If the winter has left you feeling a little dusty and like you need to brush off those cobwebs, then we hear you. We feel it too! The spring equinox, when we’re officially on day one of spring, is 20th March. So whilst our thoughts started turning to spring cleaning our homes, we also got thinking about how to spring clean our minds. 

It might sound a little unusual, after all, we’re unlikely to be able to get anywhere near our brains with a feather duster. But it’s all too easy to allow ourselves to make negative thoughts our dominant thoughts, which can then cloud who we feel about ourselves, how productive we are and how motivated we feel.  

Clearing away these negative thoughts and reframing the way we think can therefore help us improve how we feel, our productivity and our motivation. And there’s no better time to do it, than springtime, the time of fresh, new beginnings. So here’s some tips for spring cleaning your mind…

• It might feel like you’re in a bit of a vicious cycle when it comes to exercise, but exercising, even though it tires us out, actually makes us more alert, with a better memory and ability to be present and attentive. So keeping up with your OYG plan will help both your body and your mind feel good. 
• Similarly, making healthy food choices will help to support your cognitive function by ensuring that you’re getting all the right nutrients, including certain vitamins and minerals that can be lacking from processed and fast foods. 
• Waking up feeling refreshed after a good nights’ sleep is one of the best ways to feel motivated to make healthy choices. Healthy choices help to support both a healthy body and a healthy mind, but feeling tired and groggy won’t help. So follow our tips on getting good quality sleep to help you wake feeling positive. 
• A busy life sure can feel overwhelming at times, so minimising the stress we experience will help to calm and declutter our minds. Our tips on overcoming stress have proven popular with many OYG Warriors, so why not see how they may help you? 
• Try living more mindfully, by practicing mindful meditations. Being mindful doesn’t mean completely emptying your mind of all thoughts, as this is near impossible. Instead, it means accepting thoughts as they drift though our practice, and letting them pass on their way. 
• Rest is crucial to our survival, and it doesn’t just mean at bedtime. Resting whilst watching a favourite programme, reading or catching up with a friend is crucial for managing those cobwebs. 
• Finally, never be without a list! We love list making here at OYG, because by keeping a note of all that we need to do means that we don’t need to juggle with our memory to make sure we remember it all. And we’re less likely to miss something important. Keep a notebook and pen close by and jot down things as they come into your mind. Your mind will be a lot clearer for it!