Spring time is here, and with it comes all of the warm weather, newly grown plants and flowers, and promises of newness. With Spring comes the age-old tradition of “Spring Cleaning” (the older version of the now popular “KonMari” method of decluttering), where one looks at all of the accumulated things in their life and clears out all of the excess. Spring Cleaning is a time-honored tradition of getting rid of what no longer suits you and making room for new things.
Spring Cleaning doesn’t just pertain to the material things, but can go deeper; your self-sabotaging ways, toxic habits, and continuous poor choices and decisions.
So, as we start this Spring off, let’s look at five things we can give up this Spring:
1. Overthinking.
We all do it; overanalyzing and processing past, present, and even future events that haven’t even happen. We can sometimes create a perfect storm of doubt and anxiety while questioning circumstances that are beyond our control. One such way to get around that is to realize and recognize that the only things you can worry about are the things that are in your immediate control. All other things have to be released. You can hope (as well as prepare and work towards a more positive outcome), but that is about it. Don’t add any more undue stress to situations and circumstances that you can’t control. You never realize how much freeing it is when you stop the overthinking (even just some if you can’t stop it completely.
2. Fearing change.
The only thing constant in life is change. But surprisingly, many people have problems with change; either fearing it or doing their best to avoid it or fight it at all cost. Change is inevitable. While you may not able to control the change in your life, you can control your attitude towards it. Embrace it; even the unexpected change. Even changing your attitude towards it can have a ripple affect on the change and make the change not, no matter how undesirable, seem more manageable and easier to deal with.
3. Living in the past.
The past. Pressing replay on the past and the “shoulda, coulda, woulda’s” is not only cumbersome but is, more times than not, a waste of time. Holding on to the past can cause you to feel weighed down and gives you less room and space for the present you currently exist in, and the upcoming future. One way to stop living in the past is to simply be present in the here and now. Living and existing in the moment will give you less time to harp on the past, and more time to enjoy the present, as well as to look forward to the future.
4. Negative self-talk.
Sometimes (a lot of times), the harshest critiques, the worst naysayers and most negative are us. It’s something we tend to do to ourselves. Talking down to ourselves and undercutting our true potential and ability in any given situation. Negative self-talk starts with our thoughts. One way to curb and change the negativity is the change our thoughts. Think positively. It may be easier said than done and may require more effort, but changing your negative thoughts directly kills the sabotaging self-talk.
5. Trying to please everyone.
In this age of social media addiction and fixation, people look the world for validation. They want to be liked for a like. But in trying to please the world, the one person that is usually left out is you. The truth is you can’t please everyone. Not even close. The world is fickle with their demands of you and will never be satisfied; leaving you drained, depleted, and exhausted with no energy for self. The most important thing you can do is please yourself. When you are happy with yourself, pleasing the world will be less of a priority.
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