Is it Time to Spring Clean Your Mind?
SPRING is here. The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and it is time to shrug off the Winter blues. Most people use this time to do a spring clean of their house and their wardrobes, but have you considered doing a spring clean of your mind?
4 Steps to Spring Clean Your Mind
1. Clear your Negative Thoughts
Let’s face it; we all have negative thoughts at some stage about ourselves and about other people. Continuously having negative thoughts can make you unhappy, bring you down, and make you feel resentful – and it is not good for your overall health and wellbeing.
Just as throwing out unwanted things in your cupboards makes you feel better, clearing your mind of these negative thoughts will also allow you to think clearly and give you a renewed feeling of calm.
One method of doing this is to physically write down a negative thought on a piece of paper and throw it in the bin or shred it. According to a 2012 Ohio State University study, people who wrote down negative things about their bodies and then threw them away had a more positive self-image a few minutes later, compared to those who kept the papers with them. So, by treating your negative thoughts as trash rather than as treasure, you can make a positive shift toward better handling those thoughts.
2. Toxic Friends, Relatives and Relationships
Is it time to clear your life of those toxic friends, relatives, and relationships? It is much better to surround yourself with positive, happy people that lift you up rather than ones that bring you down.
Go through your contact list and reflect on each person and decide whether they are the type of people you want in your life going forward.
Spend your precious time with people that bring you joy, lift you up, encourage you and are there when you need them. They should put a spring in your emotional step!
3. Do a Digital Detox
It’s ironic, I know, that you are reading my blog using the internet and I am telling you to do a digital detox. But the thing is, we are being constantly bombarded on social media and TV with negative news. Try to limit or decrease the amount of time you are spending watching and listening to social media and other online channels. Even allocating an hour a day away from the screen and doing something more positive will make a huge difference. Do something that you love – read a book, play with your children, go for a walk and really take notice of nature at its finest – literally stop and smell the roses or just spend some time with YOU! Spend time “in the real world” and get to know who you are again.
4. Start New Habits or Improve Some Old Habits
Do you have some bad habits you would like to break, or do you want to start a new habit? For example, do you want to start exercising or eating healthier? It may seem a daunting task, but the easiest way is to start small and slowly build up.
If you want to eat healthier, focus on one meal (eg breakfast) and make that healthy and enjoyable. After a week or so, look at what you are eating for lunch and improve that. Same goes for exercising. If you currently don’t exercise, look at walking around your backyard or walking around the block. Do that every day until it gets easier and then slowly increase the distance.
Eating healthier and exercising more is not just great for your body, but also for your mind! Whatever habits you want to improve, set a goal, and then break these goals down into smaller goals. Don’t think too much about it – just get started and the rest will follow.
This Spring, I encourage you to not just spring clean your home and wardrobes, but also spring clean your mind. I guarantee you will feel happier and more energised. Try it – what have you got to lose?
If you need help with clearing your negative thoughts, setting goals and improving your mindset, email me at colleen@new.lifestylecounsellingservices.com.au and let me show you some easy and practical steps that will make positive changes to your life.