7 New Springtime Things To Try (With A Cup of Tea!)

It’s official! Spring has arrived, and with it, ideas of blooming and changing and...spring cleaning. But spring cleaning isn’t just for your cabinets or closets. You can also spring-clean your habits!

Here are 7 new springtime things to try (and yes, you can bring your tea along).

1. Listen to a new podcast

Truly, is there anything better than finding a good podcast? You get to curl up with a cup of tea and listen to one of your favorite voices tell you fascinating things for as long as you like.

Plus, you’re always guaranteed to learn something new with podcasts. With online algorithms showing us what we want to see, it can be good to seek out other viewpoints to make sure we’re not getting trapped in an information bubble. (Also, you'll be a hit at dinner parties!)

Some wonderful podcasts, if you’re stuck for ideas:

99 Percent Invisible, Song Exploder, Call Your Girlfriend, Gastropod, The Allusionist.

2. Go on a mini road trip to someplace you’ve never been

With every social media feed filled with gorgeous pictures of faraway places, it can feel like the only way to experience something new and amazing is to buy an expensive plane ticket to Romania.

The good news? There are probably a ton of places near you that you’ve never been, and while I can’t promise cobblestone streets or medieval castles, I can promise that it’ll be a new experience. Who knows what you'll find?

Use a free tool like the Radius Around a Point Map to seek out places that are 30-45 miles away from you. Find one that looks semi-interesting, pack some snacks and a travel mug filled with tea, and set off on your adventure!

3. Commit to doing one “free” thing a week

If you live in a rural area, this likely doesn’t apply. But if you live in any sort of vaguely urban area, chances are there’s a blog post/Facebook page/actual physical calendar somewhere with one of those lists of “Free Things to Do!”

Why not commit to doing one of those a week? Check out the karaoke night at that bar you’ve never actually been to. Hit up that museum on free admission night. Take a cup of tea with you to the knitting workshop at the local library.

It’s no skin off your wallet, you’ll shake up your routine, and you’ll probably get to meet new, interesting people. Win/win/win!

4. Get into journaling

I know, I know. But the time is now, right? Spring and change and all that? Journaling can be a really effective way to suss out what’s bothering you, to check up on your patterns...or to just have a record of your otherwise ordinary days for future-you to look back on.

Journaling is such A Thing now that there are journals with daily prompts, if you need something with structure. If you need less structure, grab yourself a blank collection of pages and start writing at a time that works for you—maybe in the morning, or just before bed.

To make it more luxurious, accompany your journaling with some tea.

5. Cook something based on what you already have on hand

If you ever meet me in person, you’ll probably hear me say something about how scarcity breeds creativity. But it’s so true! Instead of finding a gorgeous recipe online and taking a trip to the grocery store, why not work backwards?

Pour yourself a cup of tea, catalog all the ingredients you have available, and figure out a way to build a meal out of them. You’ll likely end up with something you never expected!

6. Take up a completely new YouTube-fueled hobby

We’re living in the age of information, no? YouTube has lessons for EVERYTHING—from tap-dancing to restoring hardwood floors. Find something you’ve always wanted to do, but have somehow never quite made time for, and schedule in weekly lessons with your computer (and, of course, your trusty tea mug).

Ballet? Spanish? Violin? The world is your oyster!

7. Make a standing date with your closest friends

Adult life gets busy, and how often have you found yourself messaging one of your BFF’s with phrases like “I miss you” or “It’s been too long” or “We really should catch up”?

This is the spring for change. Set a standing date with some of your closest friends at a time that generally works for all of you each week. Then, once a week, you can all meet up for tea, scones and hugs.

The benefits are twofold: one, you get to stay caught up, and two, you get to move beyond just “catching up” and actually deepen the friendship.

Readers—what are some of your springtime resolutions? What are you excited to try?