Birds are singing, the sun is shining and the days are slowly getting longer. You know what time it is? Spring time! And what goes hand and hand with spring time? You got it! Spring cleaning!
While you may dread household chores, there are some great benefits to decluttering your physical spaces. According to one study, women who viewed their homes as clean, were less likely to be fatigued or depressed than those who described their homes as “cluttered.” Tidying up has also been proven to help people to be more focused, sleep better and lead healthier lifestyles.
We sometimes forget that, while it’s great to clean up our physical spaces, we can all benefit from decluttering areas of our lives that aren’t in front of our noses too. Here are six tips that can help with some mind, body and soul spring cleaning.
1. Get rid of mental clutter.
This is kind of a no brainer (or is it?) but it helps to remind ourselves that even our minds can get a little blogged down with too much clutter. Take time this spring to write down your most important goals, or even just your most pertinent “to-dos.” Organizing your thoughts in list form can be beneficial, allowing you to prioritize tasks and be more productive.
2. Stop self-doubt in its tracks.
Do you find yourself thinking such things as “I’m not good enough,” or “I can’t do it?” Do you tend to say no to things, beat yourself down or otherwise sell yourself short? Well stop it! Making the effort to rid yourself of self-doubt is one step towards clearing your mind and improving your mental health. Here at Olive Branch Therapy Group, we encourage doubting your own doubts, making small, brave choices and focusing on your strengths. If you’d like help in riding your mind of self-doubt, don’t hesitate to reach out.
3. Get rid of bad habits.
We know it’s tough to stop a harmful habit, but even getting rid of one, small bad habit can help you towards leading a healthier, cleaner lifestyle. Whether it’s something as serious as substance abuse or something smaller, like biting your nails, getting rid of harmful habits will decrease stress, oftentimes improve your mental and physical health and leave room for you to build good habits.
4. Say goodbye to toxic people in your life.
Sometimes we tend to hang on to friends, partners or family members that don’t have our best interests at heart. Removing yourself from these toxic relationships can boost your mental health. Surround yourself with the healthy relationships that you deserve. We’d love to help, either through our couples therapy or one-on-one.
5. Sweat a little.
Exercise does the body and mind good. You can even hit two birds with one stone by getting a good workout in while cleaning your living space. Flushing your system with endorphins with a bit of exercise helps reduce stress, lower anxiety and improve your overall mood.
6. Take advantage of counseling.
Therapy can be the ultimate opportunity for internal spring cleaning. Group therapy, couples counseling or individual therapy can be a great way to focus on difficulties and ways in which you can start improving your life. From learning techniques to combat bad habits to building better relationships, we pride ourselves at Olive Branch Therapy Group in helping you achieve your best life.
Contact us today or click here for more information on Individual Therapy.. And remember, a little tidying up can be good for the home, mind, body, and soul!
About The Author
Noreen Iqbal, LCSW is the Director and Therapist at the Olive Branch Therapy Group. Noreen works with young adults, adults, and couples. Noreen’s specialties include depression, anxiety, couples, and women’s issues. If you are interested in working with Noreen, contact us via email, phone or chat on our website.
