Greetings, Happy Monday, Happy Women’s History Month, and Happy Belated International Women’s Day everyone! May this blog post bring you what you need in the present moment. My love is extended to all who could use a little extra, and may my light exude positivity and kindness. Asé! Let's seize the moment!
Because of my busy schedule, my blogs will start aligning with "A Monday Moment with Mal," my live-streamed episodes on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch. Check them out at the aforementioned links!
Now you know I love me a good definition, and I'm team #factsoverfeelings, right? So, let’s get into it!
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, spring cleaning means “to clean all of a place, especially your house, very well, including parts you do not often clean” or “to organize something, getting rid of the things you do not need.” HGTV suggests different spring cleaning tasks like dusting blinds, cleaning fan blades, wiping window sills, cleaning window screens, washing out trash cans, steam cleaning rugs, vacuuming or polishing floors, cleaning out the refrigerator, cleaning out the pantry, disinfecting the bathroom, decluttering spaces, etc. There are many other spring cleaning checklists you can download and many lists you can read to get ideas about spring cleaning. I'm never successful with any of them; they are not part of my routine. I feel like I'm making it if I can get laundry done and folded in one day. It has to be something I focus on doing all day, though. I'd gladly pay someone to thoroughly clean my house.
This week's topic goes beyond decluttering closets and scrubbing floors. While it does feel good to spring clean your physical space, true spring cleaning involves refreshing and revitalizing every aspect of your being... especially in this season of renewal. One effective way to approach this holistic renewal is by focusing on the eight dimensions of wellness created by Dr. Peggy Swarbrick. I stumbled upon the Eight Dimensions of Wellness while searching for the Wheel of Life coaching exercise I was exposed to in Colorado. It was no coincidence that I did because I needed to see it. I needed it to make sense of what I was already feeling and experiencing. Quitting my job in May 2022 catapulted me into a space of not only decluttering my physical space but also decluttering my soul. I felt emotions that I never allowed myself to feel, and I spent a lot of time reflecting. I'm a different woman because of it, and I'm incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity and multi-dimensional space to experience myself.
The eight dimensions of wellness are physical wellness, emotional wellness, social wellness, intellectual wellness, occupational wellness, environmental wellness, financial wellness, and spiritual wellness. It's imperative to balance the energies in these areas to experience optimal wellness.
Here are my suggestions for spring cleaning your life in the following areas:
1. Physical Wellness: This focuses on the fleshy frame our souls carry. You can start reviving your physical health at any point by incorporating regular exercise, nourishing foods, and sufficient sleep into your routine. Consider trying new activities you've never thought to try, like hiking, yoga, pickleball, roller derby, or salsa/ballroom/square dancing to rejuvenate your body and invigorate your senses. I want to jump into Pilates and salsa dancing soon!
2. Emotional Wellness: To support your emotional wellness, develop coping skills by taking stock of your emotions and practicing self-awareness; release pent-up feelings through journaling, therapy, or meditation. You must surround yourself with supportive relationships and cultivate gratitude to nurture a positive outlook. I can confidently say that adopting a gratitude practice each morning has changed my life. My life has fast-tracked into a beautiful space of love and awareness of my blessings. I already possess all that I want and need.
3. Social Wellness: This refers to building connection, belonging, and developing a superior support system. My one-word focus for this year is together. I feel there's certainly an energy of connection permeating our energetic paradigms right now, so it's fitting to mention that I've been intentional about connecting. You can also enhance your social wellness by strengthening your connections with others. You can achieve this by reaching out to friends and family, planning gatherings or virtual hangouts to foster a sense of belonging and community, engaging in meaningful conversations, and listening attentively to those around you. During the pandemic, my family and I connected through an app called Houseparty, which was so much fun! We got to play games and have fun!
4. Intellectual Wellness: You must be intentional about keeping your mind sharp, so stimulate your mind by learning something new. Explore topics of interest through books, podcasts, or online courses. Challenge yourself with puzzles or brain games to keep your cognitive skills sharp and adaptable.
This dissertation has certainly stimulated my mind, and I'm looking forward to a well-deserved brain break! I love listening to podcasts, though, so I'll keep my mind stimulated without dissertation writing. I'm also learning Kindergarten curriculum right now because I'm teaching it. Trying to recall how I learned letter sounds, blends, digraphs, and sentence structure is wild! Everything we learn, we DO learn in Kindergarten.
5. Occupational Wellness: You can optimize your occupational wellness by evaluating your satisfaction and fulfillment in your work or daily activities. Also, seeking opportunities for growth and development, whether through career advancement or personal projects, is crucial to optimizing your occupational wellness. I'd tell you to strive for a healthy work-life balance to prevent burnout and maintain productivity, but most of us don't know what it looks like or feels like to balance our lives. It's not the "what" in this situation...it's the how.
At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, I told myself way before Beyoncé told us to quit our 9-5 that I was not going to go back to teaching after the school year was over. I was no longer occupationally well. I realize the privilege of this because the majority is not just able to quit their job. Fortunately, I had other things to fill the financial void, and although it wasn't like when I was teaching full time, it doesn't matter because I'm much healthier in other wellness areas BECAUSE I took this step. There were so many benefits, and I have NO regrets!
Also, stop asking me what I'm going to do after I graduate. I have something in the works...don't believe me, just watch!
6. Environmental Wellness: There's been a lot of energy around this wellness area. This deals with your physical environment. Reducing your ecological footprint by adopting sustainable practices in your daily life, decluttering and organizing your living spaces to create a harmonious environment, and spending time outdoors, connecting with nature, and appreciating the beauty of the natural world are all ways to optimize your environmental wellness. I'm thankful to have found my way back to nature. Being outside and one with nature does my soul wonders. It naturally heals me.
7. Financial Wellness: This area deals with finances. You can take control of your finances by setting clear financial goals, creating a budget, reviewing your spending habits, and identifying areas where you can save or invest wisely. Also, you can prioritize financial stability by planning for future needs to alleviate stress and uncertainty.
This is a major area of struggle in my life, but this year, I'm committed to focusing more and being disciplined. It's going on vacation for me. I HAVE to go on them! Also, I buy too many things. I wonder if I need any of the things I purchase. It's a spiritual deficit that I must heal to have superior financial wellness. I’m fighting my astrological programming, though. I did not choose to be a Leo Sun, Leo Moon, and Sagittarius Rising. Baby, I was born this way! Heavy Sigh
8. Spiritual Wellness: I am most interested in enhancing this area because everywhere you go, you take your spirit with you. Even when life leaves the body, your spirit lives on. So, you can do yourself a solid in this area by nurturing your inner peace and spiritual connection through introspection and reflection. I mentioned this before, but it’s worth mentioning again because it was life-altering. I listen to many relationship podcasts, and one of my favorites is Iyanla Vanzant’s “The R Spot.” She did a couple of episodes on self-worth, and in one episode, she encouraged the caller to write 40 "I Am" statements about herself each day for 40 days. You can believe some of them to be true or not, but the ones that are not are the ones you want to be true about yourself. I did this practice for 52 days. I had to look up phrases to write about me initially, but by the end of the exercise, the statements were flowing so heavily I was running out of space!
You can also enhance your spiritual wellness by exploring different belief systems or practices that resonate with your values and beliefs. People struggle with going beyond what they have been indoctrinated to believe. Still, as one who spiritually explored past what was indoctrinated to believe, there's peace on this side of enlightenment about life that was worth the journey.
Lastly, cultivating mindfulness and embracing moments of stillness will assist you in finding clarity and purpose in your life. I've never known how to be quiet and still. I was the student who received straight As in class, but I always got the comment "Talks too much" from my teachers. So even now, when I need to be still to find clarity in my life, I go running outside. It's truly where I get my best ideas! I also turn the radio off when I'm driving. In those spaces, I give myself time to process my life. It's been life-changing!
This week, my call to action for you is to reflect on each wellness area in your life and create an action plan to balance each area. Ask yourself the following questions for each wellness area: Where are my strengths? What are my needs? Do I have what I already need? What do I need to remove to create a balance?
Also, you can take action every day to enhance your wellness areas. According to Dr. Swarbrick’s Journey To Wellness Guide, four simple actions you can take daily are connecting with others, taking time to unplug from all things and breathe, getting a good night's sleep, and doing good for yourself and others.
My hope for you is to embark on a comprehensive journey of transformation this spring. Remember that progress may be gradual, but every small step brings you closer to a more vibrant and fulfilling life. So, embrace the opportunity for renewal and growth, and let this season of rebirth inspire you to blossom into the best version of yourself.
And to wrap up, I leave you with a couple of quotes and affirmations:
Well, that's all for me this week! Tune in next week for a show entitled “Healing Hurts”, dedicated to the spiritual presence of my Aunt Kathy and her husband.
Alexa, give the people what they need! Play India Arie's "Just Let It Go"!
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