Spring is here! Spring is a time for renewal, growth, and expansion. Plants poke up from the long-sleeping earth and buds begin to shyly peek out amidst barren tree branches. Like the delicate first sprouts of Spring, we should consider this time of year a chance to renew ourselves.
When we think about spring cleaning we tend to think about our homes, offices, and other places we spend our time. But how about the body and brain we carry around?? Our body, mind and spirit can also use a good cleansing now and then. In today’s post we are taking a holistic dive into spring cleaning. Keep scrolling for some ways to welcome fresh energy to your home and yourself!
Living Spaces
One of the biggest parts of spring cleaning is getting rid of clutter. Sort your belongings into four categories – trash/recycle, give away, store, or put away. Consider going through your closet and donate clothes you do not use. The majority of people wear 20% of their closet 80% of the time (1). Want some motivation, take a dive into the minimalism movement. After watching the Netflix documentaries, I realized how much clutter we are surrounded by.
Switch to safer, more natural cleaning products. You do not have to swap out all cleaning products at once. Check out EWG’s database to research products in your cleaning caddy, that way you can make an informed decision about what to swap or keep.
Detox your panty of plastic containers, outdated kitchen tools, and expired items. There are many toxic chemicals in cookware and food containers. Check out EWG’s guide on avoiding some of these chemicals. If your nonstick pan starts to flake or chip off, you should recycle it as toxic chemicals may be leaching into your food. Some companies have mail-back programs for nonstick cookware. You can also try searching Earth911’s Recycling Directory.
Add some houseplants into your home. Many houseplants can filtrate the air, cleaning and purifying it as they release oxygen. Plants can also boost your mood.
Mental Spring Cleaning
Consider a digital detox. Start to be mindful of how you are spending your tech time. If you are not ready for a full-blown detox, start small by turning on airplane mode at least an hour before bed.
Keep a journal. Sounds so old school but you can upgrade by keeping it in digital format. Keep a journal of your thoughts, worries, fears, and upsets. This helps release them from your mind.
Drop a bad habit. Pick an area in your life that has an impact on your mental health, such as nutrition or exercise. Make an effort to drop the habit and replace it with a healthier option.
Release toxic relationships. This is easier said than done and can be overwhelming. First step is to identify toxic relationships. If you imagine making a bad financial investment: Would you continue to invest money? Or would you cut your losses before you do yourself any further financial damage? You need to ask yourself: What is it that I want? Are my needs getting met? Is this how I want to feel? Am I being authentic? Or am I losing myself in attempts to hold onto something that is not working?
Become aware of your patterns. Or should I say, become aware of our unconscious demands. If you find yourself thinking you always seem to end up in the same unhealthy, unfulfilling relationship circumstances, you need to look at where and how your patterns began to get insight how to stop them. And when I say relationship, I mean any relationship, romantic, friends, family, co-workers etc. This quote by Jerry Colonna is an eye opener, “How have I been complicit in creating the conditions I say I don’t want?” (2)
Let go of past drama. What, or who, might you be holding onto that no longer serves you? We cannot change the past, but we can change the way we respond to the traumas of our past. Long-term stress is bad for your physical and emotional health. Whether it be through journaling, therapy, expression through art, music or other creative hobbies, engaging in exercise, get those feeling out.
Practice gratitude. Take some time to consider everything for which you are grateful. You can do this several ways: make a list or keep a gratitude journal, create a mantra, prayer, express gratitude through kindness, show your appreciation to someone who did something nice.
Spiritual Spring Cleaning
Spring offers a chance to do a little spring cleaning in our souls as well. It is about becoming more connected to your true self and whatever you believe is above and beyond that. Ask yourself what an ideal spiritual life looks like in practical terms. Consider where you are currently. Only then can you make a plan. Meditation or prayer is great for tuning in on this one.
Spring Cleaning Your Health
Spring is a great time to rethink your diet, physical activity, sleep routine, and much more.
Sweat it out!! Sweating filters out toxins from the body and helps boost our immune system. Pick your favorite routine and get your body moving.
Stay hydrated. With warmer weather on the way, you could lose more moisture through sweating, even if you don’t feel sweaty. To prevent dehydration, drink enough filtered water throughout the day. Avoid sugary drinks and have alcohol in moderation.
Reset your sleep schedule. Create a sleep routine. Try to get to bed and wake up at consistent times every day. Ideally, try to get exposure to light right away. Disconnect from devices at least 30 minutes before bed as the emitted blue light can be disruptive at night. Don’t eat too late. Try to keep your last meal or snack 3 hours before bedtime. Limit caffeine intake to earlier in the day.
Try to incorporate more fresh vegetables and in-season fruits into the diet. Shop for organic produce when possible. If your budget is tight, take a look at EWG’s Dirty 12 and Clean 15 to get insight between organic purchases that make sense.
Protect your skin and eyes from damaging UV rays. Protection from UV rays is important all year, just a little reminder as we start spending more time outdoors.
Experience the renewal of Spring by trying some of these tips. Our surroundings have an impact on our well-being. Take care of your body, mind, spirit, and surrounding to ensure you can find, show up and fully enjoy all of life’s moments.
Be well!
Reference:
1. Baumgartner, J. (2012). You are what you wear: What your clothes reveal about you (1st ed.). Da Capo Lifelong Books.
2. Collona, J. (2019). Reboot: Leadership and the art of growing up. Harper Business.
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