Spring Cleaning

Yesterday was the Spring equinox, heralding the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

And with it, I feel a pressing desire to unburden myself of what’s no longer serving me, shaking off the winter, and cleaning up the way that I take care of myself.

I have spoken about my personal rituals about self-care before, many times, but if you are interested in delving deeply into it, I recommend these posts…

• A Declaration in Self-Care
• Self-Care is Not A Punishment
• Tales From the Groundskeeper :: Real Self-Care

Because, today we are talking about self-care, but more importantly, we are talking about Spring cleaning our habits, our ways of being, and the actions that we take on the way to our dreams.

In Turning Pro, Stephen Pressfield states:

We can never free ourselves from habits. The human being is a creature of habit. But we can replace bad habits with good ones.

Stop for a moment. Look around yourself. Take a breath. Sink into your body. How do you feel?

How does your body feel? Do you feel exhausted or exhilarated? Do you feel vibrantly alive?

When was the last time you drank a glass of water?

When was the last time that you moved my body?

When was the last time that you worked on something that lit you up – something just for you?

Did you intentionally dress yourself in this outfit this morning? How does it feel on your skin?

Where might you feel tightness, discomfort, or that lingering bit of yep, I’ve been ignoring that?

Now, I want you to think about who you are – who you really are.

Who you really are, beneath your identity as a worker or mother or partner.

Who you really are, beneath the layers of rules that you’ve accumulated or the titles that you display.

Are you proud of your work?

Are you making space for play? Creativity?

Are you excited when you wake up in the morning?

Are you adventurous? Slow moving? Does your life reflect your needs and preferences?

When you look around your life, can you see yourself in it? In your closet? In your kitchen?

Resist overwhelm.

It can be troubling to notice where we might be misaligned with our lives. These are the places where we feel the itch, the yearning for more. These are the places that we constantly push to the back of our to do lists because simply thinking about them makes our heads spin. 

For this moment, know this: Your only job is to notice.

There is power in noticing. When we bring out attention to things that are out of whack, we subtly draw them into our consciousness for review and recalibration.

Allow yourself to notice your urge to shut your computer and go about your day.

Allow yourself to notice the questions that make you cringe.

Start small.

Resist the urge for a complete overhaul – especially if that is your pattern. Resist the urge to drown yourself in action steps and plans.

Start with one thing that you notice. 

Start with your essential self-care habits: Sleep, hydration, nourishment, movement and hygiene.

Choose one thing to prioritize – one thing that will allow you to pour more of yourself into your life this season. One thing that will rev your engine and stoke your fire, your energy for living. 

If you notice that those are looking pretty solid, move on to: Play, creativity, spirituality, right livelihood.

Where are you yearning to stretch? What is your next step? What have you been hovering on the precipice of?

Choose one thing to begin, today. 

Move forward like this, edging out habits and ways of being that no longer serve you.

Spring clean your life by making space for yourself to be yourself, by cultivating an external environment that is primed for your internal needs and desires.

Know this…

You are deserving of a brilliant, well-crafted, and intentional life. You are deserving of your best effort. You are deserving of the kind of beauty and wisdom that only you can know to bring to your life.

Trust yourself. Embrace the idea of experimentation. Be flexible with your plans.