Spring Forward into The New Year: Some Tips for Mental Health Spring Cleaning
Spring is a time for new growth and new beginnings. As we watch the spring season unfold before our eyes, we typically start seeing neighbors, friends and family begin to spring clean their houses. What this usually consists of is opening up windows/doors to let fresh air in, cleaning out closets and creating more open space in houses. Basically, it’s a fresh start to the new season! With that said, what about spring cleaning for your mental health!? Below are 5 tips to help with mental health spring cleaning. Take a look and see if some are right for you!
1-Make a Schedule: Creating a schedule can help organize your thoughts and help you to be more productive throughout the day. Writing or typing your schedule into a calendar can help you to visually and mentally remember what you planned for the day. Additionally, you can set reminders on your phone to assist you with completing your desired tasks. Completing items on your calendar or your schedule can make you feel accomplished and good about yourself AND lead to a happy mindset!
2-Declutter: As I mentioned above, spring is the perfect time for decluttering! When we think of decluttering the first thing that might come to mind is clearing out space in a closet or organizing pictures in a photo book. What if we think of this word in terms of decluttering the mind? The first step in this process might be to consider things that no longer serve us mentally. For example, letting go and accepting the past and moving forward. Some great tips to help with decluttering the mind are journaling, painting, going on walks and talking with friends or family. These are just some ways to help with clearing your mind and allowing peace in. Can you think of ways you want to declutter your mind? If so, share them in session with your Simply Thrive Counselor.
3 Personal Priorities: What is important to you? Take a moment to ask yourself this question and then jot down your answers. Checking back in with yourself and reflecting on the things that you wrote down can serve as a reminder to you about your personal priorities for each day. Following your personal priorities each day can help provide you with feelings of accomplishments and self-worth. Making yourself a priority is a great way to honor your wants and needs.
4-Change your Perspective: Changing your perspective on a particular situation can be challenging. However, it is very helpful when you can’t change current circumstances but you can change your mindset about them. For example, you can ask yourself: What has this particular situation taught me and how can I learn from this? Treating certain situations as learning experiences can help you grow and learn from mistakes, because we all make them! Changing your perspective can also change the way you think over time.
5-Exercise & Health: Incorporating health and exercise into your daily route can benefit your overall well-being, especially your mental health. Exercising is a great stress reliever and is beneficial in reducing anxiety and depression. Additionally, incorporating a healthy diet is important for your mental health. Eating food that is rich in nutrients can help with brain functioning and development. Overall, having a balanced lifestyle between exercising and eating healthy is crucial for mind and body wellness.
Madison Reynolds
Mental Health Student Intern
