Spring Cleaning

Hello, Golden Divas!

Welcome to April! It’s that time of year again; to declutter some things in our lives. Although the calendar says it is officially Spring here in Chicago, it still feels like Winter. Hopefully, the weather will match the season shortly, and Spring will emerge.

So, with that being said, you know what that means? It’s time for our annual deep cleaning, and I’m not just talking about the house and garage!

Now, Divas, we know we use the term “Spring Cleaning” loosely, but it’s an actual practice (dating back centuries) with some specific mental and health benefits.

So, what is spring cleaning, and why do we do it?

Spring cleaning is the practice of thoroughly cleaning a house in the springtime. The method of spring cleaning is especially prevalent in climates with a cold winter. The most common usage of spring cleaning refers to the yearly act of cleaning a house from top to bottom, which would take place in the first warm days of the year, typically in spring, hence the name.

However, it has also become synonymous with any heavy-duty cleaning or organizing enterprise. A person who gets their affairs in order before an audit or inspection could be doing some spring cleaning.

Now, Golden Divas, for this post, Club Fifty will be talking about Spring Cleaning in other aspects of our lives, such as our mental health!

Golden Divas, we have to declutter the emotional baggage weighing on our minds and health if we’ve been feeling overwhelmed. But, first, I will like to share an article that I read in Vogue and Four Wellness to help you get back to a healthy you.

Here’s why your mental health needs spring cleaning too!

Imagine decluttering our mental and emotional space? Just as it can feel cathartic to dust and declutter your home, a mental spring cleaning can provide a sense of relief and an emotional boost.

What is mental spring cleaning, and why do we need it?

Vidhi Tamboli, counseling psychologist and co-founder of The Mood Space, likens the act of Spring cleaning our mental space to the urge that we feel about decluttering and cleaning our homes. “Research suggests that physically cleaning up messy spaces can lead to reduced stress and anxiety levels. So it stands to reason that engaging in physical and emotional spring cleaning can help you set new goals for yourself in terms of prioritizing different aspects of life,” she says.

Tamboli believes that engaging in spring cleaning for your mind is necessary because we often don’t notice the emotional baggage we are carrying from the past. She explains, “We are constantly consumed with multiple thoughts racing through our minds. With so many things to take care of, we often tend to push our mental needs to the back seat and give them the least priority. Over time, the thoughts start piling up, leading to increased stress, anxiety, emotional outbursts, and conflicts in relationships, among others.”

Opting for internal spring cleaning helps us recognize the emotional and mental clutter that we are clinging to.

How to conduct spring cleaning for your emotional health!

If you’ve been wondering whether you should indulge in mental spring cleaning, Tamboli would like to affirm that everyone is an ideal candidate, given the stresses of modern life. However, for those looking to pinpoint the areas of their mental health that could use some sprucing up, she suggests some guided prompts.

“Actively listen to your body and mind—what does it need? How are you feeling emotionally? How often do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed? Or do you feel the need to get busy and shut down uncomfortable thoughts? Take a moment to notice this and find consistent ways to engage in self-care,” advises the Mumbai-based counseling psychologist.

Here’s her handy blueprint for inviting some peace and calm to your inner space if you are hoping to get started.

Become aware of your emotions
We all feel anger, jealousy, frustration, and fear, among other emotions. By becoming aware of these emotions swirling in your mind, you can allow yourself to feel them, accept them and eventually free yourself from them.

Try writing a letter
If you have difficulty verbalizing what’s on your mind, writing a letter can serve as journaling. By penning down the uncomfortable thoughts, worries, and fears on paper, you can free them from within the confines of your mind.

Practicing gratitude
Contrary to toxic positivity, gratitude helps you acknowledge current challenges while also appreciating other blessings of life. Gratitude can be practiced in myriad ways in everyday life, whether it is penning a daily list of the things that you are thankful for or prioritizing positive relationships and healthy influences in your life.

Practicing mindfulness
The root cause of mental clutter is a host of anxiety, whether anchored by worries of the past or a fixation on the future. In this scenario, it becomes essential to practice mindfulness by allowing yourself to stay grounded in the present moment.

Examine your inner space
Self-care can look different for everyone, and a healthy place to begin is to identify the missing piece. What self-care habits can you engage in, including relaxation, reading, art, or gardening? How can you declutter your mental space and prioritize what you need? Ask yourself which positive influences you need in your life and which are the toxic relationships that it might be time to let go of.

The payoff for setting times aside—whether daily, weekly, or monthly—for decluttering your mental framework is that clean, organized feeling from within. “Think about how you’d feel when you clean up a messy corner of your room. Airing out the messy corners of your mind will usher in the sense of calm, growth, and newfound inspiration to act on the things you need to and get rid of things that are dragging you down,” she concludes.

Why Spring Cleaning Is Good for Your Health

Here are some health benefits of spring cleaning.
Though all this scrubbing, decluttering, and organizing may seem more like domestic housework than a wellness tip, spring cleaning has several health and wellness benefits:

Reduces allergens
Clean air helps support a robust immune system. In addition, deep cleaning and decluttering tend to reduce dust and allergens in your home—which, in turn, promotes cleaner air for you to breathe and reduces the harmful effects of accumulated dust and allergens (which contain household toxins). We also recommend these natural air purifiers to boost your indoor air quality.

Reduces stress
A cluttered home often causes anxiety and stress. (Though many people aren’t aware that some of our stress or anxiety comes from our environment, most can probably recognize that we tend to feel calmer and more at ease in cleaner, less-cluttered spaces.)

While cleaning (a repetitive, mindless task) can be therapeutic to some, the result of a clean and organized home is considered satisfying by most of us. Cleaning can even be used as a mindfulness practice if you’d like.

Increases focus & productivity
Decluttering and tidying up the home also declutter the brain (less visual clutter to sort through!)—which means your brain can focus more on whatever you choose for it to focus on. For example, many people find it easier to concentrate at work with a clean desk or easier to cook a nice dinner with a clean kitchen.

It saves time & money
Tidying up can also save you time (and money) looking for or replacing items lost in a messy or disorganized home.

Increases happiness & improves mood
The end goal of tidying up is a home full of items that spark joy. A clean, well-organized home can boost endorphins in the brain, increasing energy levels and making you feel happier and more content.

Encourages a healthier lifestyle
Cleaning your environment often leads to cleaning up other areas of your life: diet, sleep habits, or exercise. When we spend the time and energy to clean, declutter and organize our home thoughtfully, we prioritize ourselves, our health, and our well-being—an act that can inspire us elsewhere.

There you have it, Golden Divas, ‘Happy Spring Cleaning!”

Sources:
https://www.vogue.in/beauty/content/heres-why-your-mental-health-needs-spring-cleaning-too.
https://fourwellness.co/blog/why-spring-cleaning-is-good-for-your-health#:~:text=Health%20benefits%20of%20spring%20cleaning&text=Clean%20air%20helps%20support%20a,(which%20contain%20household%20toxins).