Brain Spring Clean: Scrub-a-Dub Your Mental Spaces

CAMs, you work hard. How does a little mental rejuvenation sound? How about a step back for some optimism and new clarity?

Maybe it’s time for a brain spring clean! 

We undertake spring cleaning in our homes, but it’s also great to give our minds a thorough cleanse. Here are a few ideas to invigorate your brain, soul, and body! 

Clear Out Mental Clutter

Who doesn’t want to clear out months of accumulated clutter? We’re talking about the mess of unaddressed tasks, unresolved issues, and vague anxieties that dim one’s mental clarity. Dedicate a day or weekend to tackle pending tasks, clear out your inbox, and organize your workspace. Spend a few hours examining murky worries and deciding on ways to flush them out and take action. 

Sweeping away clutter relieves hidden stress and improves focus, making room for new, creative thoughts.

Scrub Off Stubborn Stains

Some mental stains, like persistent worries or negative thoughts, need extra effort to scrub away. Don’t pooh-pooh mindfulness practices or meditation. They do help and you don’t have to scale a peak in the Himalayas to try them.  

Mindfulness helps you become aware of negative thought patterns and guides you in shifting away from them. Techniques like deep breathing, guided imagery, or gentle yoga can aid in dismantling mental blocks, leading to a clearer and more positive mindset.

It doesn’t have to take massive amounts of time. Try the Headspace app and start with a few minutes a day of guided meditation. 

Air Out Old Ideas

Our brains hold onto old habits and ideas that make us musty, fusty, and dusty. Air out that stuff by exposing yourself to new experiences and knowledge. 

“I’m too tired!” you say. That’s valid. But consider the possibility that attending a workshop, reading a book, or digging into some YouTube tutorials may well challenge your usual way of thinking and give you an energy boost simply by exposing yourself to something interesting and different. 

These activities can provide fresh perspectives and inspire innovative ideas. Voila! New life gets breathed into your professional and personal endeavors.

Maintain a Healthy Mental Garden

You know how clutter is—you get rid of it, and it sneaks right back. Ixnay the eturnray! (If you’ve forgotten your Pig Latin, that’s “nix the return.”) 

Regular maintenance of your mental garden is essential to prevent the insidious clutter reprise. Establish priorities that support your mental well-being, such as: 

• regular exercise
• adequate sleep (no, that doesn’t mean five hours), and 
• balanced nutrition 

Incorporate mental health breaks into your daily schedule to ensure you’re giving your mind the rest and rejuvenation it needs. 

When you feel overwhelmed or so busy that you can’t even focus, grant yourself a change of venue. That quick drive to and from the coffee shop to grab an iced matcha does something really good for your brain.

Touch Up with Affirmations

Occasionally, your mental space may require a quick touch-up to maintain its freshness. Affirmations can be powerful tools in this process. What are they? Affirmations are statements aimed at tapping into your conscious and unconscious mind, designed to shift your thinking toward optimistic, confident, and motivated beliefs.

Start your day with affirmations that reinforce your strengths and goals. Phrases like “I am capable and resilient” or “I embrace new challenges with confidence” spoken multiple times during the day help shift your thinking so that you begin to embody those affirmations. 

If the benefits sound like mumbo jumbo, do a little of your own research into the power of affirmations.

Refresh with New Experiences

Finally, invigorate your brain with new experiences or relearn something that you used to do for fun. Put aside fears of looking silly and take on something that has always intrigued you. Who cares if you don’t look like a pro? Really, who cares? No one.

Remember other times you’ve done something new and different. They were refreshing mental diversions, weren’t they? And they probably also enhanced your creativity and moved the needle on your inspiration meter. 

Whether it’s learning how to make chocolate babka, divide amaryllis, or say, “This squid is delicious!” in Swahili,  engaging in new activities can stimulate your brain and inject a sense of excitement and curiosity into your life.

Wrapping It Up

A “brain spring clean” might sound like a one-time event, but it’s actually a philosophy of continual self-care and renewal. 

Here’s the recap:

• Clear out mental clutter 
• Scrub off stubborn stains 
• Air out old ideas, and 
• Maintain a healthy mental environment 

Doing these spring-cleaning tasks will help your CAM brain get positioned for jumping into the rest of the year with fresh energy, focus, and feelings of well-being.