Environmental Care vs. Minimalist Living. How to Care For Yourself at Home.

I have a house, a partner, two children, and I have run a brick-and-mortar business for the last 4 years, three of which have been during a global pandemic and currently looming recession. 

So sometimes my house is a mess. Well--often my house is a mess. 

But don’t worry, this is not a blog that is going to tell you that you should clean more. I mean, if you love to clean then I love that for you, but I don't love to clean and I don't find all that much satisfaction from cleaning things in my home. 

However,  I love looking around my home and seeing colors, decorations, and items that I find beautiful, interesting, or relaxing. In fact, I learned long ago that I very much need to love my surroundings, and that was part of my self-care plan. But I needed to define the sensation and feelings I get when I take stock of the things around me and how they affect my mood, energy, and creativity. 

Enter my theories about environmental care. 

What exactly is environmental care, and why should you learn about it?  Well in the Sunlight Self-Care world, environmental care is the deep connection to your surroundings and the items in your surroundings.  It is the acknowledgment that what is around you affects your mindset, mood, and mental health.  And self-care, as a core concept, is here to support the well-being of those things.

So let’s talk about spring cleaning.

Lol, no, don’t panic. It isn’t what you think.  

Ask yourself, what tangible things in your life affect how you see the world, how you are able to make clear and joyful decisions, and how you are able to love yourself and your significant people.  The things that make this easier, calmer, more fulfilling—keep those things. Things that feel like chaos, struggle, or obligation: well you can let those go. Clean them out. Donate them. Keep the things that make you feel good, let go of the things that don’t.

So where do we start?

In a future blog, we will cover how your environment can help you level up your life, and there are lots of books that talk about this, like Rachel Rodgers’ We Should All Be Millionaires.  But first, we need to get a hold of what we already have.

So we will start with Marie Kondo.  Maybe you’ve read her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, but some of what we talk about here are based on her concepts.  Specifically the concept of items you have in your house sparking joy inside you.  Now, this has long been a concept for yoga practitioners as we discuss the idea of Saucha, or cleanliness of all things, in our lives.  

But Kondo’s idea that your surroundings should spark joy is one thing we should consider.  I don’t think you need to get rid of the bulk of your things as she suggests, but we should find joy and meaning in the things that surround us.  Because honestly, that is just staggeringly better for our mental health.  If we have too many things and we cannot manage them all; you can consider getting rid of some, so as to appreciate the things you do have and bring you joy.  But don’t stress out, just start by taking stock of your surroundings and the items you have.

And I think this starts with the idea of a 10-minute tidy.

Most days I try to tidy my home for 10 minutes.  This isn’t often deep cleaning, because if you remember I dislike that, but it is putting things back where they belong, getting rid of items that I no longer need, and finding some enjoyment in my surroundings.  

The rule:  I only do it for 10 minutes.  I use a timer, and when it buzzes then it is a hands-up full stop.  Maybe I didn’t quite get everything done, but the good news is that it will be there tomorrow when I come back.  Those 10 minutes are a love letter to myself.  A dedication to my present and future self.  Those 10 minutes help me remember that I am actively building the life I want to be living.  

How can this simple act of working on a tidy house affect you?  There is a lot of data that suggests your environment drastically affects your mood and mental health in general. But also, if you are in the middle of a life shift, shifting your surroundings can be the catalyst for changing other aspects of your life. 

Are you looking to level up? Maybe you can't get the wardrobe or couch you really want, but you can upgrade your sheets a bit, or even just snag a new pillowcase or tea that makes you feel grand. These small shifts make an overall picture of more nurturing self-care.

Environmental care is one aspect of self-care in a whole ecosystem of care practices that can make a great impact on our lives.  Spring is often when we talk about caring for our surroundings, and now is a great time to reassess what in your surroundings makes you feel nourished and cared for.  

If you want to know more about this grab our FREE Spring Awakening Challenge here.  Live calls are April 2nd-April 7th, 2023.  Replays are always available.