Holistic Spring Cleaning
Spring is upon us! You know what that means – it’s time for the annual chore extravaganza known as spring cleaning.
Spring cleaning is a time to declutter and cleanse our living space and workspaces. Some of us dust every little nook and cranny that hasn’t been touched for months. Others examine all the items that have accumulated in the past year and decide what is still useful and what needs to go.
Most of us are familiar with the idea of deep cleaning our living space and workspaces in the spring. But how many of us apply the idea of spring cleaning to our overall wellbeing?
In truth, spring cleaning also can be used as a time to assess where we are at, physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually, and make changes that help us to feel safer, more comfortable, more connected to others, and more at peace.
This kind of wellbeing “cleaning” and actual spring cleaning can contribute to better overall health. When we approach cleaning from this holistic perspective, we can achieve more balance and confidence in all aspects of our lives!
Creating To-Do Lists
Spring cleaning is usually a time-intensive process. So, to prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed, come up with a to-do list of everything you’d like to get done. You can create separate lists for:
- Cleaning your living space
- Cleaning your office/workspace
- Addressing your wellbeing needs
Keep in mind that your wellbeing to-do list isn’t going to function the same way as a traditional to-do list. In other words, you may not be able to check a box for some items on your wellbeing list to indicate that they are done, because they require ongoing effort to maintain.
Here are some questions that you may consider asking yourself, as you build your spring-cleaning to-do lists:
- What are my short-term and long-term goals?
- Are there any big tasks that I can break down into smaller pieces, to prevent them from becoming overwhelming?
- On each of my lists, which items need to be addressed immediately, and which can wait?
- What are realistic deadlines that I can set for each task?
- What tools and resources do I need to address problem areas effectively in my mind, body, relationships, and living space?
- How will I track my progress?
One other key question to ask is: “Who can help me with my tasks when I’m in need of support?” Remember that you don’t have to spring clean alone — we all need help sometimes! And luckily, there are many ways to get the assistance that we need.
Asking for Help
While it can be tempting to try to power through difficult times alone, it’s not always the best plan. The reality is that we all need, and can benefit from, getting help from others!
Your support network for spring cleaning may include:
- Colleagues and supervisors at work
- Friends
- Family members
- Religious leaders
- A mental health professional
- Members of a support group you attend
- An Oasis Support Counselor
Some of these individuals can help you with practical matters like staying organized. Others can give you moral support simply by lending an ear when you’re feeling overwhelmed. All of these people can serve as your cheerleaders, to help you get moving whenever you’re feeling stuck.
Now that we know who we may call on for some extra help with holistic spring cleaning, let’s dive a little deeper to understand how we can use spring as a season of growth and restoration, inside and outside ourselves!
Tips for Cleaning Up Your Living Space and Workspaces
Here are a few tips for spring cleaning your living space and workspaces. As you read, remember that you need to create a cleaning schedule that works for your busy life.
If you have a full day to devote to cleaning, that’s great! If you can only spend 15 minutes making progress on a task each day, that’s perfectly fine, as well. Don’t push yourself past your limits, as you may get overwhelmed and want to throw in the towel.
Get Your Supplies Ready Before Starting
If you’re organizing emails, you’ll need your laptop. You also may want to grab a pair of anti-glare eyeglasses, if you plan to be sorting through emails for a while. If you’re cleaning your bathroom, you’ll need various disinfectants and gloves. You also may need a mop and a mask to protect yourself from inhaling harmful chemicals. Get it all together before you start, so that your momentum doesn’t get interrupted by needing to grab something to keep moving along with your task.
Create “Keep,” “Donate,” and “Toss” Piles
Gather all your items into one place in your home. Then, create three piles: “keep,” “donate,” and “toss.” Items you want to continue to use and/or that hold deep sentimental value can be put in the “keep” pile. Items that you no longer need or use, but are still in good condition, such as clothing or electronics, should be placed in the “donate” pile. Finally, anything that is no longer useful (e.g., expired food, old papers, etc.) should be put in the “toss” pile and thrown away or recycled.
Make Organizing or Cleaning a Game
Let’s face it, cleaning can be boring. To keep yourself motivated, try having some fun with it! Set a timer for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or even an hour, and see how much you can get done before the timer goes off. Or, if you’re cleaning with someone you’re living with, you may assign points for completing different tasks and see who can accumulate the most points by the end of the cleaning session. For example, vacuuming could be worth 5 points, cleaning the bathroom could be worth 10 points, and so on.
Organize Important Documents in Separate Folders
Create labeled folders (physical folders and/or virtual folders on your computer) and fill them with relevant materials. If you already have these folders, take some time to sort through documents that are already in them. Throw out or recycle the ones that you don’t need.
Declutter While You Clean
Cleaning and decluttering are two different activities that can be done together to create a more organized and enjoyable living space. Choose one area of your home to focus on at a time, such as your living room. Then, while you clean and disinfect, remember to declutter by getting rid of any items that you no longer need or want in that living space.
Break it Down
It’s important that you focus on one task at a time and create a detailed description for some of the bigger tasks on your to-do lists, so that you don’t get discouraged. For example, if you want to clean your kitchen, write out the individual activities that will help you to accomplish that task, in order of importance. Perhaps you write “clean kitchen,” followed by a bulleted list, like; “disinfect countertops, de-grease oven, clean out fridge, scrub microwave, and mop floor.” That way, you can check some tasks off your to-do list, which can help you to stay motivated to keep going!
Tips for Cleaning Up Your Personal Wellbeing
Here are a few ideas that you can try, to apply the concept of spring cleaning to your overall wellbeing.
Reflect on Where You Are
Before you can start cleaning/organizing your living space, you need to assess the current state that it’s in. The same thing is true when it comes to your wellbeing! Take time to think about how you are doing, mentally, emotionally, socially, and physically. Consider what is working well, what is not working well, and how you would like to improve. This will help you to determine what your wellbeing priorities are, as well as how you would like to move forward.
Use Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a practice that requires you to be fully present, in the moment, and it can help to reduce stress, increase feelings of calm, and improve your focus. Take time, each day, to practice mindfulness in little ways. For example, try paying attention to your senses, such as the taste of food or the feeling of the sun on your skin. If your mind wanders, that’s okay! Don’t beat yourself up – simply redirect your thoughts to the present moment.
Grow Your Gratitude
Expressing gratitude can be really good for your mental and physical health. So, give it a go! Tell someone that you appreciate them, write about people you appreciate in a journal, or just spend some quiet time reflecting on the good things in your life. You may just find that regularly practicing gratitude helps you to sleep better, feel more connected with others, and improve your happiness level!
Make Time for Stress Busters
Stress is a natural human experience. But if you don’t have healthy ways of dealing with stress, it can pile up and be bad news for your wellbeing. So, make sure that you take time, each day, to release and manage your worries. For example, you may listen to music, go for a walk, do a puzzle, talk to a loved one, watch a funny movie, go to a spa with a friend, and so on. Remember, it’s important to do these activities daily – not just when you’re feeling stressed. The key to successful stress management is taking preventative measures, not reactive ones!
Set Boundaries
Taking on too much can lead to feelings of exhaustion, anxiety, guilt, and even sadness. That’s why you need to learn to say “no” respectfully, when someone asks you to add something to your already overflowing plate. It may feel uncomfortable, at first, but it’s important that you don’t stretch yourself too thin. You also may set boundaries by implementing a strict work schedule and communicating your availability to others, or simply by telling your friends and family that you won’t be available to chat after 9PM, as you need to prepare your mind and body for rest.
Quiet Your Inner Critic
Your inner critic is that voice in your head that constantly points out your mistakes and tries to convince you that you are not good enough. Thankfully, you can make that voice quieter by creating and repeating positive affirmations to yourself, such as “I’ve got this,” “I am good enough,” “Mistakes are how we learn,” and so forth. Regularly repeating phrases like these can prevent your mind from spiraling and getting wrapped up in negative thinking.
The Importance of Maintenance
At home, have you ever put off doing dishes for a few days? If so, when you finally got around to cleaning them, you may have noticed that the dried food on the dishes required tons of elbow grease to remove. On top of that, you may have run out of room on your drying rack before you were done, and your hands probably turned into raisins from being in the water for too long. You may have thought to yourself, “I wish I hadn’t waited this long to clean up!”
When it comes to your wellbeing, if you wait too long to address your needs, even small health concerns can turn into a crisis. For example, that small cut on your arm that you got during your hike last week could turn into an infection, if you don’t put antibiotic ointment on it while it heals. Similarly, that feeling of anxiety that has been building for weeks could result in a full-blown panic attack, if you don’t take periodic steps to work through it.
This is why it’s so important to always be aware of what’s going on inside our living spaces and our minds and bodies. If we continually pay attention to what needs to be taken care of and address issues as soon as possible, we can avoid having big messes on our hands.
Celebrating Your Progress
It’s important that you don’t get down on yourself if you miss a self-imposed deadline or aren’t progressing as fast as you’d like on your to-do lists. Spring cleaning all areas of your life takes a lot of work, and it isn’t a linear process. You will face obstacles and setbacks, and that’s okay! Do your best to learn from your setbacks and identify adjustments that you need to make. Then, you can determine how you want to proceed.
Also, you shouldn’t wait to check an item off your to-do list to celebrate. The reality is, when it comes to your wellbeing checklist, you likely won’t be able to check some things off quickly. This is because committing to lifestyle changes that you want to put in place may take some time – but it’s worth the commitment to stay happy and healthy!
As such, anything that you consider to be an important “win” should be celebrated! You may celebrate by treating yourself to your favorite meal, or even just by taking a relaxing bubble bath. Whatever activity you choose, remember to keep it healthy and to avoid making a big mess that you have to clean up later.
By taking time to celebrate accomplishments, you may feel more appreciative of how far you’ve come and find the motivation you need to keep going!
Scholarly Sources
Cherry, K. (2020, February 17). 5 ways to refresh your mind. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/ways-to-spring-clean-your-brain-2795044
Cleveland Clinic. (2022, April 8). How spring cleaning is good for your health. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-spring-cleaning-isnt-just-good-for-your-home-but-your-mood-too/
Jefferson Center. (n.d.). Spring cleaning for your mental health. https://www.jcmh.org/spring-cleaning-for-your-mental-health/
Lifeline Connections. (2016, April 9). Spring cleaning for the mind. https://lifelineconnections.org/springcleaningforthemind/
Logan, A. (2022, December 6). Can expressing gratitude improve your mental, physical health? Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/can-expressing-gratitude-improve-health
Martins, J. (2022, November 27). 15 secrets for making a to-do list that actually works. Asana. https://asana.com/resources/make-better-to-do-lists
Reader’s Digest Editors. (2021, April 3). 10 golden rules of cleaning. Reader’s Digest. https://www.rd.com/article/10-golden-rules-of-cleaning/
