Mental Mop Up: Spring Cleaning for Your Mind

- Katie Pearce, Content & Engagement Specialist

The last year was full of new stressors, scares and improvisations. We recently passed the one-year anniversary of shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we now hope to spring past the restrictions of the pandemic.

Spring cleaning is a hallmark of the season—and it’s not just for your home. Mental wellness and well-being in the veterinary profession is particularly important. Take a moment to look at your mental well-being and do some metaphorical, and even physical, cleaning up.

MENTAL CLUTTER

Mental “clutter” can be stress, anxiety, racing thoughts or negativity we might be holding on to. This mental clutter holds us back from embracing the best parts of life. While tough experiences are a part of life, there are mental negatives that we can control. These negatives eat away at our health, and though they may be hard to untangle ourselves from, when we free ourselves from this mental clutter, we experience greater peace and health.

Toxic Relationships and Drama

It is never a good time to hold onto relationships with people who seem to constantly drag you down and create unwarranted stress in your life. Though we may think we’re not affected, other people’s negativity and drama only results in our own emotional reservoirs becoming easily exhausted.

Whether friends, significant others, or even employers, staff, or clients, it is always okay to end any relationship that is harming or burdening your mental and physical health. Sometimes it is enough to have a forthright conversation laying down new rules—and in other instances, the best option may be to walk away entirely.

Bad Habits

Whether minor or major, bad habits are important to recognize and address. Overwork, substance abuse, poor diet and exercise, ignoring your emotions/self-truths, or even social media addiction—are common and often overlooked habits. Bad habits are not easy to break, but they are important to work on. Focus on one bad habit; take your time, reach out to those around you for support and encouragement, and consider professional help.

Negative Talk

Negative talk is greatly influenced by who we surround ourselves with. It can be directed at those around us and at our life circumstances, or it may be directed towards yourself (a constant focus on your flaws).

Gossiping or constantly complaining can lead to a worsening outlook on life. Occasional venting can be good for getting rid of stress, but constant complaining and verbalizing old hurts only allows those feelings to fester and further harm our mental health. Always wallowing in the negative brings ourselves and those around us, like fellow staff, down.

Negative Thoughts

Often linked to negative talk, self-deprecating thoughts and self-doubt are often rampant in the veterinary profession. This may even manifest as imposter syndrome. Oftentimes, our very own potential for greatness and possibility for achievement is ruined by our own thoughts.

We don’t express confidence in our abilities, and tell ourselves, “I can’t,” or “I’m not good enough.” Even when we accomplish great things, we feed this negative thought process by thinking things like: “I don’t deserve this,” or “They made a mistake.” Negative thoughts get in the way of our dreams and stymie the enjoyment of our achievements.

Physical Clutter

Have you ever noticed it’s harder to be productive in a messy room or house? Physical objects and tasks take up mental space. Too much ‘junk’ in our lives leads us to constantly have to figure out how to take care of it (storing, cleaning, repairing). The more ‘junk’ we have that doesn’t bring us enjoyment, the more time and resources we spend unhappily taking care of it.

Our free time becomes consumed with taking care of ‘things’ and ‘stuff’ rather than relaxing and enjoying our time. Sometimes there’s so much we become burnt out by our chores and can no longer easily or properly care for our things—this leads to further frustration due an accumulation of work needing to be done. Decluttering a space (home, office or yard) can reduce stress and help those that use the space avoid injuries.

Cleaning and organizing the space you spend most of your time in can also keep your immune system strong, boost your mood, and offer a task that promotes focus and reflection during a trying time. Furthermore, cleaning things you touch a lot—or several people use often—can help you avoid illness and minimize the spread of viruses and bacteria.

CHANGING YOUR MINDSET

As you declutter your mental and physical space, you’ll be able to focus on healthier habits—and may consider filling the gap of a bad habit with a good one.

Your Physical Health

Physical health, eating healthier, drinking plenty of water, healthy sleeping patterns, and, of course, physical activity. These days we’re all tired of hearing “diet and exercise” and many struggle to ‘stay on top of’ their physical health.

Physical health is often tied to mental and emotional well-being, but rather than looking down on your current self, it may be helpful to simply look forward to a fun activity that just so happens to get you moving.

Walking while shopping, exploring a new town or swimming at the beach all require physical activity—you don’t have to begin a daunting exercise regime to simply get moving. Small actions, such as taking a walk on a sunny day, drinking more water, or eating less sugary foods and drinks, all add up to a healthier overall lifestyle.

Gratitude

Focusing on what you're grateful for will help pull your mind away from the negatives that can sometimes feel overwhelming. From your favorite smelling candle and a shower at the end of the day to family and pets, there are so many things to focus on and be grateful for.

Creative Projects

Creative projects are a wonderful way to learn something new while also changing your focus. Whether learning a musical instrument, drawing or painting, it’s not about being perfect or immediately excelling, it’s a way to let your creativity out and improve your well-being.

Positive Friendships

Friends that encourage you and make you laugh are worth holding on to. Positive friendships can change our outlook and leave us feeling loved and fulfilled. If you’ve let friends fall to the bottom of your priority list, now is always the right time to take the time to revitalize your friendships.

Mindfulness

Reflecting and being aware of our thoughts and feelings allows us to be better prepared to handle stress and be more in-tune with ourselves and those around us. It also helps us to see the ‘big picture’ so that our thoughts are less likely to snowball into ‘worst case scenarios.’

CONCLUSION

Mental wellness is key to a fulfilling life and career. In support of our members health, the FVMA will be expanding our wellness and well-being initiatives this year. We look forward to sharing more information with you soon!