Unconventional Spring Cleaning Ideas That Will Actually Improve Your Life
Spring is finally here.
The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming and everything feels just a little bit better. There's only one problem. With the sun shining longer and longer every day, you can't avoid the disastrous state you've allowed your life to fall into over the long winter months.
Thankfully, picking up your wintry mess is exactly what spring cleaning is for. But dusting your bookshelves and tossing out your old clothes isn't going to make that much of a difference.
If you focus your spring cleaning on self-care, however, you might see some positive changes. Keep scrolling for unconventional spring cleaning ideas that will actually improve your life.
1. A Follower Clean-Up
As much as we want to pretend that our time on social media doesn't really affect us, it does. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook—they're all an established part of daily life, so who you follow and don't follow can absolutely have an effect on your mood. This spring, start your cleaning by making a few changes to your follow list. Unfollow everyone who makes you feel jealous, anxious, bitter, insecure or resentful. Better yet, unfollow everyone who doesn't make you happy each and every time you see their posts. Instead of breeding negativity whenever you open your social media, your feed will be filled with people who bring you joy. It's a tiny change, but it can make a big difference.
(via Unsplash)
2. A Clutter Cleanse
Sometimes, spring cleaning your home can feel redundant and pointless. After all, it's just going to get messy again anyway. However, if your personal space has become so disastrous that just stepping foot in your room stresses you out, something needs to change. A haven that you can really relax in is so important for unwinding at the end of a long week, so cleaning your home can have a big effect on your daily mood.
However, vacuuming and piling your clothes into the laundry basket isn't a lasting change. Instead, we recommend a clutter cleanse. First, identify the ways that your space tends to get messy. Do you have loose pieces of homework paper lying around? Do you refuse to throw your plastic water bottles away in the kitchen? Then, instead of just picking things up every few weeks, find a way to organize your mess. Buy a recycling bin for your room. Purchase a set of folders to store your papers. Whatever problem you have, find a way to organize it that can end the clutter once and for all. When you feel relaxed in your space rather than stressed out about the built-up mess that never seems to go away, you'll be much more prepared to give your mind the rest it needs, free of any frustrating distractions.
3. A Priority Refresh
Sometimes, when we get overwhelmed by our responsibilities and commitments, we tend to lose sight of what's important. This spring, take a moment to reevaluate your priorities. Take stock of where you're spending your time, who's receiving your attention and where you energy is going. Your time should be spent nurturing relationships and activities that bring you joy. If you determine that unimportant things have slowly worked their way into too high of a position on your priority list, make some changes. Revamping your priority list can help you to examine your own thoughts and goals, and to spend your precious time pursuing only the things that make you happy, instead of wasting your energy on things that don't matter all that much.
(via Unsplash)
4. A Relationship Overhaul
This self-care spring cleaning tip is harder to commit to and definitely won't happen overnight. However, we happen to think it's worth it. While you're cleaning and organizing other areas of your life, it can be useful to examine some of your close relationships in the process. We recommend starting with a list of the ideal things you want to have in your friendships. It can be anything—it's just a matter of sitting down and examining what's important to you. Then, take a few moments to compare every relationship in your life to the criteria on the list. Determine where your friendships are falling short and how you can change your behavior to better align with what you want your close relationships to mimic.
Taking a magnifying glass to your relationships can be scary, as you're never quite sure what you'll find. However, it can also help you identify parts of your relationships that aren't bringing out the best in you, and subsequently determine if its worth the effort to fix those friendships, or if you might be better off without those people in your life. You are who you associate with, so taking the time to examine the people you give your energy to can have profound impacts on your overall well-being, both mentally and physically.
5. A Resentment Purge
Yet another self-care action that will take a bit of time and commitment, the resentment purge is all about letting go of old grudges that are holding you down. People make mistakes and it's okay to be upset with those who have hurt you, but holding onto that bitterness is only affecting you, not them. By clinging to hatred and resentment, you're filling your mind with negativity. This spring, take a moment to reflect on your old grudges. Try putting yourself in their shoes, and make an effort to understand where they were coming from. Then, think about what you're gaining from holding onto these negative feelings.
Chances are, there's not much to be gleaned from feeding those feelings of resentment. Although it will be difficult, try to put those bitter emotions to rest, once and for all. You don't have to rekindle relationships or even speak to those you have wronged you, but letting you of your grudges internally and moving forward can help cleanse your mind of resentful feelings that are only holding you down.
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