"Spring Cleaning" seems to be a tradition that runs through many cultures in the world.
For many of us, we associate the term with things like "tidying up the garage" and quite literally airing out our houses and giving them a thorough cleaning.
Spring Cleaning Makes Sense...
From a pure logistics and environmental standpoint, it makes sense: The outside temperatures are typically getting warmer, so opening the windows and airing things out seems more feasible, as the inside temperature is less likely to drop to bloody freezing in a matter of seconds. In addition, the days are getting longer, and with more daylight hours... well, we're more likely to notice that there's dust on stuff and cobwebs in the corners.
But beyond that, with additional daylight we also tend to feel lighter. I don't know all the science behind it, but I do know that our bodies produce more melatonin when it's darker — aka winter — and melatonin makes us sleepy... which is why you can buy it at your local health food store as a sleep remedy.
With more light, we feel less inclined to want to take a nap and hibernate.
Of course, outside, things start growing again... lately, I've been cleaning up a lot of yard debris from winter storms. And there is the 10% of the dead leaves that didn't quite get raked in the fall. A couple of weeks ago, Mrs. Denmarkguy had the shopvac out to clean the ceiling and soffits surrounding our back patio... lots of cobwebs, dead bugs and other such stuff.
But why do we also tidy up and declutter at this time of the year?
My guess is that it's because (historically speaking) we would get rid of remnants and used containers, with an eye towards a new growing season and then a harvest on the horizon, which would be brought in.
So the shelves and store rooms would need to be made ready, and all the storage containers cleaned.
I know I am tidying up the stocks of my artwork for a coming "show season," and this is also the time of the year when I generally start creating more new work... and I want to know what I already have, for when I start "marrying" the old with the new.
The preceding was actually just a long preamble leading to some thoughts about springtime as the time to clean and declutter our MINDS.
What got me started down this road was actually the simple act of cleaning the windows in my home office, which overlook the back yard. Our resident quail family came walking by and I wanted to take some pictures of them... and realized that I was "looking out at the world" through a gray haze of grime on the windows. That's a normal part of winter... even though the 10 feet of pavement outside is covered by our upstairs deck, strong winds easily blow dirt, rain and snow onto the window when it gets stormy. And it has been stormy a lot this past winter.
So I cleaned the windows, and now I can see clearly!
Clearing the MIND of Old Clutter!
Then I got to thinking about the "dust and clutter" we tend to hang onto in our minds. And how we often recognize that we need to let go of it, but there never seems to be a "right time."
And it's actually somewhat counterproductive to set that mental house cleaning up as a New Year's Resolution because the New Year (at least here in the northern hemisphere) falls during the darkest and coldest part of the year when our physiology actually feels the least inclined to take on "projects."
Small wonder so many New Year's Resolutions fail miserably!
"Mental spring cleaning" is a good thing, though... and it's not just "in your imagination."
Mrs. Denmarkguy always gets a distinct uptick in counseling clients by the middle of April, and it generally lasts through June... and (because she tracks these things!) these sessions are often characterized by people who are seeking guidance because they "feel ready to let go" of something in their minds that really isn't serving them, any longer.
We tend to think of things like "clutter" and "hoarding" as something that takes place in physical space," but it can also very much be an issue in our mental and emotional spaces.
How so? Have you ever hung onto plans, dreams and ideas long after their relevance had passed? We don't tend to think about it, but our brains do operate somewhat like the memories and hard drives on our computers... and when you get "cluttered" by "having too many tabs open" your ability to focus on what matters most tends to decrease. And that's when many people start saying things like "I feel stuck..."
Using "Ritual" to Clear the Mind
A good spring cleaning of the mind... and letting go of things we don't need to worry about anymore can be very effective and helpful.
"Easier said than done!" some might say.
Fair enough. Some people seem remarkably capable of just releasing mental clutter... for others, it's a struggle.
One of the things I have periodically done over the years is taking the time to actually sit down and write out some thing I really needed to let go of — on a piece of paper, which really forced me to focus on it — and then I would put the piece of paper into an envelope, and take it outside and burn it. Yes, that's just "psychological trickery," but sometimes we benefit from turning the mental house cleaning into an actual ritual.
Anyway... cleaning the windows of their grimy haze also brought me in touch with some "mental baggage" I recognized that I needed to clear out... so that's next on the list!
What sorts of things? Promises we make to ourselves about "one day I'll get around to do" something... and after a while it becomes painfully obvious that there will never be time to take on that thing, and it may even have become irrelevant! So.. why not let it go?
It's surprising how it can "lighten" our mental burdens...
Thanks for reading, and have a great remainder of your day!
How about YOU? Have you done any spring cleaning, this year? Have you ever considered spring cleaning for the mind and spirit? Is there anything you would benefit from "letting go of?" Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 20220426 16:37 PDT
0563/1809