverDrive.

Try a guided meditation from any of these online services free with your library card at greenvillelibrary.org/download-and-stream.