As spring moves in, the forsythia with its branches of bright yellow star-like blossoms wave in the breeze. The tiny pink buds of the flowering plum and the white blossoms of the apple and pear trees are all showing their colors. The sun shines through the greening branches, making it hard to concentrate on anything indoors.

Springtime invites me to clean and declutter my home and yard. Dust bunnies and cobwebs that have gathered over the winter months? Be gone! It’s also a good time to clean out thoughts and feelings, for life is easier after a mental spring-clean. With ongoing renewal going on in nature, I find it hard not to weed out the old, those sticky mental cobwebs that catch me every now and again, the parts that keep me stuck. 

Get outdoors. Take a walk, begin to clean up the yard or go for a bike ride. Have a picnic, either on the porch or a few miles away after hiking in from the trailhead. Let the soft, bright sunshine lift any heavy, dark thoughts and feel them drift away. 

Cultivate quiet time. Set some time aside and take a mental inventory. Check out what has been cluttering your heart and mind. Spend some time and picture how you want to feel in your life and your friendships. Then make a move to fulfill those dreams.

Take a planned break from technology and your “electronic leash.” Your brain is buzzing with the latest. You want to know about this or that. Too much of a good thing is too much. Plan daily to take a break from your tech. It’s spring time!

Add color to your surroundings. Beiges and taupes are trending right now — depressing. Add some energetic colors where you work and where you live, and spark your energy. 

Develop a new skill or learn a new hobby. Perhaps your mind has grown stale over the winter. Here’s how to expand your horizons. Go back in time: always wanted to learn to weld? Or play a harmonica? Go for it. What was your favorite hobby as a child? Pick it up again. It’s spring, the time of renewal. The creative abilities of your mind are endless.  

Learn to “row your boat more gently down the stream." At times, life seems to come at us all at once, bringing a compelling need take care of business right away. But you can move at your individual pace, for it will all get done in due time. Make life easier and enjoy more both within and around you.

Squash negative thoughts. Want to boost your immune system? Be happier in general? Look at the bright side of life and find that silver lining in life. Weed out “always” and “never” from your vocabulary; you’ll find the world to be a better place. 

Cleaning out the old can be fun. Let’s get moving!