Spring Cleaning for Mind, Body and Soul

I love the coziness that comes with the warmth of a cup of hot chocolate and the crackling of a fire during the winter season. I also look forward to the periodic rain showers of spring and increasing amounts of daylight that signal renewal and rebirth.  

This time of year is also a time to reflect on life’s lessons, appreciate what we have and make room for the blessings we are sure to receive. Purging our physical environment and organizing our physical space welcomes new beginnings and new opportunities, and helps remove the clutter from our minds, bodies and spirits. Imagine how you feel walking into a chaotic and disorganized space. Now, imagine stepping into an environment where everything is in its place, it's neat, clean and orderly. Your body reacts differently and the Universe responds accordingly.

Now, with two toddlers and a busy schedule, I’ve accumulated quite a bit of clutter. Although some good music and a glass of wine makes the process of tidying up more enjoyable, there are a few things that I do decrease my feelings of overwhelming frustration and borderline anxiety when I prepare to combat the clutter. The following is what has worked for me:

Assess the Situation
Go into every space and take mental note of what needs to be done. If needed, begin to come to terms with what needs to be released. This is also the time to get any materials you’ll need: contractor bags, storage containers, drawer dividers, cleaning supplies, etc.

Section Off Space
I like to mentally section off each room so that I don’t become overwhelmed when clutter is at level 10. It may be a corner, a table or a drawer, but once it’s clean there is an instant feeling of accomplishment and relief. Note: Once a section is cleared, anything that enters that space must have a home. Re-cluttering is not allowed. This will prevent you from shuffling clutter from one place to another which leads down a path to nowhere.

Practice the One-Year Rule
If you haven’t used it, worn it or read it within the last year (two years if you have attachment issues) get rid of it. Unless it’s great-grandmother’s heirloom wedding ring, it can be replaced, if needed.

Be a Blessing
I love going through clothes, toys and household items with the intention of enriching someone else’s life. If things are in good condition and if I would love to receive it, I place it in my donate pile which is usually a bag or box (or several). We all have things that we no longer use or need that could be so useful for someone else. For me, giving to others, I'm sure, raises my serotonin levels because I gain so much joy making other people happy. In addition, being a blessing to others allows for blessings to come back to you 10 fold. One year, I donated about 30 of my business suits to make way for a new job opportunity and it worked!

Give Back to Mother Earth
Do you have a pile of old magazines, a stack of catalogs that you occasionally peruse, or paperback books that you haven’t read in years that now have pages that have turned yellow? Recycle them!

Trade Your Treasures
From time to time, I get together with my sister circle for a Purse Party. Over good food and drinks, we talk, laugh and exchange our treasures (not just purses) that we no longer use, need or pique our interest. If you have clothes, accessories, household items, etc., to trade, have a Barter Bash.

Set Up for Success
Part of why I accumulate clutter is that my spaces lack the structure for organization. This lack of structure results in me having 5 junk drawers and socks that don’t have proper mates. With the help of drawers dividers, labels and reshaped habits, everything has its place.

Ceremony
This is my favorite part of spring cleaning – the time when I ceremoniously release old energy, thank God for my blessings and ask to be guided in new directions. I usually soak in a nice, warm aromatic bath, play my favorite spa music, burn a clearing candle and, of course, have a glass of wine!  

Spirit needs space to impart all that is new and wonderful upon you. So, a little spring tidying - mind clearing, body cleansing and soul freeing - goes a long way in walking through doors of opportunity that are sure to open.

How will you cleanse, clear and renew this season?