Page 74 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2020

HEALTHY LIVING
MENTAL Spring Cleaning
story by Lynn Lofton
Spring cleaning is a tradition in our living spaces, but what about a mental spring cleaning? Can that be helpful? Cassie Slaton, a licensed clinical social worker with Singing River Health System, gives a thumbs up to the idea.
“When we hear spring cleaning, we automatically think of once
a year, when in reality, mental health is an ongoing year round approach as well as a holistic approach; everything is connected: mental/physical/nutritional health,” she said. “Spring cleaning, whatever that may look like to your home, your closet, your desk, fridge/pantry or even cluttered baggage in your mental space fogging your clarity, can and does absolutely sync to your mental health.”
She suggests becoming established with a therapist, establishing a self-care routine, or keeping self-help books at hand.
On the subject of stress, Slaton says it’s going to be present with good, bad and even no changes. “But we shouldn’t be afraid of stress. Have you ever heard the term ‘work smarter not harder?’ What I mean by this is if we can identify our triggers – whatever the cause of the stress may be – we now have the power to control how we react to it,” she said.
“Being able to identify our stressors and again provide the self- care that we need – remember we are all di erent and must nd what works for us. Some revert to exercise, others organization and rearranging daily routines (spring cleaning so to speak) as well as positive self talk.”
Getting rid of grudges may be part of mental spring cleaning. “Holding grudges can be very harmful to us mentally and physically,” Slaton said. “Holding a grudge is more about us than the other person, thing or event; it’s a personal decision. We must do the work within ourselves to get to the point of forgiveness. Once we release the tension of that grudge we are actually setting ourselves free.”
However, Slaton, who’s also a PhD student and graduate assistant at Louisiana State University, doesn’t overlook the e ect of a physical spring cleaning. “Just like anything throughout life, we function a little better when we have a clean/clear space,” she said. “How do you feel when you wake up to a sink full of dirty dishes? You wish you would have done them the night before, right? Cleaning and organizing our physical space not only assists in a sense of well-being, it’s also a form of self-care that sets your mind free to focus and give that energy to the more important things.”
TIPS
FOR MENTAL SPRING CLEANING:
• Make a date with yourself and clean/organize/declutter that ‘thing’ that’s taking up all your space and energy.
• Be active, creative and constantly setting or maintaining goals.
• Don’t be so hard on yourself! • Keep the promises you
make to yourself. It’s okay to start over or tweak them if it means you have a better chance of keeping them.
74 | March 2020
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