Spring Cleaning!

It doesn't quite feel like Spring yet here in Pullman, but let's get that Spring feeling started by doing some Spring Cleaning and I am not just talking about cleaning your closet!  

People like "stuff". We tend to hold onto it year after year. We save and stock up on things that we don't know what to do with anymore. Maybe we keep things because they hold precious memories of days gone by, or they remind us of our parents, grandparents, past loves or childhood. To part with these precious possessions seems out of the question. There is a saying that goes, "You have to get rid of the old to make way for the new."  This also holds true for our emotional "stuff". We hold onto old emotions, habits and perspectives which can, just like the accumulation of stuff in our garage, make us feel weighed down, anxious, overwhelmed, and without space to bring anything else wonderful into our lives. If you are feeling stuck or stagnant in your life, try spring-cleaning! Throw out some of that stuff, say goodbye to your past and welcome the new energy of your happy, healthy future.

For good mental and physical health, we actually have three "houses" that need to be spring-cleaned: our physical homes, our physical bodies, and our hearts. Just as we accumulate "stuff" in the form of outgrown clothes, magazines, rusty bicycles, tools and random keepsakes, so do our bodies accumulate old food residues and toxins that need to be cleaned out, and our brains and hearts accumulate negative thoughts and emotions that can be let free to allow room for positive ones. 

To spring clean your body, give it a break from rich and complicated foods by either cleansing or fasting for a short period of time. Cleansing means paring down your food to just simple fruits and vegetables, lots of water and perhaps whole grains. Fasting means limiting most foods and drinking lots of water, fresh vegetable and fruit juices, teas and soups. Without much energy going toward digestion, more energy is available to the rest of your body and mind. Cleansing and fasting can sharpen your concentration, help you gain insight and promote spiritual awareness. It can also bring improved immune function and better digestion. It is recommended that you get support in your cleansing program so please contact me for a consultation on your cleanse or sign up for the Spring Cleanse Health Coaching Support Group described here. 

 While you're cleaning out your body and home, don't forget to spring-clean your heart. Throw away negative thoughts and habits you've been harboring that no longer serve you. A clean, open heart will allow you to receive all the good that awaits you each and every day. If your heart and mind are cluttered, there is no room for life's gifts and surprises to enter.