The trees are budding, the tulips are popping, and I’ve even seen strawberries with blossoms. The scent of lilacs wafts. Lawn mowers are fired up.
Spring is here, and with that comes the dreaded Spring Clean.
I actually enjoy some parts of spring cleaning. I love to get rid of stuff that’s old or dirty or broken. Throw windows open. Put the winter clothes away and bring down the tank tops from storage.
I love that I can go for walks without freezing my butt off.
Wait, what?
What do walks have to do with spring cleaning?
Walking feels like spring cleaning to me. I’m shaking the cobwebs off the muscles and bones. I’m getting the creaks out and getting to MOVE again.
Spring cleaning isn’t just about getting the house clean. You can use this time to spring clean your whole life. Here’s 5 simple ways to get started:
1.Toss out a bad habit. Trash it.
I was starting to spend a loooot of time on my bum, especially in the evening. Now that we have more hours of sunshine, I feel the need to be a little more productive. So, if I’m watching a show, I fold laundry at the same time. It keeps me moving, and I feel like I actually DID something other than doze in front of the TV.
2. Recycle that To Do list.
Does you REALLY need to do 25 things today? CAN you? Or will you just feel like a failure because you aren’t some superhuman that can make time stand still. You know what you can do with that ridiculous list? Make it 3 instead. Put an end to overwhelm and get happy that your list is done.
2.5 (you know I love those decimal points) …And that thing you’ve been dreading, but think you really have to do? Maybe you don’t. Maybe you can scratch that sucker off the list and never ever put it back on. (I’m not suggesting you skip your taxes, here.) Maybe you don’t have to do that sucky thing that you keep saying you should do.
3. Detox your relationships.
We all have one of those relationships that really isn’t doing us a bit of good. Maybe it’s a friendship, or an associate. Maybe it’s even an old romantic relationship that you can’t seem to shake. Some of our relationships are like that gross old sponge that is probably spreading around more nasty germs than it’s picking up. You can stop hurting yourself now. Either sanitize the sponge (have a frank but loving conversation with the other person) or pitch it. There’s a nice new sponge just waiting for you.
4.Start scrubbing the walls of your soul.
Take up a spiritual practice. This can be as formal as meditation, or as simple as writing in a journal or talking with someone about your feelings. By staying on top of that lifegrime that we let get built up inside, we clear a space for our soul to shine.
5.Say no.
I will be following up on this in more detail in my next post. But start saying no on a regular basis. This will change your life.
Now that you’ve gotten rid of alllll that stuff you don’t need, there’s a little room to fill. Now, don’t go crowding your life back up again. That defeats the purpose of spring cleaning. But there is some wiggle room. Now you can grow a new habit.
Your life REALLY is a garden.
Do you want to start doing something fun? What better time than now? Plant a container garden, try a class (I know a few AWESOME yoga teachers), go on a daytrip, or just sit on a patio with something to sip and have a smile. Have ten. You deserve it!
Need more ideas on how to Spring Clean your life? Click here to sign up for your free Serenity Strategy Session.
Image by DeathToStockPhoto