“Spring cleaning is a chance to hit the reset button on your life.” Author unknown
The phrase “spring cleaning” may make you feel fresh and invigorated by the thought of cleaning something that’s been bugging you. Or, the thought of spring cleaning may turn you off entirely and feel like a heavy burden or another stressful disappointment waiting to happen.
If you keep your expectations realistic you can find yourself more inspired to tackle cleaning your home, office, car or whatever else happens to strike your fancy.
Spring is a perfect time of year to purge things like unnecessary papers, unworn clothing and the vague “too much stuff” sort of phenomenon that tends to develop in homes over time.
Peter Walsh, a professional organizer with a TV series titled Space Invaders states, “Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a dreaded list of chores. It can be a rewarding experience that helps provide some structure and organization in your life.”
Walsh’s website defines clutter as “anything that stands in the way of people living their best lives.” This is a great definition of clutter because it is free from guilt-ridden insinuations that we are messy, lazy, not organized enough or not efficient enough.
Instead of feeling like clutter is on top of us, it is helpful to simply see it as being in our way. Then, all we need to do is move it, not conquer it. Clutter is not alive, but we are. Having to conquer clutter feels too much like a war and wars are always a lot of work, not to mention the risks involved in losing a war.
Struggling and fighting just tire us out even if we do win a battle or two. Instead, we can think of ourselves like a peaceful king or queen serenely and steadily putting our affairs back into the state of order that we like them to be in.
Are there ways we can make spring cleaning fun? Upbeat music can help. If we can find a cleaning buddy or two they can be great company and hopefully even be helpful. Maybe you have a friend you can partner up with who can help you let go of things you might not otherwise?
The most important type of spring cleaning isn’t done indoors or outdoors but inside our own minds. Maybe there’s a smelly grudge you can throw out and be free from? Is there a heavy internal belief or toxic thought pattern that just doesn’t do good things for your mood or well-being? Is there a habit or lack thereof that is taking its toll on your health?
These are the sorts of things that are just perfect junk to get rid of. The best part is, throwing these things away is both free and freeing!
“All things seem possible in May.”
Edwin Way Teale
