Spring Cleaning For Your Mind

Many of us have started spring cleaning and decluttering our physical space. But after living through two years of a pandemic, perhaps it’s just as important to declutter our minds. Here are a few ideas for spring cleaning your mind, to help you feel refreshed and renewed.

Do an audit of your habits

Make a list of your daily habits – even the mundane ones like turning off your alarm. Once you’ve made this list, sort them into two piles: “helpful, and harmful.” The helpful habits are the ones that are serving you, that get you closer to whatever your physical, mental and emotional goals may be.

The harmful ones are those which are hindering you, such as hitting snooze too many times, scrolling social media when you’re bored, or constantly snacking late at night – whatever you feel is not serving you. Once you’ve made this list, slowly eliminate a habit from the “harmful” list one by one, until you get rid of them all.

Do an audit of your energy

There are certain behaviours, thoughts, and actions that we partake in every day. Some of these drain us of energy, and some fill us with energy. The problem is, we rarely take the time to notice these things, and we go through life wondering why we’re feeling tired even though we’ve had a full night’s sleep.

To do an energy audit, grab a pen and paper, and draw a line down the middle. At the top left-hand corner, write “energisers”, and at the top right-hand corner write “drainers.” Now make five rows labelled:

• People
• Places
• Projects
• Habits
• Thoughts

For each of these categories, you will put the appropriate habits into the categories of energisers or drainers. Once you have finished your list, it’s easier to decide to either eliminate or reduce the drainers in your life.

Journaling

Take some time to journal about what the past year has brought up for you; write about the obstacles you overcame, the person you are becoming, and the people and things you need to let go of.

Journal about the ways you’d like to continue evolving, and what you’d like to accomplish now that nature is telling us it’s time to come alive again in Springtime.

Make an effort to spend time in nature every day

Committing to spending time in nature could be as simple as walking to the park after work or taking the scenic route to the train station. Decide how and where you will commit to this and try to stick to it as much as possible. Being in sync with nature at Springtime can be incredibly healing and fulfilling if we take advantage of it. Notice the flowers in bloom and the birds singing. Try to be mindful and pay attention to how nature is coming alive again – and urging us to do the same.

Commit to spending 15 minutes of quiet time every day

This can also be done while in nature, or could be when you first wake up, or at the end of your lunch break – anytime that works for you. Quiet time is so important for our mental health, but it’s often overlooked in our busy society. We value action, achieving and hustling, and rarely do we take the time to allow our brains to rest, or feel our feelings. Take time to sit in silence, focus on slowing down your breathing, and notice whatever feelings come up without judgement.

The impact of spring cleaning our minds  

Spring is a time of renewal, energy and beauty in nature, and it is just as important for us to clean and renew our minds as it is to clean our physical spaces.

More By Crystal Nicholls:

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