Description: The time has finally come. Dr. Boogren reminds us to reset and refresh.
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Transcription: Hi, and welcome to Self Care for Educators. I am your host, Tina Boogren. This is episode 31 of our fourth season, and we're moving into springtime for most of us, which feels really good. When this episode comes out, it's going to be about the middle of April, and this is around the time where I get the itch and the nudge to start cleaning things out. Spring cleaning, if you will, is a very real thing. I live in a small town home with my husband and we, we have to clean things out and it feels like, gosh, I'll do a big clean, and I will think, Okay, it's going to stay this way. And then, months go by, and it creeps up again. And so, gosh, at least twice a year, I do a big, massive clean out of my closet.
I get, we have small closets, and so I store the other season's clothes down in our garage, and I do the big swap, right? So, it's getting time for me to clear out most of the winter clothes. Now in April in Colorado, where I live, who knows, we can definitely still most likely see more snow, but for the most part, we have turned a corner. And so, it's time for me to pull the spring and summer clothes back out again and move the, the winter, the warmer clothes. down into the garage. And, when I do this, this is the, of course, perfect opportunity to clean things out. And, while it takes me a full day to do this, it feels so good. We all know this feeling, right?
And, I am relentless. I am relentless as I go through every single item in my closet. And, here's what happens. Invariably, I will find something that I'm like, Ah, I'm ... Man, that's a great sweater. But then, I think, Gosh, I didn't wear it one time this winter. So, there's something about it that is just not working for me, even though the sweater itself is fantastic. And so, what I think is, Boy, that sweater is gonna make someone else happy. So happy. We donate all of our clothes, and I always think, wow, if it's not doing any good just sitting in my closet where I know that there is someone that could use that sweater, and it makes it easier for me to let go and to let go of the guilt, because we all do it.
We buy things that we think we're going to wear, and then we don't wear them from whatever reason. They don't fit right. They don't feel good. It's not the right color or pattern. And so, let's get rid of it. Let's just get rid of it and be done with it. In fact, something that I do that you might start implementing as well is when I do my closet clean out, when I hang things back up, I turn the hangers the other way. Right? So, the opposite way of what you normally would. And, when I wear an item, then I get to put the hanger back normal. And so, when it comes time to clean out my closet, if there's any hangers that are still left facing the opposite way, if you will, that's an indicator that I didn't wear it. And so, if I didn't wear it for the entire season this year, I'm probably not going to wear it next year. And so, it's time to get rid of it. I also have a little rule for myself that when I run out of hangers, I gotta ... I don't just buy more hangers. Then, that's a signal, oh done, done buying. I gotta, I gotta let go of a few things if I'm going to bring more things into my closet. Now, I'm not perfect at this, but these are, these are the guidelines that I like to put in place for myself.
And, what I know is, yeah, it's a real pain to spend, you know, most of a day doing the big clean out, but man, it feels so good. And, there's, there's so many metaphors there of really letting go. Getting really clear on what makes us happy and what works for us and what doesn't, and starting fresh. So, that's what I want us to do this week, or sometime soon. If it doesn't work this week, maybe get it on your calendar for next week. I usually do this. On a weekend day when I've got some time that I can devote to it. If it feels daunting to do it in one day or your schedule doesn't allow, maybe you just tackle a little bit at a time every single day for this week. And, that's it. See, see how it goes.
Maybe, like I said, maybe it's not a closet for you. Maybe it's a dresser or your desk. Usually what happens for me is once I start cleaning up my closet, I like go on a rampage. My husband's always like, watch out. 'Cause I started throwing everything away, clearing things out, and it feels so good.
It feels so good. So, let's, let's get that joy. You know, Gretchen Rubin is, is the queen of saying, Outer order, inner calm. Outer order, inner calm. And, that is so true. And, sometimes the mess just creeps up on us, no matter how many promises we make to ourselves that we're going to keep things clean and tidy. It just happens. It just happens. And so, let's do a little reset, a little clean out and clear that clutter and see how that makes us feel. I bet it's going to feel amazing. I don't bet on it. I actually know it always feels so good, and I can't wait to get this done myself. We'll picture each other and cheer for each other as we're tossing things and letting things go and thanking things for being ours for a while and recognizing that that item is going to make someone else really happy and then letting it go. I'm cheering so hard for you.
As always, thank you, Brooke. We are so grateful for you. Thank you, Solution Tree. Thank you, Marzano Resources. And, thank you, listener, my bad-ass Self-Care Squad. Thanks for showing up and coming back each week and sharing the podcast with others. I'm always amazed at when I see the numbers of how many times this has been downloaded and how many of you reach out to say that it makes a difference. So, that, oof, means the world to me. I thank you. I thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm cheering so hard for you this week. I've got my hand on your back. Let's clear things out. It's gonna feel so good.