Spring Cleaning: Your Life
We’re doing some serious Spring Cleaning this week. We started with the Squeaky Clean apartment cleanse, moved on to our Keep It Fresh in our fridges, then on to Detox our bodies. What’s left to clean? Life.
In the spirit of cleansing and renewing other areas of our lives, we took a hard look at our daily lives and actions to find ways we could clean our lives and be our best selves.
Take the plunge and detox your life with these tips.
INBOX ORGANIZATION
One of the easiest ways we can tell how crazy our lives are these days is by looking at the current status of our email boxes. Those loads and loads of unread emails, junk mail, and unfiled tasks can really weigh you down.
Take a hour, an afternoon, or even a day (we’re looking at you 3,000 unread messages people) to give your inbox a scrub. Start off by unsubscribing to all of those junk emails you receive. If you need to buy socks, you can definitely look up that sock sale discount code without getting 100 emails about it.
Next step, organize. Create folders, color code - or whatever works for you - and start filing emails that are important enough to keep. If the email requires action, flag it or put it in a special folder so that you don’t forget.
Finally, create a system. Set aside an hour each morning to get in the habit of going through all emails and organizing. It’s incredible how much better you’ll feel when your emails are organized.
STEP AWAY FROM THE SCREEN (after you finish reading, duh!)
We don’t know about you, but we find ourselves literally always connected to our phones. Do you really need to take your phone with you to the bathroom?
Try putting down that phone and taking a few moments each day away from a screen. Whether that means meditating to center yourself, actually talking in person to a friend, or just enjoying some time outdoors, it can be incredibly beneficial to your well-being.
If you’re really feeling bold, avoid all screens for an hour before bed. Studies show that it can help you fall asleep quicker and get better sleep. Now that’s a life cleanse we can get behind!
DETOX YOUR FRIENDS
It’s time to take a hard look at your friendships and relationships and think about which ones are actually mutually beneficial. The people around us should bring joy, not stress and pain to our lives.
We all have those toxic relationships with old friends who bring painful memories, drama, and often stress to our lives. Sometimes the connection you once had should just be left in the past.
There’s also that hook up buddy or fair-weather friend who only calls when its beneficial to them, leaving you feeling just a little bit empty after every encounter. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Why should you feel empty, stressed, and sad? You have some amazing people in your life who truly bring you happiness. So clear that favorites list and focus on your real friends!
GET A HOBBY
Work is important, we get that. But sometimes you need to take a step back and take some time for yourself. Pick up a hobby or start volunteering. Carve out some time for yourself away from life’s stresses where you can do something you’re passionate about and channel all that pent up energy.
We can’t help but think of stamp collecting and knitting when we think of hobbies, but hobbies can be literally anything. Really like flowers? Get a planter box and start growing some to make your own arrangements or volunteer for an environmental group. Get a rush while working out? Check out a new gym or fitness studio.
And think about all that extra time you’ll have now that you aren’t forced to go to drinks with that friend who just complains for 3 hours. Perfect time for doing something you love that will benefit your life.
