Spring Cleaning Your Mental Health
Tips from a Maryland Anxiety Therapist
Have you ever felt like you wanted to remove your brain, give it a power wash, shake it dry and then gently reset your mind? Clutter free, vision clear, balance restored. Sounds pretty great!
Spring is approaching, the sun is out, the weather is warm. Maybe you are coming out of that winter slumber of sadness. Maybe you feel more motivated to reset. To become more of a participant in life rather than an observer.
My friends, we can’t power wash our brain, but we can do a spring cleaning for our mental health! Spring cleaning in the physical sense often involves an investment of time. It involves planning, organizing, prioritizing needs, and letting go of items. Getting into the nooks and crannies of every space and deep cleaning.
Clearing Space to Support Your Mental Health
What if we take that same approach of spring cleaning and apply it to our mental health? The goal is restoring balance. This often involves addressing imbalances we’ve gotten used to ignoring.
We can restore harmony both internally and externally. Have you ever heard the phrase, “CLUTTERED SPACE, CLUTTERED MIND”? It also works the other way around.
Research shows there is a strong connection between our external environment and our internal mental state. A clean and organized environment can reduce stress and anxiety, promote relaxation, and create a sense of accomplishment.
On the flip side, a balanced internal mental state improves overall well-being and life satisfaction. Restoring balance in one's life might involve finding harmony between work, relationships, leisure, and personal growth. This could include practicing mindfulness, setting boundaries, or prioritizing self-care.
Would you rather work from the inside out, or outside in?
Start with what you feel most inspired to do. Itching to organize that closet? Go for it! Then notice the boost it gives to your mental health. Feeling overwhelmed by the cleaning tasks? Start with one of the 5 internal zones below, and notice the decrease in your overwhelm.
5 Target Areas for a Mental Health Power Wash
Spring cleaning in the context of mental health involves a holistic approach to refreshing and rejuvenating various aspects of your life.
1. Emotional Wellness
Emotional wellness relates to the ability to express feelings, enjoy life, adjust to emotional challenges, and cope with stress and traumatic life experiences. Restoring balance in mental and emotional health requires addressing issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma.
This could involve therapy, support groups, self-care practices, and destigmatizing conversations around mental health. Spring cleaning can be a time to let go of items that hold negative emotional associations and bring in items that bring you peace. Tips:
Reflect on your emotions and journal/draw about any unresolved feelings or stressors.
Practice mindfulness or meditation to declutter your mind and promote emotional clarity.
Connect with loved ones and discuss any emotional concerns or issues.
Organize your behaviors by managing anger outbursts through increasing grounding exercises that restore balance and self-control.
2. Physical Wellness
Physical wellness involves the maintenance of a healthy body, good physical health habits, good nutrition and exercise, and obtaining appropriate health care. Restoring balance in physical health means stepping out of your comfort zone, trying something new and pushing past the fear of the unknown. During spring cleaning, you can declutter your living space to create an environment that promotes physical activity and healthy habits. Tips:
Schedule a check-up with your healthcare provider for a physical examination and any necessary screenings.
Take your prescribed medications as prescribed.
Regular physical activity and healthy nutrition increases your life expectancy by 10 years. It lowers the risk of several chronic conditions that increase with age including heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, certain cancers, and cognitive decline. Exercise also helps to lower anxiety and blood pressure, and improve sleep quality. Bottom line, the ultimate power wash for your brain and body.
3. Social Wellness
Social wellness embraces having relationships with friends, family, and the community, and having an interest in and concern for the needs of others and humankind. It emphasizes building and maintaining healthy relationships, fostering a sense of belonging, and contributing to a supportive community.
Restoring balance in relationships involves resolving conflicts, fostering communication and empathy, and establishing healthy boundaries. This might include couples therapy, family bonding, or learning conflict resolution techniques. As you clean and organize, consider how your living space can be more inviting for social gatherings or how you can connect with others while decluttering. Tips:
Evaluate your social circle and consider spending more time with positive influences.
Declutter your social media accounts by unfollowing accounts that don't contribute to your well-being.
Plan activities or gatherings with friends and family to strengthen your social connections.
4. Financial Wellness
Financial wellness involves the ability to have financial resources to meet practical needs, and a sense of control and knowledge about personal finances. It focuses on effectively managing finances, setting goals, and making informed decisions about money.
Money problems can affect your mental health. It’s not so much the amount of money you make, rather than how you manage your financial resources.
Restoring balance financially requires discipline, managing anxiety around money, and increasing awareness behind the “why” of your money habits to make positive changes. Use spring cleaning as an opportunity to review your budget, organize financial documents, and identify areas for saving or investing. Want to do this together with your partner? Try the Together Program. Tips:
Review your budget and expenses, identifying areas where you can save or cut back.
Declutter your finances by organizing paperwork, setting up automatic bill payments, and tracking spending.
Plan for future financial goals, such as saving for emergencies or retirements.
5. Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual wellness encompasses finding meaning and purpose in life, connecting with inner values, and nurturing a sense of peace, balance and harmony. Restoring balance in spirituality may involve finding quiet time to refill your cup, defining your values that give you a framework to live by or connecting with faith based communities. While cleaning and decluttering, create spaces that promote relaxation, reflection, and spiritual practices such as meditation or prayer. Tips:
Dedicate time for self-reflection and spiritual practices that resonate with you, such as prayer, meditation, or nature walks.
Declutter your spiritual space by removing distractions and creating a peaceful environment for reflection.
Engage in activities that nurture your soul and provide a sense of purpose and connection.
Overall, spring cleaning offers numerous benefits for both physical and mental well-being. By incorporating these dimensions of wellness into your spring cleaning routine, you can cultivate a more balanced and fulfilling life. Remember that wellness is an ongoing journey, so continue to prioritize self-care and well-being beyond the spring season.