Spring Cleaning: 5 Tips for Empaths

​Welcome to Spring! A time for new growth and renewal! People often associate spring with cleaning or shedding what is no longer helpful in this season. 

If you resonate as an Empath, you already know that you are highly sensitive to people's energy, but did you realize that you're also sensitive to objects and things like clutter? 

I am coming to you as a reformed messy, and cluttered person. As a kid, it made my parents crazy that my room was unkempt. Once I got to my first college dorm, it was a permanent disaster zone--clothes strewn everywhere, constantly junk all over my desk, garbage cans overflowing, the works. No wonder I hardly got any studying done while I was there! 

---

​Now that I've matured and am much more aware of energy, I can see the error of my ways. I never liked cleaning for the sake of cleaning, but once I understood the energetic drain that messes caused, I was much more apt to clean up after myself. 

Nowadays, I consider my home to be my sanctuary. Sometimes I don't even want to leave because the energy of the space is so peaceful and relaxed. Our homes should be the refuge from the outside world. We should always strive to feel safe and comfortable within our homes. We all deserve a space that is calm, tranquil, and soothing. 

Start Somewhere

​It's easier to keep organized once it's done, but it can be overwhelming to get started! I recommend starting in the spaces and places you frequent most or that cause you the most emotional distress. 

Starting with little things that are easy to do without too much thought, like throwing out trash and picking items up off the floor, can help get the ball rolling. 

Rome wasn't built in a day, nor was the mess or the clutter you're trying to tackle. So don't try and attack it all in one sitting. That's enough to make anyone go crazy. 

Start Small

Start small and pick one section of space to organize at a time, either a shelf, a cabinet, or a drawer. It's encouraging to see progress in each area, and this way, it's easier not to get overwhelmed. Before you know it, enough small spaces will turn into one larger clean space!

Set a Timer

You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish in 5, 10, or even 15 minutes if you set a timer and go for it! Setting a timer can help to know that it's a set duration and that there is an end to the task. Setting a timer won't have to worry about looking at a clock; you can trust that the clock will tell you when you can stop and take a break. Once you've hit your allotted time, you take a break, reset, and decide if you'd like to keep going and set another timer or continue at another time. You may find that each space only needs a few minutes of your attention! 

Don't Procrastinate

​If it takes less than a minute, go ahead and do it now! There are so many minute tasks that add up if we don't do them at the moment. For example, have you ever just thrown a jacket on a chair or couch instead of hanging it up? Have you ever left the dishes in the sink to do later instead of rinsing them off? Have you ever just left something on the counter instead of throwing it away? These are legitimately all things that I have done previously, but it took much more time and effort to complete after the fact.

If you're walking across the house, don't waste a trip! If you see something that needs to go where you're going, grab it and move it on your way! Doing small things at the moment will make fewer things to do later. 

Find Inspiration

Over the past few years, there has been a new crop of television reality shows based around cleaning and organizing. While it sounds dull on the surface, I enjoyed watching how professionals tackle these problems and what their next-level solutions are. I have enjoyed and learned from shows like The Home Edit (Netflix), Marie Kondo (Netflix), and Hot Mess House (HGTV). 

Once you've seen how much transformations affect a space, it may inspire you as well! These shows also give practical tips for how to clean up and store random items as well. I also enjoy following organizers on visual platforms like Instagram and Tiktok to keep giving me consistent encouragement and new ideas! 

I'll be sharing a few more blogs on the topic of Spring Cleaning including clutter and room-by-room break downs of what you can do to help the energetic feel in each room! I can't wait to hear how you apply these tips and tricks and turn your home in your own sanctuary! 

Love,
​Arielle Sterling