This is a magical time of year that brings about the feeling of renewal. The freshness in the air makes you want to open all the windows and let the breeze blow through each room erasing the staleness of winter. The sight of trees budding and flowers blooming reminds us of growth and how much we have changed since we have last seen them. The sunshine calls us outside to feel the light on our faces and bask in the beauty all around us. This time of year, we are no strangers to wanting that feeling of renewal and freshness. We dive into our homes, into our cars and into our closets and we purge, we clean, and we refresh our surroundings.
What if we used the same idea of spring cleaning on ourselves? A time to refresh our soul. A time to give ourselves what we need to thrive whether it’s to listen or to heal, or to look at where we want real change in our lives.
The following are a few ideas to get you started on some Spring Cleaning for your Soul.
Let Go of Limiting Beliefs
Is there anything that you believe about your self or your life that isn’t serving you? Are there beliefs that you hold that actually limit you from being the best version of your self? Spring is a great time to clean out those old thoughts that are holding you back.
Let’s look at what you believe to be true about yourself. Grab a piece of paper and write down any beliefs you have about yourself that you want to let go of and title it “Old Beliefs”. Beliefs like “I am not worthy of a raise” or “I’ll never have the _______ that I want” “I have nothing going for me so I will never find love”. Now take out another piece of paper, on this sheet write the opposite of that belief, title this page “New Beliefs”. Write it in the way you want it to feel in your most amazing life and write it in present tense – as if it has already happened. “I am amazing at my job and I deserve this huge promotion and excellent raise” “I have an abundance of _________ that I want, my life is overflowing with it.” “I am stunning in every way and have called in the perfect partner for me.”
Now you have both beliefs in front of you. Take the page titled Old Beliefs and destroy it. Burn it, shred it, rip it into a million pieces, what ever makes you feel good. Mentally let go of these beliefs. Clean them out of your body and your mind. They do not serve you, they are not helping you, they are not protecting you. Let them go!
Your New Beliefs can stay. Have a look at these each day – focus on 1 or 2 if it’s easier but remind yourself that this is what you believe to be true about yourself. This is how your life will feel going forward.
Clean Up Your Sleep Routine
We all know now how important your sleep is for you. Getting a solid 7-8 hours a night will make the next day feel a lot better. Have a look at what might be stopping you from getting a good night’s rest.
Scrolling, Netflix, alcohol, caffeine? There are many things that can affect our sleep making the morning feel terrible and unproductive, and that feeling will set up the rest of your day. Not getting enough sleep or having our sleep interrupted can make the morning feel like it comes way too soon. If getting a better nights rest can make us feel better the next day, just think of how great that day will be. Try some of these tips for better sleep and a better tomorrow.
- Create a bedtime routine and keep it consistent – go to bed at the same time each night
- Avoid eating and drinking before bed
- Avoid caffeine after 4:00 or earlier if you are sensitive to caffeine
- Ensure the room is dark and comfortable
- Avoid screens and electronics at least 1 hour before bed
- Don’t keep electronics like screens, computers, and phones in your room at night
- Try a sleep meditation or Yoga Nidra practice before bed, it might be just what you need to nod off
Journal It Out
Start a journaling habit. Start by treating yourself to a new journal, it doesn’t have to be fancy it just has to speak to you and inspire you to open it. Pick a time of day that you can set aside for this daily. Maybe you have extra time in the morning, maybe before bed is a great time for you, just pick a time you don’t normally have other things booked or planned. Put this time in your calendar or set an alarm while you develop this habit.
Journaling can be a great way to organize and release thoughts and feelings, especially ones you might not normally voice or even realize. You can really clean out your mind by starting a daily practice. Sometimes it’s not until you reread the entry that you really see clearly what is there. Journaling can be as easy as picking up the book and writing whatever comes to mind each day. Or there are various prompts and techniques you can use to get your thoughts onto the page. Your entry could be inspired by your day, or an event that happened in the week. Or it can be focused on your goals and what you want for the future. A popular technique to get you started is called Stream of Consciousness Writing. Set an alarm for 5 minutes to start. When the timer starts you begin writing and you don’t take your pen off the page until the alarm goes off. Gradually you can increase the time, maybe writing for 10 minutes eventually. It’s a great way to connect with yourself and clear your mind.
Enjoy a Rejuvenating Treatment
Whether it’s acupuncture, massage or a facial, treat yourself to something that will make you feel rejuvenated. Something that will give your body a fresh feel from the outside in. Taking care of our physical bodies helps ease our mind and generates a feeling of self care. Perhaps you book and appointment with your Naturopath or Nutritionist to help get a program in place for the spring. Now is a great time to start! Maybe you try something new like learning about Breathwork or Heart Focused Breathing. Choose something that makes you feel like you are contributing to your overall health. Making this happen for ourselves is so important and we should all spend some time doing things that makes us feel cared for and valued.
Sweat It Out
Not only is getting a good sweat on amazing for our body and our skin but it also has many amazing effects on our mind and ultimately our wellbeing. This doesn’t have to be painful or exhausting, getting a good sweat on could be dancing around your living room, enjoying a fast-paced walk, or trying a new class. Sweating gets things moving in our bodies, helping to eliminate toxins, unclogs pores, get our heart pumping and gets our lymphatic system moving, just to name a few of its benefits.
You can also get your sweat on in a sauna. There are many studies boasting the amazing benefits of regular sauna use. It helps to detoxify your body, and reduce stress and promote relaxation for the mind. It will definitely help to clean out the body and mind, encouraging a real sense of wellbeing.
Review Your Habits
Do you have any habits that you don’t want to bring into the new season? Let’s start to look at those habits and see if we can replace them with new ones. For example, change scrolling before bed into reading before bed. Hitting the couch after dinner becomes taking a walk after meals.
If we are honest with ourselves, we know what habits we have that we truly want to change. Journal about it, write them down, make a list to see it on paper. Come up with some simple tweaks you can make to change that behaviour. This cleans up our routines and brings to light the things we do automatically which can help us bring in more of the behaviours we want to see in our lives.
Cleanse in Nature
Feel the fresh air – get out into the sunshine. Being outside helps us to feel peaceful and calm. We can take a moment and notice everyday things that are so powerful and beautiful. Take a look around you, notice the beauty everywhere. Whether its something big or small, just notice things that make you smile.
Nature is refreshing and inspiring and it makes us feel good, especially this time of year where new life is growing and sprouting all around. Whether you go for a walk in the trees, or near the water it doesn’t matter. Whatever feels good to you. If you don’t know what you like, trying is the best way to find out. Sit in the sun and feel the warmth on your skin or the fresh breeze whirl around you. Get outside and get connected to the season and to the earth and let it cleanse away the winter and act as the perfect transition to the summer ahead.
Feel Gratitude
There is no better way to start or end your day than by bringing in feelings of gratitude. In your journal or in your mind bring about the feeling of at least 3 things you are grateful for. Imagine how different your day might feel waking up with gratitude already on your mind. When your head hits the pillow at night reflect on what you were grateful for in your day. They can be little things, they don’t all have to be life altering. It can be as simple as your coffee being the perfect temperature or the small buds you saw emerging from the soil. Start a daily gratitude practice by making this routine consistent. When you think of the things that you are grateful for, really feel it. Notice in your body how happy these things make you feel. Maybe it will bring on a smile or make you laugh out loud but really feel how happy it makes you to feel grateful. What a beautiful way to begin or end you’re your day….Or both.
Making changes can be difficult, but when we implement changes like this consistently it can make a world of difference in how we experience our day to day lives. Whether you focus on one of these ideas or all of them, you are on your way to a fresh, new season full of potential and possibility. Perhaps you pick the ones that you feel would be easiest for you to integrate. Maybe you start them one at a time and develop a solid routine with each one. Or maybe you pick one or two that you think requires your attention immediately. One that speaks to you to be changed. Let’s clean out with the old ways of thinking and feeling and move into a new season of growth for the body, mind and soul.
Come visit Lakeside Natural Health Centre in Mississauga to learn how our highly trained Naturopathic Doctors are here to support you in all areas of your health journey.