Spring is here, and the season for new beginnings is in full swing. We all know spring is the ideal time to clean out all of the unnecessary or unused items in our rooms, closets, cars, etc. In addition to reorganizing our homes, spring cleaning can be the perfect way to take a moment and evaluate ourselves.
You may be wondering what I mean by “evaluating ourselves.” When we evaluate ourselves, we look at various factors that make you who you are and where you are in life.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself before beginning your spring cleaning for the soul:
- How is your daily attitude and mood? Do you find yourself angry, upset, happy, etc., on most days?
- Are you where you want to be professionally? Are there career-driven goals you would like to tackle?
- Are you where you want to be with your faith? How is your relationship with God?
- Do you feel like you are prioritizing the right things in your life? Family, friends, self-love, etc.?
- Are there any bad habits or routines you would like to “clean out” of your life?
- Are you where you want to be with your mental health?
Determining where you stand with these questions can help you create a clear plan or pathway to where you want to be in life. Sometimes, life can be frustrating and carry hard-to-bear issues. Taking the time to look at what may be causing the “fog” in your life can help you figure out how to clear it.
How can you turn the self-evaluation questions into actual practices you can do? Let’s review each question to determine what kind of solution you can use to start your spring cleaning for the soul.
Daily Attitude and Mood
Whether you are struggling with feeling angry, upset, concerned, happy, etc., there is a root cause you can trace it back to. For example, if you’re feeling angry, what’s causing it? Are you getting a sufficient amount of sleep, food, physical activity, social time, personal time, and mental stimulation? A lack of any of these can have a heavy toll on our day-to-day mood. How can you improve your mood? Participate in simple activities like cooking, walking, doing a puzzle, lunch with friends, meditation, getting adequate sleep, and more.
Professional Standpoint
Whether you are a student or full-time worker, there are academic and professional goals you want to achieve or complete. Ask yourself: are you where you want to be professionally? If not, how can you change that? There are a variety of professional and academic things you can participate in to build your career and work mindset better. Research conventions, events, courses, or functions relevant to your field of study or occupation. Could participating in these activities help you build your knowledge, skills, resume, etc.?
Another way to improve your professional and academic standpoint is to establish S.M.A.R.T. goals. S.M.A.R.T. goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. Creating goals like these helps lay out a “game plan” for moving from your current position to where you want to be in your career.
Faith
Often, when things in our lives do not go our way, the first place we turn to blame is God. Putting the blame out of our hands and into God’s is easier. If you are at a place where you feel like your relationship with The Lord could use improvement, putting forth effort and time can make a significant difference. What I mean by time and effort is to take moments to talk to God, set realistic goals for building your relationship, and turn toward scripture.
Talking to God doesn’t have to be complicated. I chat with The Lord throughout the day. Taking the time to speak out my thoughts and prayers helps me feel like I’m genuinely being heard by him and lays the groundwork for our relationship. Set realistic goals for yourself, like attending service more often, practicing particular virtues you want in your life, like patience, and reading God’s word that he left for us when in doubt.
Priorities
Where do your priorities lie? Keeping your priorities straight and focusing on the things that matter can be challenging. It is easier to let yourself worry and stress about things that may be insignificant when compared to the bigger picture. For example, I frequently have a bad habit of prioritizing what others think of my hair, makeup, clothing, etc. In reality, I should appreciate the fact that I have the opportunity to be who I want to be and how I want to look. So, if you struggle with focusing on the wrong things, take a step back to look at the bigger picture.
Habits and Routines
I think we’ve all heard, “Old habits die hard.” It’s true. Old or bad habits or routines can be challenging to eliminate. Sometimes, bad habits can interfere with our emotional and physical lives. It’s essential to clear out the things in our lives that are hindering us from excelling or doing well. Don’t worry, though. Getting rid of bad habits or routines doesn’t have to be done all at once. It is much more effective and easier to take it one step at a time. Remember that everything takes time.
Mental Health
Although it may not seem so, mental health is equally important as physical health. Your mental health can affect your ability to do tasks, work quality, behavior, and more. Ultimately, mental health can affect all of the other focal points throughout this article.
The most important part of maintaining your mental health is asking for help when needed. Only you can truly determine whether or not your mental health changes.
If you are struggling with your daily attitude, professional standpoint, faith, priorities, habits, or mental health, Crossroads Counseling is here to help. From Christian counseling to life coaching, we are here to listen and work with you through life’s journeys. For more information on our available services, contact us today.
