Spring cleaning usually conjures up images of tossing out old items, giving away clothes you no longer wear, and tidying up closets and drawers. But, spring cleaning doesn’t have to be limited to just your house… It’s a great time of year to kickstart a new health and wellness routine, de-clutter your mental state, renew your emotional well-being, and zen-ify your physical environment.
Whenever I feel stressed, I know it’s time to re-focus my awareness and find my “center” (this is a new-age term for feeling grounded). Meditation (the process of focusing your mind, being still, or just being in the present moment) is an age-old technique used to find inner peace, gain clarity, enable access to greater creativity, and renew one’s sense of purpose or direction. Some people like writing in a journal, others prefer to be quiet, or listen to tranquil music. Whichever your version of meditation, making the time on a daily basis (even if it’s only 15 minutes) to be in a “zen” like state will have a great impact on your overall sense of well-being, and improve your ability to handle daily stresses, without feeling as reactive or imbalanced.
To cleanse your body of unwanted toxins, caused by years of eating processed foods, increase your daily intake of organic, unrefined foods (such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts). This relieves your system of the need to break down food, which helps the excretion process. In addition, make sure you stay hydrated by drinking filtered water throughout the day.
Exercising (for 30-45 minutes) also helps your body’s ability to function well, as it gets your heart pumping, makes you sweat (a major form of toxic release) and engages your other vital organs. In addition to cardio, stretching and breathing not only calm your nerves, they help relax the muscles and create an overall sense of peace and well-being.
In your home, use green plants to increase oxygen and remove toxins from the air, open windows to ventilate rooms, and discard of chemical air refreshers or other chemical-based household cleaning products. Baking soda is a fantastic natural cleaning agent, which can be used to scrub tile showers.
If you can incorporate one or more of these methods into your daily routine, over several weeks, you’ll start to feel cleansed, renewed, and rejuvenated.
