Emotional Spring Cleaning: How to Kick off Spring with Healthy Habits
Emotional Spring Cleaning:
How to Kick Off Spring with Healthy Habits
By Logan Gray, Social Work Practicum Student
Spring is in the air — the sun is finally coming out, and it’s staying out longer. Seasonal changes, especially from winter to spring, can have a major impact on our mental health and motivation. Many people find that warmer weather comes with an increased drive to address things that may have fallen to the wayside during the winter. Cars get deep cleaned, old clothes are donated, and the pantry is rearranged. Spring cleaning our physical spaces is a social norm, but have you ever thought about emotional spring cleaning? Emotional spring cleaning can look like:
Letting go of stress
Allowing yourself to release unhelpful emotions and habits that may have built up over the cold winter months
Reflecting and journaling
Setting goals for this new season of growth
Signs You May Benefit From Emotional Spring Cleaning
After months of cold weather and decreased daylight, you may find yourself feeling drained, unmotivated, irritable, or experiencing an overall sense of unease. During the winter months, it’s common to unintentionally develop some unhelpful habits that may keep you feeling stuck, unfulfilled, and further away from your goals. Whether it looks like scrolling on your phone, consuming more news than you would have liked, or using overindulgence to self-soothe — emotional spring cleaning can help you reset and release these tendencies. Keep reading for some emotional spring cleaning strategies.
Three Steps to Reset
Step 1: Reflect & Reassess
Emotional spring cleaning should start with a reflection of how you are doing. This can be through journaling, or simply taking notes on your smartphone. Begin by asking yourself these questions:
What am I holding onto that isn’t serving me anymore?
Did I develop any habits or patterns over winter? If so, what are they? Do I want to keep them or change them?
What do I want to accomplish this spring? What can I reasonably accomplish?
Step 2: Brainstorm Your Refresh
Start by brainstorming small and healthy habit changes. Some examples may include: spending more time outside, increasing daily water intake, including more movement during the day, or engaging in mindfulness and grounding exercises.
Check out this website with free mindful guided meditations
Aim to create SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based). Create 2-3 goals that support improving your emotional and physical well-being.
SMART goals might sound like: “I will spend 10 minutes each day journaling.” or “I will go on a walk outside for 30 minutes 2-3 times a week.”
Try to avoid vague intentions like “Journal more” or “Start exercising.”
Step 3: Take Action
When beginning healthy habits, it’s important to use the habit loop.
First, start with a cue. This could look like setting a reminder on your smartphone, or laying your gym clothes out the night before your workout. Your cue might also be a feeling – like a sense of stress or overwhelm indicating that you need to take action.
Then you will participate in the chosen activity with consistency to imbed it into your routine. Remember that it can take several weeks to break old habits and form new ones, so be patient with yourself.
Lastly, you will end with a reward which gives your brain positive reinforcement to maintain this habit. Remember, the reward may also be the calmness you feel after doing an activity.
Main Takeaways
Now that it is getting warm outside, it’s time to leverage your increased motivation and get intentional. We discussed what emotional spring cleaning can look like: releasing unhelpful emotions and starting new goals for yourself. If you notice yourself feeling down right before spring comes, you can try to implement some of these strategies. Remember to show yourself grace for the habits you developed over the winter — they served a purpose for you at that time. Make changes at your own pace, and aim to prioritize patience and consistency over radical overnight changes.
