Your 2022 Spring Cleaning Toolkit
Who’s ready for spring?
The season where things bloom and grow and become new again. This year the first day of spring lands on Sunday March 20th. So, let’s talk about how to move through spring clean out to help you bloom for Summer!
The Hanger Reverse
In the land of changing seasons and old houses with small closets, clothes get switched over in the fall and the spring. (Take a little moment of gratitude if you have a large/walk in closet and don’t have to make the switch!) One of my favorite tools is ‘the hanger reversal’ to help with closet cleanouts!
The hanger reversal is done by reversing your hangers so the hook is facing out instead of in (see image).
No, I didn’t come up with this, I saw it on Pinterest a million years ago and have LOVED it since!! Ok, so, your hangers are reversed, now as you do laundry throughout the season and hang something back up turn the hanger to hang correctly, facing in. Once you get to the end of the season, no excuses or caveats, any item on a hanger that is still reversed gets donated, sold, or trashed depending on the state of the garment and the level of energy you have to manage sales. You kind of have to be ruthless! No trying things on, no ‘but I’ll wear it next year!’ If you have gone an entire season knowing that anything reversed goes and still have not worn it, it needs to go! For those who don’t switch their clothes seasonally you can do this by going through and reversing your hangers twice a year, you choose the dates.
When you pull all the items still reversed and switch out your wardrobe reverse the hangers again and start the process again!
But I’ll Wear/Use Those When
As you are cleaning out your clothes, accessories, etc… go through and anything that comes with a label of I’ll wear these when I lose the weight or I’ll wear this when my friends get married (no one is engaged) or I’ll wear this on my next job interview (you love your current job and never intend on leaving) or any other far off reason you can think of…GET RID OF IT!!!
Here’s the deal…
You’re great the way you are so make room for clothes that feel good NOW. And if you do want to lose weight and you do, let’s be real you are NOT gonna want to wear those old jeans! You will want new one’s that fit who you are now!
When your friends, cousins, whoever gets married or has any other occasion, you are not going to want to wear something you already have. It is well known that events are excuses to get new cute clothes. Say Bye-Bye to that dress/outfit!
Interviews…Business styles change and who knows the uniform for the next job you apply for may be yoga pants.
Like Elsa says “LET IT GOOOO!!”
Cleanse Yourself and Be Intentional
When was the last time you really luxuriated in your shower? Take time to slowly wash and condition your hair. Massaging your scalp like you’re at the salon. Feeling what every strand of hair feels like all the way to the ends. Try to focus all of your attention on the sensations you experience moving through this process with intention and focus.
Take time to shave anything that needs shaving. Slowly wash all the nooks and crannies. If this intentional touch leads you to an intimate moment with yourself, lean into it. Nothing like an orgasm to intentionally bring you into your body.
You can also, do something special that you don’t do often that requires you to sit and relax like a hair, face, or eye mask. Body scrubs and body masks can also be relaxing.
Clear Out the Mind Clutter
My favorite exercise to declutter the mind is called the “Morning Pages.” I learned about this technique in a book called The Artists Way. Although at times I use it a little bit differently.
The morning pages are an exercise of stream of consciousness writing. Every morning before getting out of bed you are supposed to write three pages of anything that comes into your head without judgment or editing. DO NOT check or correct spelling, grammar, or punctuation. JUST WRITE!
If at any point you are not thinking of anything you write simply ‘I don’t know what to write’ over and over until something comes into your head. Once you reach three pages you turn the page and don’t look back. What you write is not meant to be re-read. If you are tempted to re-read I usually suggest that you destroy the pages and dispose of them in some way.
From a clinical standpoint the action of writing creates a dual process connecting both sides of the brain allowing for more in-depth processing. Additionally, the processing out is not about what you have written but the result or the conclusion at which you arrive at the end of your writing.
There are three things I do differently when engaging with this exercise. First, I will write for three pages or 20 minutes whichever comes first. Second, I sometimes write for more the than 3 pages when it has been a while or I just have something big to process out. Finally, I am NOT a morning person so I almost never do it in the morning. You can really do it whenever you feel like you want or need to.
For spring cleaning, I would say try it every day for two weeks and see how it helps. Also, when I do it I typically use any journal or composition notebooks and when the book is fool I just toss (recycle) it.
De-Clutter Your Social Media/ Media Intake
This one is pretty simple!
Unfollow, Unfriend, Mute, Block, Delete!
Friends, Acquaintances, Influencers, Media Outlets, Apps, Etc…
Clear it out, clean it out in whatever way feels best and safest for you!
Re-Evaluate Goals
By now most (not all) New Year’s ‘Resolutions’ have dwindled or completely disappeared. Personally, I hate resolutions because it makes us feel like something is wrong and needs to be fixed or eliminated so all the better that they are gone! However, if you focus on goals they are more directed towards growth than eradication of parts of yourself.
Now is a great time to examine and re-evaluate current goals and/or develop new goals. If you are looking at goals already in place make a list of the actions you have already taken, those you are currently working on, and those that still need to happen.
Are you stuck on an action step? Then now is a good time to pause that action step and switch to another one that makes more sense for this moment. Another adjustment that can be made here is re-organizing the order of the action steps if needed.
Today, evaluate if the goals you have set still make sense for the direction you want to take. Do you still want that career you thought was your dream or has new growth shown you maybe it was close but not exactly right? Do you still want to go to the gym every day or have you found that outdoor movement feels better for you? You don’t have to abandon your goals but it is great to explore and be open to new ways of achieving them.
If you are interested in changing the way you set and keep focus on your goals check out our early blog on goal setting.
No matter how you choose to move through this seasonal change, whether you decide to do all, some or none of these suggestions, be intentional and present with how you move through it. Give yourself grace. Find joy and comfort in your greatness.