Spring (Emotional) Cleaning Part 1 - Anxious? Talk It Out!

Spring is here! A time for new life, growth and cleansing. 

This need not happen only in the outside world around us – we can also go within and use this time with intention to let new ideas and healthy habits and routines take root and cleanse that which no longer serves us. Spring cleaning isn’t just about organizing the man shed (or she shed) or the sock drawer, it’s a great time for a mental reprioritization and clean-out as well. What matters most to you? What are your goals? Where are you falling short? Or maybe it’s as simple as - How are you feeling? Time to take stock. Just like the flowers in our gardens, now is a time for growth. And gardens need tending to in order to grow! So let’s make a point to tend to our inner lives and inner world this spring.

As we look forward, one of the main issues my clients have brought up during this most challenging winter - and continue to bring up - is a feeling of being overwhelmed, anxious and stuck. We’ve all been working and living in such small pandemic bubbles so these feelings seem nearly inevitable. The lack of connection, the lack of travel, the lack of adventure. Missing family and friends, missing milestones. Is it any wonder we feel stuck? These feelings easily give way to overwhelm and anxiety. For many of us, the walls have been closing in. Some have lost jobs, some have lost relationships. We are being tested – often in tight quarters without our usual coping mechanisms and community connections - in a way that we have never been before.

So how do we reset this spring? How do we begin to thrive and grow, instead of just survive?

While any google search on anxiety will tell you to get enough sleep, exercise daily, and limit alcohol, which are all obviously important, there is one simple, actionable step that I have found through personal experience and through the experiences of my clients that can help tremendously…

TALK IT OUT.

If you feel like someone is irritated with you, bring it up! If you aren’t sure what your boss is thinking of your performance, ask! If your partner seems distant, dig in and open up! If you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed, talk to someone! Whether it’s a trusted friend, family member, co-worker or coach (ahem!), sometimes just talking can be the release, the relief, the reminder, or the catalyst for growth we need.

We all have blindspots, we all have moments of misinterpretation. In the age of emails, Zoom and text communication, I have felt this anxiety and uncertainty with friends and colleagues countless times. Silence and rumination only gave my worst-case-scenario fears legs, but I find that the more I speak up - the more I talk it out with an open mind and heart - the more I realize that it (whatever “it” is), is often in my head. Half the time the person just forgot to respond to my text or was juggling 12 things and just shot back a quick (albeit curt!) reply. This also goes for the times when you doubt yourself on your quality and pace of work. If you feel like you aren’t meeting your company's expectations, imposter syndrome kicks in big time. This is a great time to ask the boss for a quick chat. If the person you are feeling anxious about is near, invite them out for a safe and socially-distanced drink or coffee (if you are able), and have that much-needed human interaction we have all been lacking for the past year.

Speaking up, speaking directly, and speaking our truth can relieve lots of anxious moments in life. While it can sometimes feel like a big step, once you have spoken you then know where you stand and can keep moving forward. And moving forward is the opposite of feeling stuck.

So in that spirit, I’m keeping it short and sweet this month so you can get away from your screen, go outside, INHALE (unless pollen is poppin’) and relish a new season, new growth, and happy sloths. Do some mental and emotional spring cleaning. As always, I’m here for you if you start feeling stuck or just feel like talking it out…

With Gratitude- Cator