It’s Springtime: Refresh and Renew Your Body, Mind and Spirit

Each year, the Spring season can breathe new life into people who’ve endured long cold gloomy winters. Depending on your location, you may have garbed yourself in thermal pullover shirts and pants, bulky overcoats, boots and gloves for longer than you care to remember. Maybe at home you kept your lined drapes closed most of each day to repel drafts and wind chills. Maybe you woke up most mornings seeing extended hours of darkness and got that blah feeling.

Starting in late March or early April, you may enjoy more rainy days than snowy ones and longer hours of sunlight and warmer temperatures. Be careful though as it may give a false sense of comfort that the winter effect is done for the year. Don’t pack away your winter gear just yet.

Let’s talk about the jubilation that the hint of seeing green grass and budding flowers once again can give. Things around you are coming to life, and so should you. When you do your Spring cleaning of your home--you know, the dreaded dusting, mopping and swapping out your seasonal decorations--you should do a Spring cleaning of yourself. Keep reading for a multitude of things you can do to refresh and recharge your mind, body and spirit. But don’t wait for Spring, you can do this any time.

Look at your finances and make a plan to put more money into savings, 401K and other safe investments. Work on paying off your credit balances and weening yourself away from using high-interest credit cards for small everyday purchases. Credit lenders do the math to have you making the lowest possible monthly payments on huge balances. What you may not realize is that the bulk of your payments go toward interest with only a small portion paying down principal. This means if you only pay according to their recommendation, you'll continue being indebted to them for years and possibly decades.

Look at your relationships with friends and family and make sure you’re setting aside enough time to bond with them. Look at your romantic relationship and make sure you’re giving your partner enough attention and compliments. Or if you're in an unhealthy abusive relationship, make a plan to safely escape and end it. If you don’t have a romantic relationship and want one, figure out places to go and things to do to connect with single eligible potential partners.

Go through your closets and look at your wardrobe. Discard clothes that have apparent rips, holes or stains. Consider donating gently used clothes that you no longer want to charity. Look at fashion magazines to see what’s in style for the year. Pack away clothes, shoes and accessories that are sorely out of style and replace them with budget-friendly fashionable ones. Visit thrift stores, flea markets and quaint boutiques to find unique purses and jewelry that show off your personality.

Stand in front of a mirror and look at your hair. Do you like the length, style and color? If you want a drastic change, consider going from long hair to a short pixie cut or bald head. If you have short hair and want to add length, look at hair magazines, choose a style and speak with a stylist about adding extensions or weave or selecting a wig. Just a side note, when buying wigs and hair pieces, please by all means splurge and invest in good-quality realistic-looking ones, preferably human hair. Those cheap stiff synthetic wigs sold at discount stores tend to look like rugs or animal carcasses.

If you want to keep your natural hair the same length, try styling it differently with ponytails, waves, braids or twists or blowing it out into an afro. Try adding cute decorative accessories to your hair, such as beads, claw clips to hold an updo in place or a plastic headband to pull your hair away from your face. If your hair color is dark, consider having it lightened to a flattering shade of red. If your hair is greyer than you’d like, consider having it darkened with a semi-permanent rinse.

If you have excessive facial hair, such as a pronounced beard, mustache or a unibrow, speak with an electrologist or esthetician for laser treatments or waxing and threading removal treatments. Dermatologists can help with facial hair removal as well as treating acne, eczema and other skin conditions. Be careful of using over-the-counter remedies because they may irritate your skin and make it worse. Check into hypoallergenic products for dry or sensitive skin.

Experiment with new hair shampoos and conditioners, body soaps and washes, perfumes, lotions, body oils and makeup. Big-box merchandise stores have entire sections dedicated to these products so you can pamper yourself for relatively low cost. There’s no need to go to high-end themed cosmetic stores and pay top dollars just to tell people you use brand products promoted by your favorite celebrities. Celebs stay in the business partly by selling their merchandise at exorbitant prices, which doesn't guarantee that the quality is good.

Take advantage of warm days by getting outside and walking around your neighborhood or at a metro park. Go to a gym, put on your headphones playing your favorite music and walk on the treadmill or ride a stationary bicycle. Exercise is not only good to maintain a healthy heart and weight; it gets your blood circulating and keeps your muscles and joints limber. Start a club by calling up some friends and planning workout sessions at each others' homes at least weekly. You can dance and do aerobics with instructors on videos or make up your own routines. Enroll in yoga classes, which experts say is great for enhancing strength, flexibility and balance while controlling stress, anxiety and chronic pain.

Consider your food choices and which unhealthy sugary, salty and starchy foods you can remove from your diet and replace with nutritious healthy choices. Speak with your family doctor or a licensed dietician for nutritional advice, or do your own research at the library or at home on the internet. Think outside your comfort zone and try vegetables you’ve never tried before, or try cooking your routine foods differently by baking, steaming or air-frying them instead of deep frying them in oil. Experiment with new recipes and get your family and friends in on the fun.

Last but certainly not least, consider your mental health. Find ways to relax and reduce stress. Try listening to meditation music with comforting sounds such as ocean waves, thunderstorms or bird whistles. Or listen to songs and instrumentals by your favorite recording artists. Set up a quiet comfy area where you can read magazines and books about topics that interest you. Ask people to recommend shows you may enjoy on television and through streaming services.

Practice other ways to reduce mental stress, such as smiling to deescalate tense situations that could turn out negatively. Buy yourself flowers once a week and put them in a beautiful vase to brighten your space. The possibilities are endless. Just stay optimistic and think positively. Even if you choose not to change one thing about yourself, always tell yourself positive affirmations. What’s important is that you love yourself.

Written by Lady T