Spring is definitely the best time of year for a body detox or a spring cleaning and I discussed ways to support your body, particularly your liver in a previous post. Today I want to talk about spring cleaning for your mental and emotional health. This is a great time of year to go in and assess what is and is not working for you in many areas. Clearing out what doesn’t serve you can open up vital mental space and help you breathe a little easier, enjoy your free time and let you off the emotional hook keeping you stuck.
1. Physical Space- Excellent time of year to declutter and rearrange. I personally love feng shui and the art of arranging my belongings in an energetically beneficial way but I also loved what happened when I started getting rid of excess and physical items that I really didn’t need anymore. I held on to a lot of stuff out of a scarcity mindset. “Someday I’ll need this” or “What if I can’t replace this.” I noticed this little voice cropping back up this last year as we experienced real scarcity of some things (ahem toilet tissue) and as much as
some level of scarcity did really exist, having a closet full of old sports equipment nobody has touched in ten years was not going to provide the missing item. However, having my home clear of major clutter monsters did serve me and my family IMMENSELY this last year. All of us being at home we weren’t tripping over excess stuff or spending every minute obsessively picking up. My home is far from clutter free but I would say it’s mostlyish there. Things creep back in and a quarterly purge is necessary. I love Marie Kondo’s book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up. It’s not an extremely practical book when it comes to decluttering kids toys or hobby equipment particularly but the primary principal she uses is the most practical one there is in my opinion and that is this. When you look at an item or use an item does it bring you joy? No if ‘s and’s or but my …. gave it to me’s. Just, simply, does it bring you joy? Do you love wearing it, feeling it, looking at it, using it, knowing it’s history. If it’s a nope, nu-uh it’s time to release it to bring someone else joy. Try approaching some decluttering from this perspective this spring. It allowed me to release a LOT of old clothes a few years ago. You know all the ones that will fit me if I…..alter them, lose weight, grow five inches taller, dye it a different color, etc etc. Let it go- clear the mental space and creative energy the excess is clogging up and demanding your time, resources, money and space to maintain.
2. Mental Space- What can you clear, let go of, delegate or finish up so that you
stop leaking energy, time and your precious creativity? Are there unfinished projects that are no longer important? Or can they be prioritized and finished up so that you can move on? Are you doing things for others they can do for themselves? Are you on one too many committees, volunteer positions or sports teams for your kids? Are you overcommitted at work and accepting responsibilities that aren’t yours? Where can you set boundaries, say no, pare down and make sure the commitments you have fill you up instead of drain your cup and leave you depleted?
There is a very simple phrase I’d like you to incorporate into your list of standard responses when you are asked to do something you don’t want to do or don’t have time or space to do. “No, I’m sorry but that doesn’t work for me right now.” No explanations necessary!! We do way too much as women because we feel like we should, Nasty little word, should. It’s shaming and disempowering. You could however, say no or you could say yes if it would bring you joy or honor your values and priorities. Catch the switch there? Could is empowering, implies choice and discernment and you, amazing, powerful, creative, dynamic She-Ra deserve to use Could’s in your life instead of Should’s. Stop the shaming and guilt! It’s OK to have boundaries, it’s OK to say No, and it’s OK to say YES, heck YES to the things you want and that bring you bliss!!
Do some mental and physical decluttering this week and see how you feel!
Happy Spring!