After much of the country has been covered in snow for the winter, I can’t help but think that dust and cobwebs is the least of our worry. Slush and sludge is more like it. Sometimes you’ve got to forgo the broom and get out the shovel.

While many of us might prefer not to live in the snow – I, for one, living in sunny California and having lived in Boston– not many would argue of its stunning beauty as it blankets the landscape, softening the city, quieting the hustle and bustle of our days. But, there is a point where it is all too much. And sometimes, it’s just unwelcome as it messes with traffic, causes damage from the weight on buildings, and even creates visibility problems.

What snow and sludge are you dealing with in your life? What thoughts have been weighing you down the most? What habits are mucking up your journey? What things do you just have too much of that are hampering your progress?

Here’s a couple of ways you can tackle your mental spring cleaning:

Use your pen as your shovel: Write down the thoughts that came to you as I asked the questions above. Get them out of your head. You’ll breathe easier and you’ll also be able to tackle your thoughts methodically, instead of having them fly around like asteroids in your brain.

Use your physical spring cleaning as metaphor: Whether you’re organizing your office or your brain, cleaning up your house or your life, you can use your physical chores to mirror what needs to happen in your heart and mind.

• Imagine spoiled leftovers going down the garbage disposal to be bad habits that no longer serve you

• Flush away anything clogging up your lifestyle by imagining it going down the drain as you wash out the bathtub

• Clarify your vision as you clean the windows

• As you mop and sweep, imagine the cobwebs in your mind being removed

Don’t forget to get outside and get some fresh air! Sweep off the porch, rake some leaves, and oh yeah, shovel some snow if you have to. Moving our bodies is good for the mind and breathing in some clean air can help our lungs and our mental states as well.

Do you have any spring cleaning tips? Real or metaphorical! Please comment below.