12 unconventional ways to take spring cleaning to the next level

Sometimes spring cleaning doesn’t have to come in the form of decluttering your bedroom closet or getting rid of winter dust. Here are a few other ideas to put a spring in your step that aren’t so obvious.

Try a fresh perspective

Have a project you’ve been meaning to complete? Maybe all you need to finish writing that novel is to sit by the window at a coffee shop or by the lake while you work. Maybe the moon inspires your masterpiece more than the sun. Inspiration might lie just outside your walls or at a different time of day.

Get your thoughts on paper

You don’t need to be a writer. Start a journal, a diary, a to-do list on a nearby napkin. Anything can be a place to store those thoughts that you want to keep but take up too much space in your mind. I view my journal as extra storage room for my thoughts so I can reset my mind every so often.

Go outside more.

Even in Chicago, nothing reprograms the mind like a little extra oxygen and sunshine.

Try out essential oils

Trendy, but effective. Lavender eases pains, peppermint clears the mind, and vanilla and sandalwood can induce a good night’s sleep. Find them at your local health food store and mix a few drops with a base oil, like liquid coconut oil, then apply to temples and wrists.

Learn something new

Even if it’s as simple as a few words in a new language or a new yoga stretch. I recently stumbled upon a website (www.duolingo.com) that has hundreds of fun language-learning activities for free. Tres bien!

Keep a plant nearby

Non-judgmental and abundant in oxygen, plants can seriously help declutter your mind and don’t require you to grow an entire garden.

Give something up

Taking a break from a bad habit or innocent addiction (hint: mine is Starbucks) is a great way to challenge your mind and help you break other bad habits as well.

Give something up, part 2

You don’t have to give up things you like. Instead, give up the guilt of doing things you feel pressured to do.

Invest in a coloring book

Coloring books for adults are incredibly popular right now, and I know why: they’re fun. And they’re also therapeutic. No skills required.

Do a digital detox.

Those undeleted and unwanted emails not only stand in the way of a clean inbox, but can hang over your head figuratively as well. Going through your emails and deleting advertisements, unimportant conversations, and other spam can free your mind of information you don’t need. Do the same with text messages and voice mails. Better yet, take a day or two off of the screen as well!

Do that one thing you keep saying you’re going to do

You probably thought of it just from reading this. Only you know what it is.

Relax

“Sometimes it’s okay if the only thing you did today was breathe” – Unknown.

---