Spring Cleaning: Mind, Body, and Soul

Blog Post By Luka Pajkovic

Spring is right around the corner; warm weather, bright colours, and the promise of summer in the distance. It is, also, the perfect time to do some tidying up!

Rolling lockdowns, travel restrictions, and general uncertainty have made the last few months more than a little difficult, so take advantage of that Spring-time excitement to de-clutter your life: mind, body, and soul.

Tidy Home

An easy way to bring a little order into life is to tidy up your living space, whether it’s your house, your apartment, or just your room; the mental health benefits of a tidy home are apparent.

They range from a decreased likelihood of depression, to increased focus and an all-around better mood. Things we could all use right about now.

One study even found that cleaning and tidying up helped people gain a sense of control during uncertain times, and reduced stress levels. Yeah, we could definitely use that right now.

Now that we’re spending more time than ever at home, there’s no better time to start de-cluttering and tidying up, because you’ll feel the effects immediately – and maybe because it’s a little harder to justify owning that many pairs of shoes nowadays.

Try to take stock of your belongings, and wherever you can, donate those items that you don’t use, and gift the clothes that have been sitting in the back of the closet a little too long, and definitely pass along those things you forgot you even owned!

Healthy Body

Our home may be our castle, but our body is our temple.

Now that we’ve turned our homes into clean and clutter-free realms of relaxation, let’s turn our attention inwards. To our stomachs, that is.

A clean diet is the perfect companion to a clean home, so lean into healthier snacks and simple, well-made dishes to help you keep fit and healthy – Spring is directly followed by Bikini Season, after all. 

Try to cut down on junk food; especially important now that exercising has become a little trickier. Instead take this extra time at home to explore some new recipes in the kitchen, and look for some healthier ways to add a little sweetness to your day.

We recommend an occasional mug of Hot Chocolate, or a dash of Chef’s Cacao Powder added to a fresh-fruit smoothie to turn on your taste buds while picking up some of dark chocolate’s many health effects.

Combine clean cooking with neighbourhood walks and bodyweight exercise routines to stay happy, healthy, and beach-ready!    

Happy Mind

By now, your spring cleaning will have already begun to have an effect on you, but we’ve got one step left: de-cluttering your mind!

We’re no strangers to stress here at Nomad Chocolate; it is far too easy to let things like work, school, and a global pandemic pile up and burn you out.  This is why it takes some real effort to minimise and cut out those unnecessary things that cause nothing more than mental strain.

Digital bombardment is a major cause of shrinking attention spans, social media addiction, and blue light pollution, all of which can damage our mental and physical health. An international health crisis also doesn’t help either when it replaces real life with digital life. 

Take advantage of your phones ability to track your screen time, and set limits for usage if you can, especially before bed.

Instead, try to pick up some creative hobbies like painting or drawing, which have been shown to relieve stress, boost communication, and prevent cognitive decline. Giving your brain a break from bite-sized stimulation does it a lot of good, and activities like journaling and meditation can help you shut out the chaos and constant information of the outside world – and while it may only be for an hour or two, your brain will thank you.