Boost your Energy with a little Spring Clean(se)

Do you know this feeling of restlessness and tension once the first crocuses have put their tiny violet heads through the moldered earth? It´s the first sights of spring, the annual rebirth of nature with its strong power to release and renew. How can we best use this fresh energy? It´s time to boost our energy with a little spring cleanse.

Clean or Cleanse?

Both terms “cleanse” as well as “clean” mean in general “to remove all dirt or harmful substances from something”. Whereas clean is more used to for the act of tidying up or washing, cleanse often has a double meaning, not only relating to a clean surface, but also to the inside, e.g., “clean body and mind”.

Detox days or ayurvedic cleanses can help free the body from toxic substances incorporated through unhealthy food and lack of motion. Spring cleaning on the other hand, leads to a tidy and clean home space, which also has a high impact on your well-being and energy level.

The magic of Spring Cleaning

Not only the ancient tradition of Feng Shui, the teaching of wind and water, has the objective to bring men, space and environment in unison. Spring cleaning has a long tradition also in our Western society. The act of cleaning the surfaces, does not only help to free our space from clutter, dust and dirt, but also helps to free the mind from old thoughts and patterns and reactivate new energy.

The Yogic tradition as well as the Chinese Feng Shui prationeers knew how indispensable a neat and clear space is to freshen the energy and invigorate new life force, called Qi.

Invite new Qi into your space

The life force Qi likes to flow freely. Everything which blocks Qi has to be removed. Dust, dirt, clutter as well as too many objects or furniture which block the free flow of Qi. A thorough and deep clean helps to restructure your space. But how will the new energy get in? The Qi has to be “invited into the space”, so not only in times of Corona it is advisable to widely open up the windows and let fresh air in. As Qi is fluid, it will also enter the space through large windows, but only if they are not dirty or blocked with clutter.

Don´t look at the mess – just get started

It can be overwhelming looking around your space and consciously noticing all the dark spots and hidden energy robbers. The trick is to just start. Start in one corner and work yourself through.

Over the last couple of weeks, the surfaces of our kitchen drawers had become a mess. Invoices, pens, duct tape, were mixed up in between the toaster, the fruit platter and the coffee machine. It´s not that we have too less space, we have too many. There is so much space, that you really have to make an effort to keep it clean, otherwise the first thing will stay on top and then the next and so on and so on.

I started in one corner of the kitchen, where we had stored the working utensils for our daughters homeschooling sessions. She´s back in school for two weeks now, so it´s time to remove them. Ahh, what a relief – two boxes of pens and papers were cleared out. I continued my way through and above the drawers, throwing away papers, outdated pralines, burnt down candles and other tiny objects. After I had cleared one meter of space, I cleaned it with a sponge and lemon water.

After two hours I was completely exhausted. But the kitchen space looked so neat and clean, that I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day (continued this morning). I know there are more dark spots in our house, and I will go after them, bit by bit and one step at a time. (Also read: “Your greates obstacle is your biggest chance”)

3 Easy steps for a deep clean

1. Get started!

Assign a certain area as project of the day and start.

2. Don´t think twice, if your first intent is to throw stuff away, do it.

E.g. tiny little objects, Christmas cards from relatives, old cookies, games with missing parts.

3. Don´t stop before you have finished.

Try to work yourself through, even if you’re running out of time or, more likely, mood: Nothing is more discouraging as an unfinished project.

Now lean back and enjoy! Even though you might physically be exhausted after your spring clean, you will immediately feel the satisfaction and boost of fresh energy into space and mind.