Spring Clean Your Relationships

We hear the phrase "spring clean" every year, but what exactly does it mean to spring clean? Sure, we are aware of the literal sense of cleaning, yet there is more to clean than just the house during springtime. What if we were to apply the idea of spring cleaning to more aspects of our life? For instance, our relationships?

Sometimes, in order to clean our relationships, we need to give ourselves a thorough examination as well. Instead of focusing on our actual wardrobe closets, what about focusing on our "mental closets?" Regardless if our relationships include dating, marriage, family, or friends, an annual de-cluttering of the mind helps us maintain a sense of balance and introspect. The idea is to allow ourselves to make room in our mental closets for better relationships, removing old negative thoughts that are not flattering on our bodies (or anyone's really), learning from past mistakes of so-called items that make us reflect and exclaim "what were we thinking?!"

The negative thoughts or past mistakes could be compared to fashion faux pas, per se. Holding people we have relationships with to unrealistic fantasies or expectations, or continually bombarding ourselves with counterproductive "what if..." questions, could be like those awful faux pas. Eliminating such thoughts or beliefs within our mental closet allows us to stay present in our relationships.

Reminding ourselves to live in the present keeps us realistic and honest. Enable relationships to be built upon foundations of truth, doing so helps us remain truthful to ourselves. Tossing out those unrealistic faux pas gives us the opportunity to appreciate the people in our lives for who they naturally and willingly are. Let the past stay in the past. Don't keep it on a hanger intermixed with our present mental state.

We need to inspect our mental closets for unhealthy "outfits" and let them go--so long, adios, goodbye! These unhealthy styling patterns could be previous relationships that went bust, or, frankly, individuals who did not complement our mental or physical well-being. Gather up any old judgment and baggage and deliver it to the local dump. We don't need that clutter taking up any more room in our mental space. We need to let positivity be our greatest mental accessory this year. In fact, we should make positivity our fashion "must have."

If you and your partner are going through a tough time right now, please remember to consider the usefulness of couples counseling. It can make a world of difference. Please call our office to find out more about how we can help both of you thrive.