5 Spaces You CAN’T Afford To Skip During Spring Cleaning
Hola out there!
Spring has FINALLY sprung, and I’m hoping that the weather gets the memo. Everyone likes to say that their state’s weather is crazy, not realizing that every state in their geographical area is basically the same. So, if you can experience all 4 seasons within a week in VA, you can experience the same weather in NC, TN, GA, etc. Your state isn’t special! [insert attitude and eye roll] ;)
Anywho, with spring’s arrival comes all types of emotions and energies and the need to clean, refresh, rid, and renew and maybe a host of other things personal to you that might not be intuitive to me. While physically cleansing your home is a must, don’t forget to also cleanse yourself, along with other aspects of your life that might be overlooked.
Take a look at the spring cleaning list of areas you might be neglecting and how you can add them to your spring cleaning project this year. Thank me later.
5 Spring Cleaning Spaces You ABSOLUTELY Shouldn’t Skip!
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
WORK SPACE. Your work space is another place that you spend quite a lot of time, and although you’re limited to what you can do here, it’s still worth tending to. Germs run high in communal spaces, so run a Clorox wipe across all surfaces. Declutter! Do you have any random or old papers, folders, or miscellanous items around your desk or in your office that have no real purpose other than to collect desk? If so - trash it! Other co-workers may want them, you can donate them, or if they are true treasures of the trash pile, just throw it away. Do you have a window nearby you can use to let some light in? Is there space for a small green plant? A brighter work space and greenery can contribute to lower rates of anxiousness and tension while at work, so you’re welcome! ;) On the contrary, if your workspace is bland as a rice cake, think about bringing in 1 or 2 pieces to add to the scenery. How about a picture of your dog or some type of college paraphernalia? Whatever will uplift you and bring happiness - bring it.
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VROOM VROOM. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels like I live in my car. Your car can be an extension of your house, so don’t forget to spruce it up too! Take out extra shoes, workout gear, and miscellaneous items (talking to myself on this one!) Tidy it up, and don’t neglect your trunk! What’s in there that you can donate, trash, or give away if it’s just taking up space? Then take out floor mats and sweep or vaccuum them. Vaccuum up any fall and winter residue (aka leaves and dirt), wipe down your vinyl, and run the car through a car wash. If you’re not afraid of some elbow grease, you can get this done in an hour or so for about $5-$10 at a local do-it-yourself car wash. I guarantee you’ll feel accomplished and a little uplifted riding around in a fresh space.
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HAIR, HAIR, HAIR! I’m a curly girl, so I do own a bin of hair products. I’m happy to say it’s not a collection, and it doesn’t rival the most dedicated curly girls out there (because remember, I’m a lazy natural), but it does need taming from time to time. Go through your hair products and do a binge - whatever you tried and didn’t like, didn’t work, or doesn’t work anymore - get rid of it. (Giving away to friends is a strong suggestion here!) And this isn’t an invitation to replace each item you remove, so practice self discipline, because Lord knows that can be sooo hard. Don’t forget to show some attention to your actual hair too! Do a deep cleanse to rid any product residue on your scalp. Do a deep condition. Switch up your style or try a temporary hair coloring wax. Maybe it’s as simple as freshly shampooing your hair, or maybe you want to splurge and do a Cinderella transformation. Whatever you do, spend responsibly and feel good!
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CLEANING PRODUCTS. If you’re anything like my man, you hoard cleaning products. There’s a product specific for cleaning shoes and washing tubs and getting rid of stains, etc. That makes for a lot of products that pile up and may not be used very often. According to Good Housekeeping, cleaning products have an expiration date! Take inventory of what’s been sitting around for too long and what you no longer need or want. Then get rid of them! You’ll feel less cluttered, fresher, and lighter! Also, be sure to keep your cleaning products in safe spaces if you have children or pets. Some cleaning products may also be toxic for them, so be mindful of that as well.
Photo by Clarke Sanders on Unsplash
YOURSELF! Duh. ;) I’m a HUGE advocate of taking care of yourself, and spring season is the perfect time to do a self inventory and deep cleanse. Just as the season suggests, it’s time for what has been hibernating to emerge and bloom.
Skin: With the weather finally starting to warm up a bit, try exfoliating with a body scrub to help slough off old, dry skin cells. Don’t forget to moisturize well to help your new smooth skin come to life! Also, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! You shoudn’t only be topically moisturizing your skin, but hydrating from the inside out with water is a must! Increase your water intake and watch everything else follow suite.
Mind: Are you being challenged? Are you learning new things or engaging with interesting people? Keeping your mind stimulated contributes to continued learning and growing. Add something to your plate - read a book, start listening to a new podcast, join a Meetup group. Alternatively, if you have too many obligations already, I challenge you to take a few away. Balance is difficult to maintain but possible. Also, if you’re unnecessarily pouring yourself into social media or over-stimulated by technology, cut it out! Try adding a timer to your apps so you can be more mindful of the time you’re spending. (Transparent moment: I struggle here!)
Emotions: Here it is, a doozy! Dump what’s not serving you! Whatever you carried into the new year that challenges your joy and peace of mind, trash it! Take up a journaling practice to 1) have a consistent way to release, and 2) see trends of things that might trigger you or bring you joy. I challenge you to have hard conversations that are way past due. Apologize to anyone who needs it, including yourself. And ultimately, release energies that aren’t actively contributing to your overall growth and happiness. Angry? Feeling sorry for yourself? Jealous? Sad? Make up your mind to live in a different frame of mind and move into your season. Your life is what you make it, my love, and you can make it anything.
Body: Move! Your body is like a car and does best with regular maintenance and movement. Find an activity that you love (or can at least tolerate) and commit to having a real good sweat session. This can be cathartic and can jumpstart your energy for the season. Maybe even try a new workout, like zumba or kickboxing. Physical activity not only keeps your heart and lungs healthy, it helps to relieve stress. To better connect your physical to your mental, try meditating and yoga. Yoga can be a great workout, but I promise, the more you do it, the more you’ll fall in love with what it can do for your life, and not just your body.
I hope you find this helpful and are reinvigorated to enjoy this beautiful season! If you’ve found this helpful or think someone else might like it, please share!
Also, if you check things off this list, snap a picture on social and tag me on Facebook or IG. I’d love to see how it works for you!
Thanks for reading and Happy Spring!
-seria.
Feature Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash