Spring Cleaning

Spring is here! The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and spring-cleaning is on the mind.Spring-cleaning is not only a great time to clean your house; it is also the perfect time to reassess and reflect on your goals and to weed out habits that may be dragging you down. As we come out of the grays of winter, we may feel as though our cup of confidence, happiness, and worth is empty. Winter can be a hard season and many times our cup is covered with holes.However, with the new season upon us, it is time to rediscover and repair our lives. Many people today feel as though happiness is based on the things we own, the people in our lives, or on the image that we present to the world. We live in an environment that encourages and reinforces that there are certain things that will make us happy. However, this is anything but true.  We actually feel more successful and happy when we feel in control of our choices, and we have a plan for the future. All of our things do not create happiness, which is why I often ask my clients if the choices they make add value or create happiness in their lives. So if you are in the mood to spring-clean your life, check out the following tips: Tips:

1. Create a Priority List of Short-term, Mid-term, and Long-term Goals

   What do you strive to accomplish in the next 3 months, this year, and in the next 5 years? Do your current habits support these goals? If not, create a game plan to make some changes!

2. Organize Your Life

   Spend a weekend going through your home. Decide what to keep, what to donate and what to trash.  Ask yourself, is the item truly adding value to your life, or is it just taking up space? Usually, if we haven’t thought or used something in about 3-6 months, we no longer find value in that item.

3. Assess your Relationships

   Take time to examine the relationships you have with friends, family and your significant other. Are you feeling connected and fulfilled by the relationships you’re in, or is your cup constantly being drained and empty?  If it's the latter, spend time assessing if the relationship is worth your energy right now, or if some time away would benefit your happiness cup.

4. Organize your Finances

   Set aside an evening to thoroughly inventory your financial status. We often feel more in control of other aspects of our lives when we feel in control of our finances. Are you actually spending money on things that matter to you? By knowing what you value, you will know how you spend your money. You can then begin to dictate budgeting more money for things with purpose and less money for things that don’t bring you joy.

5. Detox from Social Media

   Try to limit the amount of time you spend on your devices, especially if your social media is bringing you down. Social media accounts tend to be flooded with people’s best image of themselves. This constant bombardment can cause us to feel like we are not up to par with those around us, and leave us feeling empty or not good enough. On the flip side, social media also seems to be full of negative news, which also tends to bring us down. By cutting back on your social media time, you will begin to focus more on your life and your happiness, rather than comparing your cup to others.

6. Do Something Alone just for You

   This is also known as self-care. When we start attempting to fill our happiness cup from other people and things, we are able to only add a few drops. However, searching for things that make us happy allows us to begin to substantially refill our cup. Go enjoy the sun. Read a book. Have an ice cream. Turn off your email for a couple hours. Remind yourself that you're awesome with or without people or things.

7. Go to Therapy

   If your happiness cup is empty, go to therapy. Many times the holes punctured through our lives might need more than a few tips for healing. Therapy is there to support and nurture positive changes and healing in your life. Therapy will help you create new habits and coping mechanisms that will not only enhance your life but refill your cup.

  https://www.counselingindallas.com/brittany-straus/