Spring cleaning isn’t just about freshening up your space—it’s about uncovering what’s been quietly accumulating, both in our homes and in ourselves. It’s easy to focus on the obvious messes, but real renewal comes from attending to the hidden, the ignored, the places we’ve let grime settle because it wasn’t in our direct line of sight.
Take the oven, for example. My grandmother never asked if I cleaned mine—she just did it. Every time she visited, she’d open it up, sigh at whatever mess had accumulated, and get to work. Back then, I saw it as one of her quirks, a fixation on something small. Now, I understand. She knew the importance of tending to the unseen, of clearing what quietly builds up over time. In her own way, she was teaching me: that true cleansing isn’t just about what’s obvious, but about caring for the spaces—both in a home and in a life—that no one else thinks to look at.
Like an oven, our inner lives collect residue—thoughts we return to that no longer serve us, worries that stick and harden over time. When left unattended, they don’t just sit there; they change the way we function, the way we experience the present moment. Just like a fish in a tank can’t thrive in murky water, we, too, need an ecosystem—both external and internal—that supports our well-being.
This spring, cleanse in layers. Clean the tangible. Clean the intangible. And start with what no one else can clean up for you.
1. Breathe
- External: Open the windows. Let fresh air in. Use scent—whether it’s citrus, mint, or a deep grounding wood—to enhance the feeling of renewal.
- Internal: Try box breathing. Inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, hold again. With each breath, practice awareness without attachment. Thoughts may come, but you don’t have to hold them. Let them pass through like air through an open room.
2. Release
- External: Let go of items that carry stagnant energy. Clothes you don’t wear, papers you don’t need, objects tied to a version of yourself you no longer are.
- Internal: Acknowledge what is unresolvable. Write it down, speak it aloud, give it a physical token—then release it. Burn it, bury it, throw it into the wind. Not as a means of forgetting, but as an act of choosing freedom.
3. Renew
- External: Bring something fresh into your space. Flowers, a new candle, a rearrangement of furniture—anything that marks a shift from what was to what is.
- Internal: Bring something new into your life. A book, a skill, a conversation, an experience. Renewal doesn’t have to be grand; it just has to be present.
4. Nourish
- External: Eat something that feels good to consume—not just in taste but in how it makes you feel after. Drink water, move your body, rest.
- Internal: Nourish your mind, heart, spirit, and social circles. Who and what fills you? What thoughts, conversations, and connections feel like deep, clean breaths? Choose more of those.
5. Glow
- External: Polish, dust, wipe down. Let surfaces gleam.
- Internal: Align your actions with your values. Give something. Share something. Be the change you wish to see, even if just in one small act. A clean space radiates energy outward—so does a clear heart.
Spring isn’t just a season; it’s an invitation. To release. To refresh. To step into the present moment with more lightness, more clarity, and more room to breathe.
And it all starts with cleaning the messes no one else can clean for you.
- EMOTE
Sarah Sevedge has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and is a licensed mental health counselor in private practice.
Disclaimer: The content provided is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as healthcare or medical information nor to diagnose or treat any disorder or condition. It does not constitute personal or professional consultation or create a therapist-client relationship.