Spring cleaning

I can already smell the lemony Pine Sol, the fresh air coming through the open windows. Clean, swept garage, bye bye sand, salt and dirt! Closets cleaned and unused clothes bagged and donated! It's a lot of work to get there, but such a great, freeing feeling after it's done!

But what about spring cleaning for ourselves? I've never given this much thought before, to me this term only evoked feelings of a clean house, a clean personal space. 

The other day, during a yoga class, our instructor discussed spring cleaning for ourselves. What has been weighing us down, what could we shed to clean ourselves up? How much baggage do we carry that isn't worth it? I could think of a few things that I could easily afford to let go. Maybe it's a gradual change, or maybe it will involve a bit more effort to feel the total cleanse. Either way, it's a great analogy for this time of year. I know when a closet is cleaned and organized or a garage cleaned and readied for summer I feel lighter, cleaner somehow. I know the feeling of turning this theory onto myself will feel even better. I decided that that it's never too late to start, so my personal, spring cleaning started already. I'm not expecting drastic changes overnight, but just by making this thought present, the actions will follow. There are several great articles that will help with this task on the Gundersen Lutheran Balance Your 7 website, like mindful meditation, and other ways to de-stress. Now after working on my internal cleaning, it's just about time to tackle the garage. If only sand and dirt were a valuable commodity!

www.balanceyour7.com