Spring Cleaning–Mind, Body and Spirit

Spring Cleaning–Body, Mind and Spirit

The sunlight streams in through the windows a little earlier these days. The songbirds now greet our rising instead of the cold, quiet darkness of months past. The bulbs are bursting forth in reds, pinks, peaches and yellows, and that wonderful, soft yellow-green of new growth is  spreading over the wearisome browns and tans.

It’s Spring! The long-awaited time of renewal has finally arrived, and it calls us out. On all levels we are invited to clear away that which is withered, stagnant, or no longer serving us, and to foster that vibrant new growth within. Now is the perfect time for spring cleaning of the body, mind and spirit.

But how do we crawl into the back closets and clean the clutter of our heads and hearts so that we can be renewed? What’s really important in our lives? Here are some tips that should bring some inspiration, and if you want to get really serious about it, why not grab a pad and pen and make some notes as you read?

 BODY

Start with the body–that’s the easiest part. What do you need to do to take care of yourself better? Are you getting enough exercise? Perhaps you could combine some good stretching with watching the morning news. How about a daily walk? You know, that is considered one of the best forms of exercise available, and it’s certainly cheep!

Have you thought about breathing? That is one of the primary ways we eliminate toxins from our bodies, and there many breathing exercises you can learn. Here’s a simple one: as you are walking, just inhale for three (or four) steps, then exhale for the same or different number of steps. Another way to eliminate toxins is drinking plenty of water. There is a book called, You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty. The title says it all.

How about food? Perhaps it is time to get rid of the heavy meat, dairy, fried, and artificial elements of your diet. You can develop or disengage a taste for almost anything. There’s no better time than Spring to discover how many delightful variations of salad there are, and to recognize how fried foods make you feel.

Have you been pampering yourself enough? Massage, yoga, mineral baths, dancing and sports are only a few of the many natural, healthy ways to relax and treat yourself at the same time.

MIND

As we discussed in the last issue, where we actually live is in our perceptions, thoughts and beliefs. So it is the back of the closet of our minds where the real cleaning occurs. What’s the hidden baggage we’ve been carrying and how can we lighten our loads?

There are three corners where we can find hints to this part of our Spring cleaning. The first is to utilize self-criticism to assess the need for growth instead of for guilt and self-deprecation. And, once our assessment has been made, we need to put it aside in favor of a real and practical game-plan. How have you been being hard on yourself, and how might you go about making the changes you want with true compassion for your own being?

The second corner for mental and emotional cleaning is our negative thoughts. We must become adamant about consistently replacing them with loving and supportive thoughts until the more affirming beliefs become our truth. Have you told yourself you “can’t” get a good job, or that “no one” likes you, that you’re “a wimp,” or that you “don’t have enough?” Change the thoughts and in time your experience will begin to match. Be persistent changing those old thoughts; scrub them down and let the new ones shine in your life. You CAN do it, and you ARE lovable, and you are filled with POWER AND ABILITY, and you can CREATE what you need!

The third, and least accessible, corner of our mental/emotional closet is the subconscious– the part we don’t want to know about. This is where the cobwebs and spiders live, and we could put it off until next spring (again) or we could finally go for it. But how? After all, it’s the hardest part of spring cleaning. With a little courage, we can get information about how to clean what’s hidden by paying attention to what we resist–especially repeated feedback from others and repeated challenges in life. Friends, self-help books, psychotherapy and workshops are also effective and sometimes easier resources. What is hard for you to face and how can you get to the back of the closet? If you are serious about getting an answer, then set up a game plan and put it into action now.

 SPIRIT

Since we all have varying ideas about religion, we won’t address our differences here in our Spring cleaning, but rather those elements of spirituality that we hold in common. What can we do  to weed out our spiritual beds, and then plant them with love, forgiveness, patience, humility, and kindness?

The biggest weeds are those which would make us want to be separate from or superior to another. When we accept our own shortcomings, we no longer need to prove ourselves by always winning and being right. Then we naturally also have more tolerance for others’ weaknesses.

We can overcome impatience with a few deep breaths before we speak. Who would you like to practice patience with? We can weed out anger and fear while practicing forgiveness by doing two things: 1) setting clear boundaries and taking responsibility for them, and 2) by listening very carefully to another person’s perspective, pretending that we are that person and attempting to understand on a very deep level. Is there someone whose shoes you would be willing to walk in for a short time?

We can remove misunderstandings by persevering in our communications. When is the last time you visited your grandmother, or told your son you love him? Sometimes communicating our most tender feelings for another can change a whole relationship.  And we can plant love by practicing in many, many small ways, to put kindness and other’s feelings as a priority in our lives. Maybe set yourself a goal of one random act of kindness per day.

Ah, it’s feeling so clean and spring-like already!

Now, a final note about our Spring cleaning: Pay attention to that still small voice within. Our intuition is that which connects body, mind, and spirit. It will help us shortcut all the hard work and turn all of this cleaning into fun. It is our best friend and most helpful companion in this wonderful time of renewal and rejuvenation.