While washing windows and scrubbing walls and cleaning up a winter’s worth of yard waste is typically part of spring cleaning, start your spring off right with a spiritual spring cleaning as well. Take the time to get rid of emotional baggage, scrub off your best mental tools and clear away the winter’s spider webs and mental dust bunnies. With a soulful spring cleaning, you’ll be refreshed and ready for better relationships, a better mood and a season of personal growth.
Guilt
Guilt is a common emotion, but it is rarely a useful one. If you are feeling guilty about relationships, work, forgotten goals or past mistakes, making time to let guilt go can help you to move forward. Take the time to apologize for mistakes and make reparations in relationships.
Unhealthy Relationships
Spring cleaning is also an ideal time to cut ties in an unhealthy relationship or work on setting better boundaries. If you have a friend who really is not a friend, need to step away from a romantic relationship or even need to fire someone at work, get it done. Often, these toxic relationships burden us, causing substantial mental distress. Once you have eliminated the relationship, your stress may lift.
Positive Affirmations
Redecorating your soul and spirit can help your mental health. A positive self-image and positive thought patterns can make a significant difference in your overall emotional well-being. Consciously avoid negative, self-deprecating words and thoughts. Replace negative thoughts with positive messages about your strengths and skills. You may even find it helpful to write down or journal these self-affirmations to help refresh your mind and soul throughout the spring.
Set Priorities
Set priorities in your life. Think about what matters most, and focus your thoughts and intentions toward that. You may find that smarter time management can help you to reduce stress or that there are activities and responsibilities that you could cut from your schedule to free up time for things that matter more.
Let Go
Consciously let go of negative thoughts and concerns. If a situation is outside of your control, take a deep breath and let go of worry or concern. You should also recognize that you can only control your own feelings and actions and release any sense of responsibility regarding those of your spouse, friends, children or co-workers.
Focus Your Energy
While setting priorities typically involves organizing work, family and managing your time, focusing your energy on activities you love allows you to make time for yourself. Whether that is taking a yoga class or making time to write that novel, focusing on one leisure-time activity you really enjoy can allow you to excel and improve your quality of life.
Find Your Goals
Working toward a goal is one way to keep to your priorities. Your goals might be personal, like weight loss; financial, like debt repayment; or oriented toward your work. Set manageable mini-goals to mark your success along the way and provide occasions to celebrate your sacrifice and effort. You may find it helpful to write your goals on a calendar or in your journal to make it easier to track the progress of your spring cleaning as spring becomes summer.
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