It’s that time of year. As the weather gets warmer in Ventura, a lot of us are throwing our windows open and swapping out our sweaters for sandals. If you’re someone who spring cleans, you’re also probably busting out your dusting rags and mop. Don’t stop there, though. The new season also gives you a chance to explore spring cleaning your mind.
If you want to try it for yourself, here are a few thoughts to get you started.
Tune into what spring cleaning your mind needs
Spring cleaning looks different for different people. Maybe your baseboards need a good scrub but your friend focuses their attention on their blinds. The idea with spring cleaning is to tackle those things you usually put off.
Spring cleaning your mind is no different. It’s your chance to find out what kind of care your mental state needs.
That can be hard to do in our overstimulated world. Meditation can help here. When you meditate, you give yourself space and time to just sit. That’s it. What seems overly simple can actually be really powerful. When you get still, you might be shocked what you discover. Maybe you realize you have a nagging feeling about a fight you had with a friend months ago. For you, spring cleaning your mind might look like apologizing to that friend or taking another action to get the catharsis you need.
Or maybe when you sit, you might finally acknowledge that you’re not feeling happy at work, even if you’ve been trying to ignore that sensation for a long time. Your spring cleaning might center around addressing that, whether that’s working to foster gratitude for your current role, exploring new projects you could take on at your company, or looking for a new job.
The same way spring cleaning your house means dealing with the cobwebs, spring cleaning your mind means addressing those things you’ve been trying to ignore in your brain.
Digitally detach
As you’re evaluating what does and doesn’t make you feel good, make sure you look at your digital life, too. Maybe the news is stressing you out. Consider silencing the notifications on your phone for a while.
Maybe your work alerts make it hard to separate your professional life from your personal space. If you can, try turning them off on nights and weekends (or whenever you’re technically off).
Maybe you notice that a scroll through social media leaves you feeling worse than before. Try deleting an app or two for a week. It will always be available for re-download later. Or if you’re not quite ready to take that plunge, move the app to a harder-to-access part of your phone so you don’t click it out of habit.
Spring clean your physical space, too
There’s a reason spring cleaning evokes feelings of freshness and new starts. Studies show that our surroundings affect our mental health. Giving your apartment or home a spring clean — or at least a decent tidy — can help you head into the coming weeks and months feeling better.
The spring season is supposed to be one of hope and new growth. If you’ve been feeling the opposite, please know that help is waiting. Our team at the Ventura Counseling & Wellness Center would love to talk to you to see how we can support you. Don’t hesitate to get in touch.
