As a new mom to a four month old baby girl, my life is pretty much a hot mess. At any point in time there’s a 50% chance I’ve got spit up in my hair and 100% of the time my house is a wreck.
So since it’s officially spring, I figured it’d be the perfect time to do a little spring cleaning around here. So far I’ve cleaned Riley’s nursery (here’s proof of me actually doing it) and I’ve also been organizing my blog which I’ll talk about sometime soon.
But it got me thinking about how in addition to cleaning closets and getting rid of clothes we don’t need – typical spring cleaning projects – we should also (at least once a year) think about getting rid of stuff in our life that just doesn’t bring us joy anymore – just like Marie Kondo proposes in her book that I love: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
Still have no idea what I’m talking about? Allow me to explain… here are 7 things you ought to get rid of right now aka: how to spring clean your life to make room for the stuff that really matters.
Toxic relationships
Whether it’s a boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife situation or a friend who’s always bringing you down, it’s time to get rid of relationships that are just bad for you. Breaking up with people is hard, I get it. It’s never a fun thing to do. But you know what’s worse? Staying with them and allowing them to take up precious real estate in your life that could be used instead for new relationships that make you feel awesome.
Bad food
It goes without saying, but eating junk food all the time is bad for you. Like, really bad. And now that I’m officially an adult with a child and all, I’ve started to look at my diet a little differently. No you don’t have to give up pizza forever (because you’d probably die – at least I would) but take a look at the things you’re putting into your body and try to make those things the exception, not the rule. Believe me, you’ll feel so much better if you do.
Related Reading: How To Get Your Shit Together
A victim mentality
Now this one you need to toss ASAP. Like, right now. No thinking about it. No questions. Just toss it. If you’re one of those people who thinks that the world is out to get you – stop. Because it isn’t. And you’re in control of your life.
Isn’t that empowering? I tend to think it is. I think it’s awesome to live life knowing that you’re in the driver’s seat and that you’re making things happen, not that things are happening to you. So try that mentality on for size and I promise you – you’ll see a difference in your life way sooner than you could ever imagine.
Gifts you never use
Now this one I got from Marie Kondo’s book which I highly recommend for all you hoarders out there (don’t worry, I was one too). Because over the years we get so many gifts that we never use. I know I’m not the only one. Your second cousin’s great grandma twice removed bought you a present. Man that was so sweet but ya didn’t need it. So you held onto it of course because you’re nice and you feel bad because this poor old lady spent money on you.
Not to sound insensitive, but WHO CARES? LOL that sounds insensitive. What I mean is that instead of holding onto things that we don’t use anymore, regardless of who gave it to us, we should donate those things to people who might actually need them. Marie thinks of this as giving an item a second life, and I think that’s way cooler than having things collect dust in a closet.
Bad money spending habits
You get paid on Friday, you shop on Saturday. Sound familiar? Yea, I feel ya. We live in a society that’s all about buying things and more things so the temptation to “treat-yo-self” is always there. But you know what always isn’t there? The money to do so!
Sorry, this is real talk 101 over here so if that makes you mad, maybe there’s a reason why it does. Point is, it’s 2018 and there’s so much freaking information out there these days that can help you make smart financial decisions. So if you’re spending more than you should, start tossing those bad money spending habits aside and start making better choices. Here are 50 easy ways to save money to help you get started.
Related Reading: How To Be Rich In Your Twenties
Self doubt
Self doubt -another thing that needs to go immediately. You are awesome. I repeat: you are an amazing creature that is capable of all the things. So don’t tell yourself differently! Don’t sell yourself short. Go after the things you’ve been wanting to accomplish, and don’t let fear hold you back.
This is your year and there’s still plenty of time left to make things happen.
The comparison game
It’s human nature to compare yourself to the next guy. It happens. I know. But wouldn’t it be great to just toss that whole comparison game? Throw it in the garbage and move on with your life…
Instead of focusing on what other people have that you don’t, try focusing on what you do have and being grateful for it. If you want to compare yourself to someone, compare yourself to where you were yesterday because that’s really all that matters.
Related Reading: Twentysomething Comparisonitis
So that’s it! What do you guys think? Ready for a little spring cleaning in your life? What else do you feel like getting rid of? Let me know in the comments!
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Great tips, Kayla! Yesterday, I went through my closet in an attempt to spring clean and (embarrassingly) found clothes in there that I last wore in HIGH SCHOOL. I couldn’t believe I’d lugged these super-out-of-date clothes through multiple moves! Not sure what I was thinking…
Cleaning out your closet – and your life – is a great seasonal must-do. Your rec to donate gifts that we never use is a great strategy. So often, I just put them away on a shelf or closet and totally forget about them. Cleaning unused things out can be so refreshing! Thanks for sharing!!!
Great advice for spring cleaning your life! Wow, that “gifts you never use” could be a tough one. Also, the “comparison game” can be a little tricky. One the one hand it can provide some motivation which can lead to success. But it can and usually does also lead to stress and unhappiness if left unchecked.
I like this quote a lot:
‘If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.’ ~ Dale Carnegie
Totally with you on getting rid of toxic relationships – or distancing yourself as much as you can if you can’t get rid of them entirely (like you work with them, etc.)
-Lauren
I agree about getting rid of things that don’t bring us joy. My husband and I have cut out a lot of people in our lives that we realized were toxic for us. We may only have each other but the stress and drama is gone!
As someone who experiences paranoia as a symptom of my diagnosed mental illness, it’s not always easy to shake off the feeling that universe is plotting against you. Same with self-doubts, because I can’t always know if any of my internal criticisms are valid or just a product of intrusive thoughts.
Always a struggle, yo!
I am definitely wrapped up in that self-doubt right now and need to figure out how to get myself out of it because it’s a mess!
I love this! It’s definitely good to reflect on what you can do to “clean” your life now and again. I mean, you have to first realize that something you’re doing is wrong or that something is bad for you before you can really do something about it!
This is a nice post. Thanks for sharing this post.