Clearing Out Mental Cobwebs
Spring is a good time for pausing and reflecting upon how you are doing. Here are some questions worth exploring:
• Are you stuck in any negative emotional cycles? (e.g. angering quickly, feeling hopeless, blaming others, constantly worrying)?
• Have any unhealthy thought patterns developed? (e.g. are you being overly-critical of yourself...or of others or do you tend to be cynical about situations)?
• Are your relationships healthy or could they use some attention?
• Are you adequately taking care of yourself and meeting your needs to the best of your ability?
A Little Mental Spring-Cleaning
If you are not feeling balanced in some way, it can be helpful to get out your tool kit and do some "spring-cleaning." Instead of brushing the dust underneath the rug, instead, try taking some time to take it outside, air it out, shake it out, clean it, and then return it to its place. When you take time to examine how you are going about your everyday life, there is a real opportunity to take responsibility, make different choices, and create conscious change.
“Springtime is nature's inspiring reminder that change is possible.”
Bringing Awareness to Old Patterns
You can learn to catch yourself in the moment--whether it is a particular way of thinking or of responding to a situation--and recognize when a pattern is not serving you. With this awareness, you can start to breathe light into old patterns and "stuck" energies: you can learn to soften, bring self-compassion or compassion towards others, connect with a moment of gratitude, see the bigger picture, and attend to your relationships in a meaningful way. Self-reflection and interrupting unhealthy patterns by bringing conscious awareness can empower you and give you hope regardless of life circumstances. Springtime is nature's inspiring reminder that change is possible.
Self-reflection does not require changing everything at once. Sometimes the first step is simply noticing what feels out of balance, becoming curious about the patterns we have developed, and making room for a different response. Like spring-cleaning, conscious change can begin with small acts of attention, care, and willingness to clear space for something new.