There is a feeling that comes with the beginning of Spring. A feeling of newness, hope, and revival. One which we feel deep down inside ourselves. It's hard to explain exactly what this feeling is, but there is no denying it is there.
It's a feeling that only comes after the cold, gloomy, dark time of the year which we call Winter. We have spent seemingly endless months battling arctic conditions. We have constantly been trying to feel warmth under countless layers and searching for light in a twilight zone of isolation. These two things, warmth, and light are two things essential to our existence. By the end of winter, we are exhausted from our search.
This is why we get the feeling we do from Spring. Seeing the snow melt, hearing the birds chirp and feeling the warmth of the sun on our skin, we see life creep back our world again. With the rebirth of life surrounding us, we feel happy, we feel inspired and we feel motivated. This feeling gives us a natural urge to bring renewal into our own lives. We don't want to watch just the world around us change and grow, we want to feel it happen to ourselves.
Many of us try to bring this rebirth into our lives by doing things such as getting our salt-stained car washed, throwing away things in our house we don't use anymore and planting flowers to grow in our gardens. While these are things which make us feel accomplished, we are still only spring cleaning our surroundings, but what about spring cleaning ourselves?
Just as much as the outside world has taken a beating during the frosty winter, individually, we have too. This is why spring cleaning ourselves is just as important as spring cleaning our surrounding environment. Many of us don't take the time to do this; however, cleaning our mindset is just as important. These are a few of my favorite ways to spring clean myself.
1. Set goals
We all have big dreams and aspirations. Most of the time, they cannot simply be reached in a matter of a few days, weeks or even months. However, the best way to achieve these goals is to break them down into smaller goals. Take time to create a list of these overarching goals, then decide what are you going to work on this spring. For example, if your goal is to lose 50 pounds, take the Spring to focus on the first 15. Completing small goals will keep you motivated to stay on track towards reaching your ultimate goal.
2. Take a self care day
Make a hair appointment, schedule a deep tissue massage, take a long, hot bubble bath, get a pedicure and a manicure… and do this all in the same day. Don't be afraid to splurge and treat yourself a bit. Winter has been hard, so let yourself be pampered. Self-care does wonders for our self-esteem and motivation, and we're going to need both in order to chase those new goals.
3. Detox
Winter tends to make sure we all go into some sort of a hibernation state. A few extra pounds find their way onto the scale, fresh produce becomes hard to find and it's easy to stop hitting the gym in order to avoid facing the cold. By the end of winter, it is normal to not feel so great about your health. So, start off spring with a good, cleansing detox. Let your body get rid of all of the icky substances and toxins it has stored over the winter.
4. Try something new
Chances are there is something you have always wanted to try. Use this time of inspiration to take something off of that list. Trying something new is a great way to reset our minds and let go of stress. This gives us the chance to turn our focus towards a completely new activity as well as discover something about ourselves we otherwise would have not found out.
5. Create a spring routine
We get more things done when we have a routine, however; routines don't allow for much variety in our daily life. Therefore, finding a balance is essential if we want to be both productive and have variety. We all have most likely fallen into daily habits over the winter. Spring is a great time to throw our winter routine out the window and create a new flow for ourselves. We need to get out of the rut we have dug ourselves into and use a new routine to bring positive energy into our days.
Spring is a great time to bring fresh ideas and energies into our lives. If we continue to live them as we did in the winter, we are not going to have a chance to blossom. We need to focus on keeping our mindsets adaptable to change in order to allow ourselves to grow and open new doors.
