Mindfulness: Wow! What a fantastic time of year it is!
I love this time spring. Nature is awakening after a sleepy snooze but it is wakening with a new and revived energy, new growth and freshness. We are all part of this cycle of nature even those of us who are too busy to notice the tiny buds or now fading daffodils.
The dreariness of the chilly winter is fading, the post-Christmas bank balance beginning to look healthy again and the sun shinning a little longer through our windows. We rush around our homes getting ready for the next days work, glancing at still warm unmade beds, preparing children’s school lunches, feeding the dog and cat, tripping over the shoes in the hall and piling the breakfast dishes beside the sink which you will curse later, when all you want to do is sit down, have a coffee and flick a magazine or ring that friend you need to catch up with so desperately.
The beams of spring morning sun illuminate your home, touching your life as you feel it’s familiar soothing warmth on your skin and for a moment your feel its energy, summer is on its way. Then you see it…the sun illuminating your dirty windows, the dust on the bookcase, the tuffs of tumble weed fluff dancing on the wooden floor as your rush past to grab your keys and quickly activate your house alarm if someone were to break in a steal your grubby processions.
Kids dropped at school gate, quick wave to another ” Yikes! we’re dead late” mum, whiz around corner almost forgetting to change gear. Slow! Slow! Speed camera. Phew! Traffic lights, eternally red. STOP! Pedestrian crossing. Why is it called rush hour…its all so slow!
Joyous ‘hello’ to boss with seconds to spare and breathe… Yes I just love spring.
Now I have all that cleaning to do that was hiding in the shadows of winter. My house is full of clutter, my mind is full of clutter. I need space, I need order. This is so typical for many of us. Have you ever got to the stage of almost hyperventilating at the thought of all that extra stuff you feel you need to do? I have, most of us have. I can remember opening my hot press and feeling like a breakdown was looming. All these clothes to sort, odd socks to match and the laundry basket is over flowing again. Silent scream from inside!
A few simple steps and changes in the way you respond can help you to enjoy the new awakening of the spring without the stress lurking in the shadows waiting to trip you up. So where to start.
- Accept that what you are doing is not working and needs to change.
- Don’t rush in to change anything. Just look at the things which are causing you stress in the day and acknowledge that you are about to change it.
- Don’t get angry at the things which are causing the stress. Your angry response is the stress.
- Be mindful that your mind full of clutter needs clearing as well as your home. Visualise that image and feel the good feeling it brings.
- Decide that this is not just a once off but you are going to do it regularly. It is going to become part of your routine because you reap the benefits through a healthy mind and a healthy environment.
After you have de-cluttered use a gauge or a warning signal you recognise for when it is time to start the cycle all over again. If you see that little bundle of paper and post building up on the work top again you maybe slipping into your cluttered ways again.
“A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step”.
Decide where in your home you would most like to see clear of clutter first thing in the morning. As you wake up in your bedroom, why not start there? Wake up to fresh, organised and clutter free day. Start small. If you can only spare 15 minutes to work on it well that’s fine. What ever it is you have uncluttered and organised be proud of it and compliment yourself. Admire you new space. Even if it means looking under the bed at the space that once was home to orphan socks and an untidy pile of shoes. The feeling is good but don’t rest on your laurels. Build on them and use this as your motivation to keep going.
Once you have acknowledged and welcomed that feel good positive thoughts, you are replacing some of your negative and self-limiting thoughts. It might be a slow process but the more de-cluttering of your space the more de-cluttering of your mind happens. So your busy getting ready for the day, breakfast, lunches and all the usual stuff.
The sun shines in your window and sends a soft warm glow into your life. You notice the sun catches the dirt on the glass and grey sheen of the dust on the bookcase but it is a fantastic time for spring cleaning.
Get rid of the clutter and make room for the new. Be at one with Mother Nature in her cycle of renewal. New thoughts and new ideas.
The seeds are growing, there is a renewed energy. It is spring after all. You noticed that as soon as you woke up this morning and looked around your space.
– Orla