Seven steps for easy and painless lifestyle spring cleaning

Thursday, May 09, 2013 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: healthy living, spring cleaning, detoxification

(NaturalNews) As the ice continues to melt, the flowers start to bloom, and winter fully eclipses into spring, perhaps it is time to get your life into alignment with the changing seasons by doing a little spring cleaning of your own, both physically and emotionally. Here are seven helpful ideas to get you started on your journey to a simpler and more natural lifestyle this year:

1) Start your mornings off right with living foods. Since spring is symbolic of renewal and growth, one way to implement this theme into your diet is to start every day off right with living foods. Freshly-squeezed juices, living seeds, organic fruits and vegetables, and other raw foods are far more substantial and life-giving than many of the "dead" foods people commonly eat for breakfast. Besides their many nutritional benefits, living foods help to detoxify the body and improve the pathways through which energy and life are imparted.

2) Detoxify your thoughts. Physical detoxification is important, but so is mental detoxification. What benefits the body should also benefit the mind, and one way you can help this process along is by journaling your life. Write out all the thoughts in your head when you run into a specific problem or roadblock in life, and go back and edit it later in the day or week. By revising your own thought processes in this way, you can gradually cut out the things in your life that are holding you back or tearing you down.

3) Cleanse your living environment. They say cleanliness is next to godliness, but one thing is for sure -- messy living spaces lead to messy, unhealthy lifestyles. Take the time to clean out your closet, desk, and kitchen, for instance, and get rid of the things you no longer need or use. Not only will this de-cluttering process help bring you peace of mind, but it will also give you a fresh opportunity to simplify your life and reorganize your own life's trajectory for the better.

4) Work toward building friendships and community. Humans were made for connection, and two of the most important connections we can make in this life are friendship and community. Take some time to interact with the people in your life who matter to you, or even those whom you are merely interested in getting to know better. Give your friends and family members a call, or write them personal letters and mail them the old-fashioned way. Doing so will not only enrich your own state of being, but also help spread the love to someone who might really be needing it.

5) Clean out your pantry. If revitalizing your dietary choices has been on the agenda for some time now, why not take an entire day (or weekend) to clear out your pantry and reorganize your life around living, whole foods. Trash all the processed, preservative-laden processed foods and replace them with fresh foods, especially those that are grown locally and sustainably. Local produce in season; grass-fed meats from happy animals; and fresh, pasture-based dairy products are all excellent food choices for a healthy, well-balanced diet.

6) Learn from the past and move forward. It is easy for people to become overwhelmed by the circumstances of their pasts, especially when these circumstances have caused lasting pain, guilt, and confusion. But reorienting your mind to view the past as a learning experience for the future can help you let go of all the bad and be prepared to embrace the good. By clearing out the thoughts that damage your outlook on life today, you can help fertilize the soil of your mind to accept new states of being built upon ideas of strength, courage, confidence, and love.

7) Spend more time outdoors. Spending more time outside is beneficial for both body and mind. Besides exposing your skin to vitamin D-producing sun rays, immersing yourself in the outdoors by hiking, biking, or simply taking a long walk on a regular basis will help get your blood flowing, energize your body, and renew your spirits. Studies have actually shown that spending more time outdoors can help improve concentration, promote more rapid healing of injuries, and even make you happier overall. Be sure to spend time outside both with others and by yourself, as both states of interacting with nature are uniquely beneficial for your well-being.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.mindbodygreen.com

http://www.mindbodygreen.com

http://kriscarr.com/blog/spring-clean-your-kitchen/

http://www.health.harvard.edu