Alas, Spring is upon us (at least if you’re in the northern hemisphere). The weather’s clearing up, the birds are chirping, and if you have seasonal affective depression, the clouds are also dispersing in your brain.
Spring is a wonderful time to shed our winter drearies, and to hit the reset button—first starting with daylight savings, and then our routine.
Here are five ways to clean up your life, free up mental space, and recharge for the Spring.
1. 💌 Do a Social Media/Contact Clean
Have you ever browsed through your feed and wondered—why do I follow this person or this company again? We can follow certain people for a season, and it’s also perfectly okay to unfollow them at any time when you no longer feel aligned with that person’s message (or, in this case, photo). Social media can be a breeding ground for comparison. You do not need to regularly submerge yourself in content that doesn’t make you feel good about yourself. Period. Social media is entertainment. Follow people you genuinely connect with, feel inspired by..etc.
The same goes for social networking websites like LinkedIn (my personal favourite channel). Sometimes I’ll batch follow people for work purposes but then end up feeling exhausted by all the people I added in which I have no relationship with. These empty connections end up feeling like deadweight to me. This is why I will manually go through my following/follower list sporadically to clean out the contacts I don’t foresee having a genuine connection with. This creates more space on my feed for the people I genuinely enjoy seeing content from and want to form deeper connections with.
2.🧹 Do a Home Deep Clean
Nothing feels better than knowing your home is scrubbed clean from end to end. Yes, that means that bathroom cabinet stacked with an assortment of trinkets and that corner closet space that’s been untouched for months. Maintenance cleaning is done every few days or weekly to keep the place tidy. Deep cleaning is when you slowly get to every corner of your home to ensure there’s no dirt, grime, or clutter.
This might mean doing a closet detox— donating or selling clothes you no longer wear.
Doing a really good kitchen clean— reorganizing your cabinets, throwing out old pantry items, cleaning your coffee machines and the walls.
Whenever I have clarity in my environment, I have more clarity in mind for better, productive work. Spring is perfect for letting out the dust and doing a solid sweep-through.
3.💸 Do a Financial Audit
With more vacations on the radar, does your credit card bill look higher than usual?
As the weather improves, it’s expected that we will spend more time on #patioszn or just out and about with more social activities.
The spring quarter is a great time to do a little financial audit (and it’s tax season too!) before you start booking all the flights for the Summer.
To learn how to do a quick, personal financial audit, check out this post here.
After doing an income-expenditure analysis, as I discussed previously, I always feel more clear and reassured. It also can give you insights into where you can improve and what you need to do to get there.
Remember, gaining control of your personal finances is self-empowerment.
4.🍎Hit the Reset on Nutrition
Winter comes with its own plethora of cravings. We desire hotter, spicier, sweeter, and more comforting foods. Cooked greens, grains, stews, soups, mac and cheese…you get the memo. Now that it’s getting warmer, our palette might turn towards lighter foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, smoothies/bowls, tangy dressings and vinaigrettes..etc.
Be generous with including electrolytes and minerals in your diet, especially if you anticipate more activity outdoors.
If you’ve found yourself lacking nutritious foods in your diet recently, it can be a great time to reset and map out how to include more variety and sustenance. As I mentioned in my “Confessions of March” post, I felt unwell, partially because I wasn’t eating enough. My goal for the month was to incorporate more greens and vitamins into my diet. I also recently got a blood test and am awaiting those results to see if I’m deficient in anything.
Take yourself on a Whole Foods or vitamin shoppe date. I love shopping for good deals at Wholefoods or Body Energy Club, on occasion. I usually get enough to last me a couple of months.
5.🧠 Mental Check-up
The first quarter of the year can be bustling. Everyone has high expectations and likely low budgets, considering the current economy. You can feel like you’re running on a thin line, and this stress can accumulate during the winter. People also tend to be less active in the winter, thus weakening their immune systems.
We can often ‘forget ourselves’ in this season, just trying to charge ahead. Spring can be a good time to slow down, reflect, and listen to our bodies.
Recently, I started going to a chiropractor and have found it to be quite effective. I started because minor parts of my body are giving in—my left wrist has a slight tendon inflammation (making it hard to pick things up), and my right lower back is very inflamed and jammed. Although I know these are physical signs, it’s also been affecting me mentally. Feeling “unwell” has made me reconsider how I am and what areas I need to improve. I’m also in the process of finding a new therapist, not because my current one is bad, but simply because I feel like I’m at another stage that requires deeper work or a different perspective.
Everything is interconnected—your physical health, mental health, your gut health, and your brain health. If one of those things starts giving, we need to slow down and heal that part, so we can expect the other parts to perform well synchronously.
And with that, I wish you the most pleasant and vibrant Spring 2023 🌷
Secret Prose 
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