Spring Cleaning for the Mind

During the spring, many of us feel the need to clean our homes with annual spring cleaning. While clearing clutter is important, it is also important to do some "spring cleaning" in our mind and personal life. Here are some ideas for clearing internal clutter:

Use the external as a clue to where clearing is needed

Did you know that the clutter in our homes often correlates to internal areas that need uncluttering? For example, if we are uncomfortable with our appearance or worried about health, often clutter will appear in the kitchen or closet. If finances or debt is an area that needs attention, clutter will likely appear on our desks. Look around your house and office. Where is the most clutter? Ask yourself what might be going on internally that needs attention.

Shedding emotional weight

While people might start thinking about shedding physical pounds for summer, take a moment to shed any emotional weight, too. Do you have a group of good and positive people around you? Do you have any friends that are extremely negative? Reduce the time you are spending with negative people and increase your time with those who are positive and supportive. Take a moment this week to schedule lunch or coffee with someone who inspires you.

Check your energy level

How has your energy been the past 30 days? Do you have enough energy to match the tasks on your to-do list? If you are getting 7 hours of sleep and still lacking energy, there is likely an emotional culprit. Take a moment to list out your stressors and what is weighing you down. Make a proactive plan to deal with these issues. Energy is most often drained when we don't have options, hope, or know what to do next because we feel overwhelmed. Using Time Management skills or breaking down goals into small steps can help.

How is your balance?

Jot down your top 3 life priorities. Next, take a look at how you plan to spend this week. Have you scheduled time for your priorities? When what we do is different than what we value, we are more likely to feel fatigued or depressed. If your plan for the week is missing time for your life priorities, take action today by scheduling in time for your priorities.

What have you done for you lately?

When meeting the daily demands of others we often let our needs go unmet. Over the past month have you been taking regular time to rejuvenate your self? Even 5-10 minutes a day can do wonders. Remember that self-time isn't selfish, it is necessary in order to meet the demands of others at our 100% best.

Your Turn:

This week think through each of the 5 areas listed above. Spend at least one hour on "spring cleaning for the mind." You'll be amazed at how much better you will feel a week from today!

Brook Noel is the creator of the best-selling 70 Day Life Makeover Program for Women .. The Change Your Life Challenge. http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com
This program has helped thousands of women take control of their home, finances, relationships, clutter, time-managmenet and more.

She is the author of 19 books and maintains three free newsletters. The Daily Rush is devoted to quick and easy recipes; Good Morning! is a daily newsletter to get your day off to a great start and The Challenge Weekly offers a personal challenge for self-improvement each week. To sign up for these free newsletters please visit http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com/news.htm