Spring cleaning is not just about your home

Drs. Kerri Ritchie & Caroline Gerin-Lajoie

We often think that spring cleaning is about "things". What we have accumulated over time. What we might not be using. What someone else could use. Decluttering can have many benefits, and space isn't just physical.

How do we make space and declutter our psychological lives? The goal is similar. It is to create the space to access what we need more simply and readily. To keep and prioritize what brings us joy and meaning.

Step 1: Let go of what is no longer serving you, maybe it is the "noise around " you, maybe it is what is holding you "down" or "back", maybe it is something else. As with physical decluttering we need to carve out time and space to take stock. Which means reflecting on what you are willing to let go.

Step 2: Review your priorities. What are your energy makers? What and/or who helps you to boost your mood? What motivates you? inspires you? Who or what calms you when you are stressed? What or who brings you peace or balance?

What takes your energy? We all have things we don't love, or maybe even don't like, but they are must dos. We also have things that we keep doing, that we do not like, and we don't have to continue. Maybe it is something you used to like and it has become a pattern or habit, but it is time to let it go. Maybe it is something that other people in your home or social circle like, and it is time to give yourself permission to stop participating in or decrease your participation. Maybe it is an activity or a friendship that is no longer working for you. Maybe it is a time investment that can be decreased - social media? doom scrolling? watching movies or reading books to completion when you really don't like the content.

Step 3: Experiment with different ways to reorganize your psychological space. Here are some different ideas to get you started. Put one or two items in your calendar for the next month that are important to you and for which you want to dedicate time and space. Try to add a couple of times without an activity to give yourself time for a check in, maybe a "do nothing time". Keep the space by writing out a not to do list to minimize doing things or saying yes to things out of habit. Try to take notice of the impact that people around you have on how you are doing. Try to connect as much as you can with people who "get you", and with whom you can be yourself.

Stepping into spring reminds us that regrowth, pruning, planting new seeds is part of a healthy eco-system. What will this look like for you?