Spring Cleaning: My Mind

Spring Cleaning my mind is 50% fun and 50% draining. There are calming aspects to it such as meditating and going for walks or listening to music and then there are other aspects that take a little more out of me. For instance, if I am choosing to write about something that has been stressing me out it can either be a weight lifted or it can force me to deal with the stressor head on. If I don’t want to get too deep then maybe I will try meditating or watching a TV show or even listening to music. Read on to see my top five ways to mentally cleanse.

One of the simplest and quickest ways to clear my mind and refocus is to meditate. Now when I talk meditation it can come in many forms. Sure, there are times when I want to sit in lotus pose, in my room, in the dark, with only candles lit, and meditate but I can’t always have as dramatic of a set up. Sometimes I only have a few moments to spare when I’m on the train going to work or when I am in-between school assignments. In these moments I try to close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I think to myself “Inhale peace, exhale stress and anxiety”. For me, meditation is far more mental than anything else. If meditating on the go doesn’t work for you then I would suggest dedicating 15 minutes, either in the morning or at night before bed, to yourself for meditating. It may not seem like a lot now but those 15 minutes can make or break your mindset for the day.

Another thing that I have found helpful is music. When I’m stressed or tired or just wanting an escape I can always turn on music and completely zone out. Cleaning my mind doesn’t necessarily mean clearing it completely, however. Sometimes cleaning your mind can simply be ridding it of the background noise and making that little voice in your head shut up for a bit. The music can literally be anything that pleases you. You can listen to nature sounds (my favorite is the rain or ocean) or instrumentals, classical music, electric guitars, songs for your mood (i.e. sad songs or love songs), or inspirational songs. With music it more so rids your mind of the extra thoughts and puts you into the mindset that you choose. Sometimes that little voice in our heads can be too much for the moment.

Something new I am trying is to stay off of social media for a set period of time. When I stay off of social media it allows me to live in the moment and focus on what I have going on in my life as opposed to everyone else’s. I don’t inadvertently see anybody’s drama or any negative posts. It can be refreshing. On the other hand, sometimes when we are upset we just want and escape and social media can be tempting but does that really help whatever situation we are in? The best thing about social media is that it’s not going anywhere. Once you log back on to social media after taking a break for your 30-minute TV show or your lunch date everything will still be right there waiting for you.  Unplug. Let your mental batteries recharge every once in a while.

While you are unplugging perhaps you can take advantage of my next mind cleaning exercise and that is going outside. Now, I am a country gal so I love being outside in nature and the earth. Fresh air, sunshine, cardio, nature parks, the zoo, the beach, the park, the things to do outside are unlimited. Of course, my favorite is the beach. It’s just something about the smell of salt water in the air and the sound of the waves breaking on the shore that immediately calms me and reminds me of home. Tell me in the comments where your favorite outdoor spot is!

Lastly, when I want to clean my mind I turn to a creative outlet. It’s no surprise that I like to write but I have also been dancing ever since I was a child. Sometimes I prefer to dance out what I’m feeling because it produces a different kind of release. With writing, I have to think of words or concepts or examples to explain how I am feeling and what I am going through. When I am dancing I can completely go somewhere else and let my body move in ways dictated by the music. I don’t have to think of where to place my arm or if my feet are turned out or what I am going to do next. I just move and allow myself to be moved by the music.

It doesn’t have to be dancing or writing in order for you to mentally cleanse. It can be drawing, hoola hooping, exercise, music, writing, photography, designing, doing hair and/or makeup, science, math, blogging, making YouTube videos, whatever. If you are passionate about it and it’s what you love, do it. You will feel such a weight lifted when you are done. As with the meditation, try to give yourself 15 minutes a day for a creative release.

So, there you have it. That is how I am spring cleaning my mind. I don’t find time to do all of these things everyday but if I can fit at least one of them in per day it helps. Now if you will excuse me, I’m off to do some quick meditation. Let me know what you want me to spring clean next.

~Tea

Spring Cleaning: My Body

Be good to your body and it will be good back. 

First up on spring cleaning in my life is my body. Now I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to lose weight or anything like that. If losing weight is your goal then this is not the blog post for you. If being healthier overall and making healthier life decisions for your body is your goal then read on and welcome!

I will start by what I normally drink and what I am going to try to drink more of. I usually start my day with a cup of tea once I get to work. Lately I have been loving flavored teas such as Cranberry Apple and Peach Mango tea. I also like to mix it up and have a glass of green tea at least once a day. To give it some flavor I like drinking Green Tea with Pomegranate. I don't put any sweetener into my tea if it is already flavored. Also, I have really been trying to incorporate drinking at least 3-4 cups of water a day while I am at work because I know once I get home I am probably not going to drink that much more water.

A few other healthy alternatives that I have been loving are smoothies and juice. The great thing about smoothies is that you can make your own or you can buy them already made like Naked Juice or Odwalla or go to a restaurant and get one. With juice I try to drink real fruit juice that has little artificial sweetener because fruit has it's own sugars in it so it so it doesn't really need the added sweeteners.

Sleep is the next important thing for spring cleaning my body. On average, I usually get between 5-6 hours of sleep at night. I know this is terrible but, it is an improvement from high school and college when I averaged 4 hours of sleep per night. My goal is to get between 6-8 hours of sleep per night. I am trying to go to bed one hour earlier for now and then eventually two hours earlier which would move my "bedtime" from 2am to midnight. 

If I get tired during the day and I'm not working I try to take 15-30minute power naps. If I get tired and I am at work I stand up and stretch, walk around for 60 seconds, or grab a hot cup of peppermint tea to wake me up. But hopefully getting on a good sleep schedule will help me to not want naps anymore. 

Lastly, food! Now this is hard for me because I usually eat whatever I think tastes good (which is usually bacon, waffles, grits, sausage, and pizza). That being said, I am trying to eat better and make better decisions in that area of my life also. I feel like the warm weather is perfect for eating fresh fruit on the go or having fruits and veggies for a snack. These are probably good to do year round however, I am only tempted to do this when it's warm outside for some reason. 

The other two things I am trying to do with my food is have better portion control and not eat too late. I always eat until I think I'm going to pop. That is a terrible idea most likely. Plus I love a midnight snack right before bed. The only down side is that when I do that I don't give my body enough time to digest the food properly and it keeps me up longer tossing and turning. No Bueno. 

So there you have it. Those are all the things I'm doing to clean my body from the inside. I can do another one about exercise if anyone wants me to. I generally just do yoga or dance around in old pointe shoes if I don't just go to the gym. But if anyone wants pix and tips of that just let me know. I will talk to yall soon. Next up: Spring cleaning my mind! 

~Tea 

Update+Spring Cleaning My Life

NO MORE FINALS!! Being a student is stressful. Think about it, for people around my age we have been in school for the majority of our lives. One would think we would be used to the cycle of classes, testing, break but nope. I'm just glad to be done for the time being. To everyone still finishing up finals, good luck! 

Now that finals are over I'm so glad to be back writing on my blog. Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend Blogger Weeks networking event here in DC as well as the Brown Girl Bloggers meetup (see the hashtag #BGBMeetupDC on Twitter for tweets from that event). Both events were So much fun. Candice VanWye who organized the BGB Meetup is so knowledgable about her craft while still being insanely down to earth. It literally felt like sitting in a room full of 18 other friends just talking about what we all love to do. I can't wait until the next meetup. Until then, the BGB chats will hold me over. 

All that aside, I have been thoroughly enjoying the warmer weather that we have been having. It definitely feels like spring outside. With it being spring comes the infamous task of spring cleaning. This year, however, I want to do things a little different. 

This year I am going to "Spring Clean" my life. What I mean by that is I am going to focus not only on cleaning my apartment or any other material items. I also want to cleanse my mind, body, soul, and energy. I want to rid myself of all of the things that don't make me happy or motivate/inspire me and I want to nurture the things and people that do bring positive things into my life. 

I'll keep y'all updated on what I have going on with my spring cleaning and what I have coming up and if you want to share your own experiences, please feel free. I know the weather plus school being (almost) finished for most of us makes it feel like summer but we still have a little time. Why not use that time to prepare yourself to have the best summer of your life? Life is so much more fulfilling when we are happy. Let's clean our lives and transform our minds together! 

I have to run for now but I'll be back next week with what I'm "cleaning" first. Talk to y'all soon! 

~Tea