The era of spring cleaning is upon us, and although the first thing that comes to mind is cleaning our houses or tech devices, we must remember to cleanse our personal lives as well.

You may think that the act of cleaning your personal life means cleaning your homes, but not exactly. Cleaning your actual life goes deeper than just cleaning out your personal spaces. Spring cleaning your personal life will allow you to think about those things you never would’ve thought about cleaning out before.

If you’re looking to clean out some things in your personal life, keep reading for the six ways provided that you can do so!

1. Clean out toxic people

This has been discussed before in past posts, but it’s important to clear out the toxic people that are taking up space in your life. It doesn’t just have to be toxic people either, but anyone who is no longer serving a purpose in your life. This is one of the hardest thing to do for some because some of those people include the ones you love the most. It’s hard to let those people go, but when you realize they’re toxic or no longer serve the person you are now, then it must be done so room can be made for those who belong.

2. Donate old shoes and clothes

As someone who loves cute shoes and clothes, and is currently struggling with getting rid of them (especially my shoes), this is something that I need to do as well. It’s easy for us to keep clothes or shoes we barely wear or haven’t even worn yet for whatever reason because those items are so cute! It’s also easy for us to hold on those old clothes that we think mean a lot to us, yet they sit in the back of the dresser or the closet aging day by day. Getting rid of your old clothes and shoes makes space, which allows you to breathe in a sense and gives you the opportunity to see what you have to work with.

3. Throw away and replace old makeup

Somthing that I’m currently working on is the habit of throwing away and replacing old makeup. Makeup costs a lot, so it’s being done little by little, but it’s getting done. Makeup is something that goes on your face, and using old makeup could very well be the cause of any skin issues you may be having. I know that some of us have that bottle of mascara or even a beauty blender that we’re so attached to, but it’s time to let it go and replace it. That mascara has probably been dry for months and there are probably some very disgusting things going on inside of your old beauty blender. Let these things go and you’ll feel so much better.

4. Throw away or donate old/unused journals and books

Some things that have become very common lately are journaling and reading self help books. You purchase and gather all of these books just for time to pass, dust to collect, and for you to realize that those books have yet to be touched after all of this time. On the flip side, maybe you do have books you’ve read but they’ve been neglected once finished. Clean out any books or journals that you no longer need, align with, care for, or anything of the sort. Sometimes we also purchase these things for the aesthetic, but just end up wasting space. Donate those books and make space for materials you’ll actually read and enjoy.

5. Toss out negative thoughts and beliefs

To clean your personal life also means to clean out your mind that’s clogged with those negative thoughts and beliefs. If you look into the minds of some people that mostly keep a negative mindset, they would probably look the same as the house of a hoarder. The old negative thoughts and beliefs stay while getting built up with new ones. I’m not saying that there won’t be moment’s where negative thoughts creep in your mind, however, you must throw them out like you do the plate that’s been sitting in your room for a couple of days.

6. Cancel or give yourself a timeframe to cancel your gym membership

When you think of the new year, the two words that come to mind the most are…gym membership. In the beginning of the year, everyone is rushing to sign up for gym memberships and begin working on their resolution of getting healthy for the thousandth year in a row. The thing about that is, those memberships are maybe used a few times when they’re fresh, and then the hype or consistency instantly dies down. If you fall into that group, I understand because I fell in that category as well. I had my gym membership for a year and only went a handful of times before I finally canceled it. I know we want that membership in case you finally “make that breakthrough”, but there’s no need in keeping something that’s not useful to you in this moment while taking money out of your pocket. If you’re hesitant about canceling it right away, give yourself a timeframe to start going back consistently. If you don’t meet that timeframe, then you have to cancel it.

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Cleaning out your personal life is just as important as cleaning your home, car, or even office space. In fact, I believe that it should be the first thing you begin working on and it may help you feel free and ready to take on the rest of those spring cleaning chores!

Have you thought about spring cleaning your personal life?