Kamara Marsh

What comes to your mind when you hear those words … “spring house cleaning?” For me, I think of the very daunting task of going through my two-story home with seven attic areas trying to sort, purge and organize my belongings as well as remove cobwebs, wash walls/floors, do mini fix-it projects, and then go outside and rake and prepare my yard for gardening season. Needless to say, it can be a very overwhelming process for most.

However, for many, spring house cleaning can be simultaneously something to both dread and look forward to. A chance to declutter and start fresh. Multiple studies have shown the mental health benefits derived from cleaning and purging. This year, I challenge you to do some mental spring cleaning in addition to the traditional house cleaning that you may already be doing.

Psychology Today writer Jonathan Fader, Ph.D., in his article entitled “The Psychology of Spring Cleaning” suggests that spring house cleaning can also improve mood, decrease stress, and raise creativity. Even though the benefits of decluttering are clearly evident, the task can look like a mountain in front of us at times. So, here are a few suggestions for both decluttering your home and your mind this spring season.

First, start with the process of decluttering your house. Take time to make a plan before you begin. Create a system and apply strategies that have worked for you in the past, or you know work for other areas of your life. Are you the kind that needs to map out every detail? Or, do you just sketch out a rough overview and dive in? Whichever way you choose, pick what works best for you.

Now, that you’ve got a plan, document it so that you don’t miss anything. Create a to-do list that lays out every step of your plan. This also helps you have a visual of the progress you’ve made, and quite frankly, it feels good to check items off your list after you’ve completed them. I have my to-do list on a note on my phone. There are also apps you can download that help with this step.

Then, the purging can begin. Out with the old, to make room for the new! Decluttering and minimizing belongings is often some people’s least favorite part of this process. However, I find it refreshing when it’s done, and feel like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders after I do so. I sort by category and not location and group together like items. I ask myself whether I want to throw away, keep, or give away an item and I have piles created accordingly. This way can seem messier and disrupt your household for a while, but is more efficient in the end. There are multitudes of online tips and apps that will help you with the process of cleaning and organizing your home.

Your home aside, why don’t you also consider spring house cleaning your mind? It’s not only a good time to clean out the space you live in, but spring is a good time to tune-up your mental health. It helps to reconnect with your values, and maybe even reflect on and redefine them. It’s also a good time to evaluate and maybe even change your self-care habits and daily routine. Declutter what may be holding you back mentally. Here are a couple of suggestions to get you started with your spring mental health cleaning.

Stop engaging in critical self-talk. First, you need to become aware of what thoughts are triggering your “inner voice” and recognize whether they are healthy or unhealthy. Negative self-talk can lead to unhealthy behavioral reactions. For instance, if you’re thinking that you can’t make friends easily, you’re not likely to put yourself in situations where you’re able to make friends. It’s important to recognize when this is happening and learn how to reframe your thinking, in order to change your behaviors.

Practicing mindfulness, or simply put, training your mind to stay in the present, is a good way to identify your thoughts throughout the day. After you have done this, reframe the negative ones with positive ones as needed. So, if you catch yourself saying something like “I’m a failure,” instead, reframe this statement to something like “I tried my best and didn’t succeed, but can try again.” One might consider seeking the help of a mental health professional who can assist with the process of cognitive restructuring.

It’s important to reconnect with your values. Our values serve as a guide to our behaviors. We don’t automatically think about them from day to day, though. So, sometimes we need to take time to sit down and reflect on what we value most and whether or not our behaviors line up with our values. This is how we identify what areas of our lives may need to be changed. This is a very important part of setting and reaching goals.

Then, after you have figured out what needs to be changed and have set a goal to do so, you can begin your plan for carrying it out. However, it can be more challenging to maintain a habit than it is to begin a new one. One way to be successful at this is to tack your new habit onto an already existing one that you do regularly. I also strongly suggest that you refer to the article I wrote last month (“Transformed”) about developing healthy habits that expounds more upon this concept. There are also multiple habit tracker apps out there that can help with this.

In conclusion, the last and probably best tip that I can give you is to simplify, simplify, simplify. Get rid of things and habits that do not serve you any purpose and may even hinder your productivity and growth. A decluttered house and mind, in the end, can help you be the best version of you that you can be. When it comes down to it, isn’t that what we all are striving for?

Kamara Marsh is a Michigan-made Licensed Professional Counselor and award-winning artist from East Lansing now residing in Alpena, where she combines her gifts of art and healing to reach the world, one person at a time. She can be reached at kamaramarsh333@gmail.com.