I have a friend who hates new year’s resolutions. Years ago, she told me that she never makes new year’s resolutions, she saved them for the spring. She explained to me that making resolutions in the middle of winter was ludicrous. Winter is a time for hibernating, being shut in, and eating nothing but comfort food. She would say, “Why would we want to make goals when we are hunkering down trying to stay warm and cozy? The timing is all wrong”. No, she believed the prime time for making resolutions was in the spring – she called it spring cleaning. At the same time we are cleaning out our closets, planting flowers, and deep cleaning our homes after being shut-in during the winter months, we should also “spring clean” our minds – begin to get our bodies in shape, read books that will educate and inspire us, and develop goals and plans for rest of the year. I always liked that thought and wondered if that’s why I was only successful with my new year’s resolutions for a short period of time. I began to focus on the spring cleaning idea and noticed that my brain did seem a little sharper, I was more creative and had more of a bounce to my step. My friend may have just been on to something.
Have you ever met a person that when you’ve seen their messy desk, you thought, “I wonder if their mind is messy too”? I’m that person. No, not the one wondering. I’m the one who has a messy desk and also has a messy mind. I tell everyone that if my desk is messy, you know I’m dealing with some stress in my life. If I can’t figure out solutions to problems, I am stressed about something or someone, or my mind is on a million different things, it will also be reflected by the mess on my desk. And although I know this about myself, I still can’t seem to break the habit. But once I straighten up my desk, file papers, and put all items in their proper place, I seem to magically be able to solve my personal issues…or at the very least, have a plan of action. Yet, I can’t be forced into cleaning the desk; it happens when I feel it. It’s almost as if I have to work through the problems mentally first and when I’m ready to handle it, I can clean my desk…and ultimately, deal with and/or solve my problems.
I believe that’s what my friend has in mind when she talks about spring cleaning. Spring is the time of new beginnings. Flowers start to bloom and tree branches get their leaves back. The weather warms up and we want to spend as much time as possible outside soaking up the sun. It’s as if we’ve awakened from a long, deep sleep. We are alert and ready to conquer the world. A perfect time to think about what we need to accomplish for the remainder of the year. Spring cleaning is the practice of thoroughly cleaning your house. In my friend’s mind, spring cleaning is a time to clear the cobwebs in your brain, organize your thoughts, and dust off your dreams.
When we spring clean our homes, decisions are made over what to keep and what to get rid of. And the same thing needs to happen when we spring clean our mental, emotional, and physical health. We need to determine if there are unhealthy habits we need to get rid of. Are there people in our lives that we need to separate from? Do we need to search for different employment? Are there scheduled events that we need to say “no” to? Is this the year we decide to simplify our lives? But just as important are the decisions of what to keep. What are the things in our life that sparks joy and what do we need to do to create more opportunities for fun?
If you are anything like me, there is something calming about decluttering a closet. And just as our closets can get cluttered with old clothes and shoes, our minds can get cluttered with stress, worry, depression, and anxiety. And all those things can sabotage the work of moving forward and succeeding in our spring resolutions. But it’s spring! So, that means we can declutter that negative energy and replace it by prioritizing what’s important to us, stop the self-criticism, and forgive ourselves and others in our lives. It’s important to do the actual work of spring cleaning by writing/journaling your goals, meditating and praying continually, and reading those books that provide entertainment and inspiration. Because it is easy to think we have decluttered, yet still have unresolved issues.
This has happened to me before. A few years ago, I went through my spring cleaning process and felt pretty good about my goals for the year. If you were to look at my desk, everything was neat and in order. My home was neat and in order…until you walked into my closet. It was a mess! But how could that be? How could every other aspect of my life be decluttered and my closet still a hot mess? After much contemplation, I realized there was a relationship that needed repairing, but I had been avoiding it during the winter while hibernating. And that can happen. We can get to a point where we think we’ve cleaned all the corners, but soon realize the dirt was just swept under the bed. And that is what I had done. Instead of tackling the issue, I put it in the back of my mind. But the thing is, those things in the back of our minds will always find their way to the front. And usually, it will come out at a time we least expect it. That is why we need to thoroughly clean ALL areas. And even if we don’t get everything organized exactly the way we want it, we can make small changes to move us forward. The spring cleaning ritual is a time of renewal. It’s not only a time to evaluate your professional life, set goals, and concentrate on your physical health. It’s also a time to explore what moves you on a spiritual level. It was during my spring cleaning season last year that I decided I wanted to write. It had been a dream of mine for a while, but I always found reasons why I couldn’t do it. It took me several months to declutter my brain from all the negative thoughts and embrace the possibility of something that could bring me joy. And just like spring cleaning our homes can create a more inviting space, spring cleaning our lives can energize our minds and create a more inviting space for our renewed spirit.