…Come Spring, for now from all the dripping eaves
The spear of ice has wept itself away.
And hour by hour unfolding woodbine leaves
O'er his uncertain shadow droops the day.
She comes!…
Around this time, most people are ready for warmer days ahead. When we walk outside into the crisp, cold air, we long for the sun to come out and shine a light on everything that has been in the dark all winter long.
Spring is a time of renewal, of bringing forth new energy and releasing the old. You might already be planning to clean out your home this spring, but spring is a great time to clean out your entire life. As motivation wanes from our ambitious New Year’s resolutions, give yourself a reboot with these 9 ways to reset your life this Spring.
1 - Declutter and Deep Clean Your Home
A thorough cleaning requires effort
We naturally accumulate a lot of things in our spaces and as that clutter builds up, it can have a negative impact on our mental space just as much as our physical space. Decluttering and keeping everything clean can feel like a constant battle, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Start small or break it up into small projects. Have you been procrastinating going through your wardrobe to find items to donate? Are your personal and important documents a mess?
Tackle one task at a time and soon you will have made a huge dent in your to-do list. Your space is your sanctuary and you deserve a peaceful, organized home.
Here are a few small ideas to spruce up your space:
clean out the fridge and pantry of any expired items
change out seasonal clothing items and put winter clothes in storage
move large appliances and clean behind them
pay attention to spaces that don’t often get cleaned, like the walls and baseboards
steam clean the microwave with a bowl of water and lemon
re-organize junk drawers and other miscellaneous storage spots
When all is organized and clean, bring in new energy and breathe life into your freshly and tidy home with some flowers or scented candles.
Keeping fit with the boys.
2 - Focus on physical health
Day-to-day life gets stressful, between managing your household, work, appointments, and other life obligations. It can be easy to forget how important it is to give love and appreciation to your body. Take a moment to recognize all it does for you and identify small changes you can make to take care of yourself. That might be working on developing a better exercise routine, or getting more sleep, or cutting back on caffeine and alcohol. You don’t have to make sweeping changes overnight. Take a new fitness class that you’ve been interested in trying. Schedule a facial to hydrate your skin after the dryness of winter. Take a 30-45 minute walk with no destination. Doing one small thing for your physical health today can go a long way in changing your mindset.
Cleaning off the old energy!
3 - Mentally recharge
Spring cleaning isn’t just for your home. Decluttering can be a powerful process that we can apply to our mental space as well. Winter can be hard on the senses. Now that spring is here, the darkness is lifting and a freshness is in the air. What have you been lacking this winter?
A good start is to straighten out your priorities. Reflect on your habits and goals and find the WHY behind what you hope to achieve in the next season of your life.
Next, create a to-do list to organize your priorities. Organize your goals into short-term and long term. If you want to take this a step further, you can list out smaller steps to achieve the more long term goals and set deadlines for each step.
After you have your to-do list, it’s important to recharge to create the right mental conditions for future growth. You can’t take care of your goals or anything else if you aren’t properly taking care of yourself.
Here are some effective ways of recharging your mental space:
take a digital detox
find a therapist, if you are not already attending therapy
establish a meditation practice
allow yourself to rest without feeling guilty
try a new hobby just for fun and don’t pressure yourself to be good at it
make time each day to move, even if that’s just taking a leisurely walk in the park
Relationships reflected
4 - Reflect on your relationships
Spring cleaning is about re-aligning every aspect of your life. Often, we get so busy that we forget to pay attention to the things that impact our mental health the most, and this definitely applies to our relationships.
Spring cleaning your relationships doesn’t just mean letting go of relationships that no longer serve you. It also means re-evaluating the relationships that you want to continue to grow and develop. This could mean making an effort to reconnect with old friends that you haven’t seen in a while or setting aside time each week for quality family bonding. This is also a great opportunity to have a heart-to-heart with your partner about what has been going well and what might need some work.
Re-evaluating your relationship with yourself is important as well, since it is the most significant relationship you will ever have. No matter how other relationships in your life grow or fade, always make sure to pay attention to your own needs and give yourself some love.
5 - Spend time in nature
If you live in New York City, you know that the winter months are long and brutal. By now, most of us are craving some time outdoors. This is a great opportunity to connect to nature. Make it a family activity and get out together. Appreciate the vibrant colors of spring and breathe new life into your family connections as Spring breathes new life into the world.
Set a day aside on the weekend when everyone in the family has some free time and plan an activity. It could be a trip to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens to soak in the vibrant colors of springtime, or a weekend rental in the Catskills, or even just a picnic in your neighborhood park.
Schedule a professional photo session in Central Park or family portraits on the beach in the Hamptons. Photo sessions are a fantastic way to document family togetherness and with the beautiful spring weather, the possibilities are so much more open than in the dead of winter or the sweaty days of summer.
Drop the heavy coats and get outside!
6 - Plan for the rest of the year
Certain things just take advanced planning. If you have been putting off booking your summer vacations or scheduling your annual doctors appointments, spring is a great time to get everything on the books.
While you are planning, consider booking a photography session with a professional family photographer early for beautiful portraits ready-made to add to holiday cards later on in the year. As the year gets busier and busier, tasks like planning and scheduling will become stressful the more you put it off. Getting a professional family portrait session scheduled now will make future-you grateful and take the stress out of any last minute holiday cards. As summer approaches children are either off to camp or doing an overseas internship and their schedule gets busier. Book your session in June, before the busier times come along. Set the rest of the year up for success early by booking a family portrait session with me to get those yearly and holiday photos done early. Photos also make great presents for the in-laws who have everything and adore their grandchildren. If you book your professional photography session early, you know you are covered with documenting the growth of your children and the family unit. Later on in the year, when things get hectic, you will be glad that you did. You are taking off one more stress from your mind knowing this is done.
7 - Embrace alternative medicine and healing
My first passion is photography, but I am also a huge advocate of alternative healing. I have studied alternative medicine for over 30 years and loved what it had to offer. During that time, I also became a dowser. Dowsing is traditionally an ancient form of locating water with willow branches, but has since been used for healing and energy alignment.
Personally, I use a combination of traditional and alternative medicine. Through dowsing, I can check to see if my physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual body is out of alignment and work towards finding the reason. After I dowse, I feel I can tackle the world again.
Spring cleaning is all about releasing old energy and bringing in the new. Consider embracing alternative medicine, if you feel stagnation in your life. Some forms of CAM, or complementary alternative medicine, such as acupuncture have even been scientifically proven to yield significant results.
Here are some other types of alternative healing, if you are looking to try something new:
yoga
reflexology
tai chi
meditation
Ayurveda
Reiki
electromagnetic therapy
Qigong
sound cleansing
The last item on this list is another one of my favorites. In order to wake up the energy in my home and make it easier to clean and organize, I will often use a bell and shake it in my closet, doorways, or any other areas in my home that may feel stagnant. Like many indigenous communities use smoke to cleanse their bodies and homes, I find sound is an equally powerful energy cleanser
The possibilities are endless in the world of alternative medicine. It is a wonderful way of connecting to the self and the natural energy within. If this is something you are interested in learning more about, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I love teaching others. If there is enough interest, I may send out information on getting started with dowsing to those who would like to learn more.
8 - Prioritize joy
How many of us grow up and forget what it is like to play? Over my many years of working as a luxury family photographer, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with children. Seeing the ease with which children experience joy and playfulness has been a constant reminder to keep my own youthful mindset alive. You are never too old to have fun. Embrace your playful side and prioritize activities that make you feel young. Turn on some music in your living room and dance like no one is watching. Revisit a hobby from your childhood. Try a new hobby. Sing in the shower. Laugh often and don’t take yourself too seriously. What would happen if you gave yourself permission to do what makes you happy, even if you feel silly?
9 - Wear sunscreen
This should go for every season, but especially the season of bare arms and shorts weather. It may seem obvious, but so many people forget how important sunscreen is. Remember to apply sunscreen every day to your face, neck and arms, so you can soak up the sun without soaking up any skin damage.
All of these spring cleaning tasks take time and energy, but they will each go a long way in upgrading your life, bit by bit. Focus on one at a time and don’t overwhelm yourself trying to change everything at once.
Declutter your home and your life and your phone one step at a time.
Happy cleaning!
