How to Cleanse You
1. Let go of negative relationships. No matter what you are going through in life, happy times, sad times, prosperous times, times of hardship, you need to surround yourself with positive people. They are the ones that will help you reach your goals and help you to see the good around you. Sometimes, we hold onto those negative relationships out of a sense of commitment or responsibility, but there is no law or ethical agenda that says this is necessary. Everybody is better off when the relationships in their lives bring about healing and love.
2. Get rid of the shoulds. I know I've shared this mantra before, but it is worth repeating. You are a human BEing . . . not a human DOing. Should is a shaming word. When you say, I should scrub the toilet, or I should run an extra mile today, you are adding a sense of shame to the activities that you do. You CHOOSE how you spend your time. I am not saying that you should stop adulting. I am saying that you should make decisions based on what fulfills you the most. If cleaning the toilet is what you want to do, then go do it. If you want to wait until Saturday to clean the toilet, I promise it will still be there. If it's not, then you have a way bigger problem than shoulding.
3. Throw out anything you haven't used in the past year. If you're like me, you accumulate things: shoes, purses, coffee mugs, stray dogs, other people's Tupperware. If you haven't worn it, used it, or returned it in the past year, it's time to purge. Donate it to Goodwill, load up the car with the stuff you borrowed or that got left in your refrigerator at the last BBQ, and take it away from your house. Don't do this with your dogs, by the way. That's just plain cruel. You can keep them.
4. Make a weekly to do list for cleaning. Remember that should thing? Here's a way to get around that. Make a list of cleaning essentials that you will accomplish during the week. I like to spread mine out over the weekdays so that my weekends are free. Some people like to do all of their household chores on Saturday mornings so that they can start off their weekends with a sense of accomplishment. No matter how you do it, the list will give you a sense of accomplishment as you tackle tasks, and it really does keep your environment cleansed of extra buildup and junk.
5. Meditate daily. We also get clutter in our brains in our spirits. As humans, it is difficult to let go of the stressors that surround us. If you are particularly empathetic, it may also be difficult to let go of feelings and emotions even if they are not part of your own experience. The practice of meditation is a great way to wash away the thoughts and emotions that are no longer serving us. Don't get me wrong. Feeling emotions is essential to keeping us healthy and emotionally well, but we do not need to hold onto negative feelings or energies. Feel and release.
So, there you go. It's summertime. The time of year most of us take a break. Take some time to cleanse and renew before the season is over.