Spring is the time of year that brings about the most change with its potential for new beginnings. The weather starts to warm up after a brutally cold winter. Plants start to grow, blossoms start to bloom. There are these shifts, which are being reflected in the external environment, that bring this sense of renewal. This renewal can be a state of mind that people can shift themselves into physically and mentally.
Many people hear about spring cleaning and think, “okay time to clean out the closet or organize the apartment.” It is a time of letting go of old things to make room for new, which can be seen as decluttering an apartment, donating old clothes or tidying up a desk. These ways of cleaning allow a person’s mind to make space to create a new style for themselves, a new routine or a work of art.
It is important to note that spring cleaning can be viewed negatively by some people because of its hidden expectations of people to fix and get their lives together for the start of a new season. It can cause people, especially those that are perfectionists, to feel inferior or shameful because they can’t seem to get it right like everyone else. Also, there can be this pressure on people to get rid of their things, and this article mentions donating household items to “give them a renewed purpose.” Some people may want to do so, while some may not, and they should not feel bad for choosing not to do so.
Spring cleaning does consist of the physical act of cleaning the environment in which a person may live in; however, there is the mental act of cleansing the mind to wipe out any unnecessary residue that may be living in someone’s brain. For example, the mental clutter of ruminating thoughts over things beyond one’s control or stress over their mental lists of all of the things that they have to do. This can be quite overwhelming if one does not learn how to quiet the mind, and focus on what they are doing in that present moment.
Decluttering one’s mental space can look like writing down their thoughts to reflect on, taking a digital detox, or shifting their focus towards things that still affect their mind. When a calm state of mind is reached, then one will be able to think clearly; so that they can concentrate their mind on a task, assignment, or chore.
Aastha Pujara, a senior double majoring in Business and Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University, goes on meditation walks to clear her mind. She has her rigorous walks, in which walking is all that she can focus on. Then, she has her walks with music, as a form of distraction for her mind, and her walks without music, to connect with the world around her. Pujara described these walks as “calming and soothing” because of all the life that she gets to observe. The walks have given her moments of reflection that allow her to see life from a bigger worldview, where she has realized some of her problems “almost become disintegrated.” She remembers that everyone is also living a life with their own problems, and that is why she aims to always be considerate of others.
Giselle Berents, a senior majoring in English Language and Literature at the University, regularly does mindfulness routines involving letting the water from a shower head run over her face. She finds it to be a cleansing experience, and even said that after showering, she is a “completely new person and loves it.” All of her anxieties are released in the shower and go right down the drain. A shower is Berents’ reset.
Boston Markey, a senior majoring in Philosophy and Religious studies at the University, said he calms his mind by listening to ASMR sounds, such as tapping and whispering noises. He puts his headphones on and allows his thoughts to shift and concentrate on the noise, which alleviates him from other distractions. Because of this, Markey is able to focus his mind on other tasks at hand, such as his senior capstone.
Everyone has different ways of decluttering and organizing their living space and will have their own way of silencing their mind. When it comes to spring cleaning and making space for new ideas and thought processes, consider that there is both the physical act and the mental act.
