Don’t expect me to post tips about how to make Spring Cleaning fun. As someone with a bad back, Spring Cleaning is not exactly my idea of having fun as it involves quite a bit of risk and effort from my part! Having said that, there is one part of the Spring cleaning process that I do enjoy tremendously and that is Spring Decluttering!

Spring Decluttering is an inherent part of Spring Cleaning, as one goes hand in hand with the other. Spring is perhaps the best time of the year to get into the decluttering process full blast! You are tired of the Winter blues, Spring is smiling at you, and your energy levels are rising again. So here you go! Best time to tackle that mountain of clutter as ruthlessly or as joyfully as you wish! It is all a matter of perception after all…

Spring Decluttering is perhaps the best motivation to achieve a thorough Spring Cleaning and to make it an exceptionally satisfying process too. Getting rid of the old ‘stuff’ both literally and virtually and replacing it with something new that will elevate your spirit to new levels is definitely worthwhile in my book!

Get to know your ‘why’

To achieve your goal, you need to first be crystal clear about why you want to do this and what you want to achieve. To make the whole process productive and enjoyable you need to start from a solid starting point which relates to your wants and needs and the values behind them.

Why do you want to declutter your space? What do you want to achieve with that? What will the result offer you that will bring a change that in turn will bring you closer to satisfying and fulfilling deep seated and/or long held wants and needs? What will you be able to afford, enjoy, take pleasure in by undertaking this task? What will replace –or not- the clutter and how that will make you happier and/or improve your quality of life?

If you do it only ‘just because’ you have to do it, it will most likely be experienced like one more chore and not something to enjoy and find satisfaction in. If you declutter and Spring clean your space with a very clear goal in mind, one that has heart and meaning for you, chances are that it will be an enjoyable process you will want to repeat.

Decluttering begins before clutter accumulates

The process of decluttering is not just about getting rid of old ‘junk’, but about changing one’s attitude and values towards consumerism. About moving from mindless buying, to conscious and eclectic purchasing. About picking only what is meaningful, useful and necessary, beautiful, satisfying and high quality.

About getting away from short term buying habits and thinking more long term, as for example instead of buying three cheap, poor quality t-shirts, buying one, good quality, more expensive one. It is about honoring and valuing who you are and what you deserve.

About putting attention and intention where it is due. About creating a space for yourself and your family that will support your goals and wishes, your well-being and happiness. A space that will be enjoyable to live and function in, effectively and effortlessly. A space that serves you and not the other way around.

Taking your power back from ‘stuff’

Think about it for a moment, so many of us spend so much of our time trying to ‘tame’ our ‘stuff’. The usual reasons being:

1. a) Too much ‘stuff’
2. b) Not the right or enough storage for that ‘stuff’
3. c) Not knowing what to do with all that ‘stuff’
4. d) Not being aware of how we came to accumulate all that ‘stuff’.

‘Stuff’ rules our lives, takes up our time, our space and we end up being enslaved to it. Crazy stuff right? Isn’t it time to reverse that trend? To take over and get our power back? Time to set out the rules about what we allow into our space and be clear about the why, the purpose? Time to cut down on the superfluous and excuses and building up on real wants and needs and take action?

Focus on quality, meaning, beauty and utility

The best way to go about it is to take things up a notch. Move away from quantity and towards quality. Away from mindless buying and towards more conscious consumerism. Away from instant gratification and towards more substantial and long term goal achievement and satisfaction.

Living clutter free is a state of mind, an attitude and philosophy towards life in general. It is not about minimalism, Zen or living in a clinical environment. It is not about starving ourselves from sensual pleasures, depriving ourselves from the fun and color of joyful living.

It is all about knowing exactly what has heart and meaning for us, what brings us joy, what makes us happy, what we love and enjoy from an aesthetic point of view and knowing what are our deeper wants and needs and the goals we want to achieve.

Spring cleaning is what you make of it. It can be anything from a simple story of brooms, wash cloths and detergents to a whole different experience that can change your way of looking at life, yourself, your space and what you want out of it.

So, what do you want?

Emmanuelle Stathopoulos is the soul behind Inner Dream To Outer Form – Life & Space Redesign. Using Environmental and Design Psychology as well as Coaching principles and techniques, she helps her clients create the space that best answers their wants and needs.

Services:

• LIFE REDESIGN – Personal Coaching
• SPACE REDESIGN – Space Coaching:

1. Private or Business Space Evaluation & Consulting
2. De-cluttering
3. Moving – Downsizing
4. Functional – Ergonomic Space Assessment
5. Home Staging
6. Design Briefs
7. Client/Realtor – Client/Designer Mediation

www.innerdreamtoouterform.com

It’s important to routinely check your animals for ticks, particularly if you live in high-risk areas or have recently visited one. Vets have access to a reliable blood test so if your vet suggests testing for Lyme, it’s a good idea. Dogs can be vaccinated against Lyme disease, but the vaccine is relatively new and somewhat controversial. Common symptoms include arthritis (sudden lameness), pain, fever, lack of appetite, dehydration, inactivity and swollen lymph nodes and joints. Lyme disease in cats is rare, but not unheard-of. Lyme disease is also very common in horses. Some studies show that 50% of horses in high-risk areas will contract Lyme disease over their lifetime. Horses are at a higher risk than other animals because ticks often go unnoticed. It’s difficult to accurately diagnose animals with Lyme disease. Be sure to follow-up with your vet right away if your pet’s condition doesn’t improve.

What if you could increase your child’s IQ with nutrition? Inhabitants of a tiny island off the coast of Japan have the highest IQ scores in the world and produce seven times as many geniuses as any other place in the world. Seniors living there don’t seem to struggle with cognitive decline either. The secret: DHA, an essential fatty acid found in fish, krill, squid and some algae. The brain is made mostly of fat, 60% of which is DHA. DHA is found in mother’s milk and has long been recognized as aiding IQ scores in children. Almost everyone nowadays is deficient in DHA. This may be one of the reasons for the increased rates of ADHD, learning disabilities and autism as well as increasing rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related cognitive problems.

Dr. Anke Zimmermann, ND, drzimmermann.org

In May, we honour mothers on a special day but know in our hearts that we need to honour their shaping of our lives all year long. Quite often it was mom that planned the budgets for clothes and food while dad took care of other expenses. Mom helped us decided whether the birthday money should be spent or saved for a specific item. It was mom who wanted us to be good to ourselves – especially when we left home to find our way in the world. She wanted us to make sure we met our basic expenses like rent, hydro, phone and groceries before the concerts, eating out and the latest of everything. Mom placed ‘needs’ above ‘wants’ and we should do the same. How often do you puzzle over a spending decision and think back to advice from Mom? Or better yet, do you call her?

Doris Minervini, Abakhan & Associates Inc., Abakhan.com

We have two parts to our mind, the conscious mind, and the subconscious mind. The conscious part of our mind makes up 5-10% of our potential mind power. Our subconscious makes up 90 to 95% of our potential mind power, where our core values and belief systems stem from, where creativity and emotions are generated, and where long term memories are stored. Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic tool that uses hypnosis and allows the conscious mind and the subconscious mind to work together to use all the potential power of your mind to achieve goals, change unwanted behaviors and beliefs, and resolve inner conflicts. Hypnosis allows direct access to the subconscious and can alter unwanted or outdated beliefs which results in positive changes physically, mentally and emotionally. It is imperative to change or alter what is in our subconscious mind, or understand it in order to facilitate positive, lasting change.

Scott Metcalf, C.H.t, RCCH, ABeautifulMindHypnotherapy.com

Do you want to communicate better with someone? When we are clear with ourselves and others, our relationships can thrive. But clear communication is not always easy! We can feel attacked, defensive, hurt, overwhelmed, enraged, or shut down. We don’t always feel heard, or know what we want. So much happens when we try to talk. Couples often find some discussions tricky. And it’s not always clear what the issue is. Is it the dirty kitchen or is it about getting respect? Is it sex or is it about making an emotional connection? Or both? The different interpretations can create friction. Is your communication working for you? Counselling can help you say what you want and feel heard. Good communication can improve your trust in yourself and in your relationship. Counselling provides a safe and non-judgmental place to find ways to communicate more effectively.

Mary Munro, MaryMunro.ca