The origins of spring-cleaning date back thousands of years – when the weather started to get warmer, and homes were cleaned to get rid of dust, soot and grime.
With the advent of central heating, we don’t face quite the same challenges as generations before us, but most of us still feel it’s healthy to air our homes and remove any dust etc, that has accumulated during the winter.
More recently people have started to extend this to other areas of their lives. That’s when the concepts of decluttering, detoxing and cleansing happen, and often it’s at this time of year.
Spring cleaning, decluttering, detoxing and cleansing can all help to reduce stress and anxiety and even boost your mental health. Around February every year, I have a clear out ready for spring and summer. This process helps me to feel lighter, calmer and happier.
All areas of your life
It’s not just about possessions though, a quick wardrobe reorganisation and getting rid of some clothes won’t change your world, or indeed improve your outlook overnight. No decluttering should extend to all areas of your life – career/job, finances, social media usage, mind and body too. Because let’s face it becoming a tidier, more organised, healthy and responsible person, enables you to practice self-care and improve your wellbeing.
It’s also worth remembering that decluttering comes with many other benefits:
- Puts you firmly back in control of your life
- Enables you to be more focused on your goals
- Saves time and money
- Helps you to become less irritable and distracted less frequently
- Increases productivity
- Is good for the environment
It takes time to change habits
But like any big changes in your life, our advice is to approach it with small simple steps rather than trying to stick to those massive changes. We recommend that you take some time to think about what you value and where you want to be in 1-, 5- or 10-years’ time. Then it’s all about setting goals, taking responsibility and even having someone to support you before you start scheduling and prioritising.
Along the way, you need to make sure that you reward yourself for any victories and that you celebrate your changing mindset and habit along the way. But the biggest thing is to be realistic and kind to yourself. Remember the changes are to make you feel better, not to trip you up and cause you more strife.
Find your space and energy
When you simplify your life, and intentionally take steps to remove the clutter, the excess, the busyness and the unnecessary distractions from your life. You are allowing yourself the time, space and energy you need to focus on your priorities, your values and what matters most to you. And when you put it like that, who wouldn’t want that result?
How can I help?
If you’re looking to spring clean or declutter your life and need help and support to get started and see you successfully on your journey to a better you, please give me a call – 07780 692784 or email debby@total-spectrum.com
