Healthy ideas for your inbox
The final rains of the Pacific Northwest winter are here, and as you prepare for a sunnier, drier future, it only feels natural to do a little spring cleaning around the house.
But while it’s important (and sometimes necessary) to clear away that post-holiday clutter (or the, uh, post-staying-inside-all-winter clutter), sometimes, your mental space might need a refresh, as well as your physical space.
“A new season often brings new obligations and worries which, when added to the nonstop pings of email notifications and news headlines, can make it hard to focus on what matters,” says Eileen Brady, MD, PhD, a primary care and internal medicine doctor at the UW Medicine Adult Medicine Clinic at Harborview Medical Center. “The changing of seasons provides a natural opportunity to examine and adapt your routines.”
Besides spring cleaning your space, focus on decluttering your mind, too.
Start with a mindfulness routine
The first step to decluttering your mind is to recapture your attention from the distractions that demand your focus.
“One approach I use in my own life is picking a daily activity to practice mindfully,” says Brady.
Before you cringe at the word mindfulness, hold on. Mindfulness practices like meditation and yoga get a lot of attention (for good reason), but they aren’t the only way to stay present and clear.
“For example, when I’m washing dishes, instead of mentally planning the next email or listening to the news, I focus on the physical sensations of dishwashing and notice thoughts that naturally arise,” says Brady.
Spend time in nature and move your body
Another way to clear your mental clutter? Being in nature and staying active have proven benefits for both your mental and physical health. Taking a walk in one of Seattle’s many local parks is free, and you might get to catch the first blooms of the season.
“Some of my personal favorites are Kubota Garden, Seward Park and Volunteer Park,” says Brady. “Bonus points: Invite a friend to join you for the added social benefit.”
Make it a mindful practice by noticing the colors you see, how the wind (or rain) feels on your body or the sound of your footsteps as you walk.
Read for 15 minutes (or more, if you want)
Reading can have a calming effect, reduce stress, improve brain function and improve your mood — all needed when decluttering your brain space.
Because reading requires focus, it’s an easy way to practice mindfulness without having to think too hard about it. And when you’re done, it can allow you to approach other matters with a clearer, more relaxed headspace.
Try putting your phone on Do Not Disturb or setting it in a different room when you’re reading, so you don’t get distracted by notifications or the temptation to scroll.
Practice art or music
Doing something crafty or practicing music, even for a few minutes each day, can clear your mind, lower anxiety and improve your well-being. That new crochet pattern or those new guitar tabs you’ve been trying to learn? Set aside some time this week to try.
Notice your spending habits
Your financial situation can take up a lot of mental space, cause you stress and even harm your health if you’re feeling overwhelmed by it.
Spring is a great time to review your finances. Your spending habits have had some time to get back to normal after holiday spending on presents and travel, so take some steps to be aware of what you’re spending your money on.
Instead of obsessively checking — or completely avoiding — your bank accounts, try making a habit of taking a few seconds to jot down a purchase you made in your phone’s notes app or, better yet, find an app that records it automatically for you. Notice how it feels when you log something new, and what it brings up for you.
“New habits tend to stick best when they are rewarding and don’t require you to modify your routine too much,” says Brady. “Small changes maintained over time can have great benefits for your health.”
By starting small, hopefully, this will make it easier to be mindful about your spending patterns and how you want to spend your money.
Audit your subscriptions
Take one day at the start of the season to spring clean your subscription list. Delivery services, same-day shipping benefits and streaming services galore all take little hits on your bank account each month, and as you’re going through, you might find one (or two … or three …) that you no longer use or no longer need.
And keep an eye on your newsletter subscriptions too, which can very quickly (and overwhelmingly) take up space in your inboxes. Some email and phone messaging apps now have settings that let you automatically separate your subscription messages from other messages.
To make it a mindful practice, when reviewing each subscription service, ask yourself:
- Is this something I use frequently?
- How important is it to keep this subscription?
- How do I feel in my body when thinking about keeping or canceling this subscription (i.e., does the thought of canceling bring extra stress, excitement or concern)?
It’s a quick and easy way to get a few extra bucks back each month, and depending on how many subscription services you use, it can add up fast.
Talk to a professional about your mental clutter
If the prospect of refocusing on or reorganizing any part of your life feels too daunting, it might be best to start that mental decluttering process by talking with a therapist or your primary care doctor.
“If you suffer from more severe mood changes that negatively impact your daily activities or relationships, it’s important to speak with a healthcare professional to get connected with effective treatment,” Brady says.
Enjoy the extra mental (and financial) space
Remember, you don’t have to do everything at once. The goal of spring cleaning your mental space is to set you up for the rest of the year, not to stress you out if you can’t complete everything on your list.
