Welcome to the spring edition of our wellbeing series. In each edition, we would like to bring you some helpful hints and tips on caring for your health and wellbeing.
Spring is here! The nights are getting lighter, the temperature is getting warmer, the sun is coming out more frequently. The season lifts the mood and gets us ready for summer. After a long winter, we can finally open those windows, open the doors, and let the fresh air and sunlight in without getting frostbite! All these factors help to make spring the perfect time to air out our homes, clean out the grime that has built up over the winter and make a fresh, clean start.
Spring clean is a good start to the season, a tradition that has been around since the Victorian times in Britain. At that time, homes were heated and lit with coal and oil which would leave a sooty layer on the windows, walls, and furniture throughout the winter months. In spring, when the weather started to get warmer, women could be found beating the carpets outside to get rid of the dust and grime, windows would be cleaned, and the soot wiped and cleaned away in the home. In keeping with the tradition, spring cleaning is a good discipline which helps to clean the house and clear out unwanted items.
Clutter and mess can create stress and anxiety, but by cleaning, organizing, and reducing the clutter, you are able to take control of your environment and create a more relaxing environment that helps you focus better.
It can sometimes be a daunting exercise, but you should not let it overwhelm you. To declutter with ease, you can start in one room (maybe your office), with one draw or cupboard and then work your way around the rest of the room slowly. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day and your spring clean doesn’t need to be done in a weekend.
5 Health Benefits of Spring Cleaning
1. Better concentration. You can improve your productivity and focus by having less mess around. Having an excess of things around you can be distracting and have a negative impact. Tidy that desk, remove old newspapers, open, and file your post.
2. Better sleep Seeing the messy wardrobe, draws that don’t quite close, or that pile of washing on the floor when you are lying in bed means you keep thinking about it. This can increase stress levels. But when you clear, clean, and tidy you will create a more calming environment for yourself to have quality sleep.
3. Improve your mood Clutter can be irritating and seeing clutter can send a negative visual signal to the brain that things are not where they should be. This can cause misery, resentment, anger and even self-deprecation. Make the bed, straighten the sofa cushions, put the washing up away. This can help reduce those unwanted feelings. Once everything is in order, you instantly feel better.
4. Don’t be a hoarder and let go of the past Declutter and remove anything that you don’t use or doesn’t have a positive impact on your feelings and life. There may be old photos of an ex, novelty gifts from whom you can no longer recall. Hanging on to these things can carry a lot of emotional weight, so start by identifying the items that you feel it might be time to let go of.
Get rid of anything that drags you down or causes you to have a negative emotional response. Anything that you have not used for 6 months to a year will probably not get used. Start sorting and give what you don’t need to local charity shops, you feel better as you are doing something good for other people. Anything else you don’t need, throw away. You will be glad to have the space.
5. Focus on your goals When clutter accrues it can sometimes be a reminder of the projects you still have to finish or goals you have yet to accomplish. Decide to finish what you have started or accept that your life has taken a difference turn. It is ok to do other things. Not everyone has the ability to finish all projects and not all projects can be completed.
Having a clutter free, organised home and workspace will improve your mood, your focus and allow you to get on and accomplish those goals. Start by setting achievable goals that can be timed and measured. It is important to be honest with yourself in what you are capable of doing and if you need help archiving a goal, get help and get it done.
You can find printable decluttering check lists on google.
Why not take some before and after pictures of an area in your home or office and send them to us? We can share them anonymously and maybe inspire others to have a go. Send your pictures to askdorcas@spg.uk.com
If you have any topics, you would like us to cover in these articles, please feel free to use the above email to send in your suggestions. This is your SPG, take ownership of it and let us know how we can best support you.
Dorcas Falode, Head of Health & Wellbeing