Spring is here in the Bay Area, with its cold gray days that send us back into our sweaters, and bright sunshiny days that make it feel like summer is already upon us, even though, technically-speaking, that season starts in late June, after the solstice.

Did you know that in certain cultures and traditions, Spring, not New Year’s Day, is the time of year for making resolutions?

Behind closed doors: It’s so beautiful, you’ll want to keep them open! Organization by Blisshaus. Photo credit: Wiebke Liu

If you think about it, this makes so much sense. In winter, we are really, on a biological level, drawn to hibernation. We snuggle up by the fire, layer ourselves in warm blankets, or possibly even a few extra, delicious holiday-food pounds. Our metabolism slows. The days are at their shortest.

In the winter, seeds lay dormant. Plants deepen their roots.

So, it’s hard to get up and go to the gym when your circadian rhythms are telling you to stay in bed and nurture yourself.

As the season turns to spring, the days lengthen, our spirits are bolstered by the sunlight. The seeds begin to sprout. Trees show off new growth, branches, leaves, flowers. We are ready to reach our tender selves towards the sky.

Plus, we get three months to create the change that we desire, rather than just one day.

Can you feel the lift of energy? What would you like to shift in your life?

Beautifully minimalist. Organization by Blisshaus. Photo credit: Vivian Johnson

Well, this is in part where the idea of Spring Cleaning comes from.

Before you default to the image of grabbing a bottle of spray cleaner and a rag, let’s enlarge, deepen, totally revise our definition of cleaning.

In fact, let’s go a little “woo.” I’m not going to recommend Feng Shui and candles. Unless you want me to. I’ve been accused of being a hippie in the past for having an interest in how energy moves in a space, and how that affects us. And, I’d like to state for the record that if you wish, you may call me the organic love-child of Coco Chanel and Marianne Williamson, with a dash of Dixie Chicks.

But, back to the “woo.”

The energy of winter is heavy, weighty. If we use the momentum of spring to move things around in our home, our furniture, art, objects, if we let go of what is no longer serving us or our spaces, we get UNBOUND.

Unbound energy is kinetic! Vibrant! It fuels us. That’s what we want, right? More resources to be and do and become our best selves.

When you think about it, there’s a parallel from self-care resolutions to your home’s health and wellbeing.

If you haven’t worked out, and aren’t being mindful about what you are putting into your body, well… imagine that your house feels the same way. From the big things, like deferring maintenance on the paint, windows, foundation, pipes, wiring, to the little old things that linger in back of a closet where they are not being used; these habits lead to stagnation.

If you were to treat your home like a temple (as our body as temple is the exalted state), ask yourself, what is my house calling for?

The Pinks of Spring: Does your home or your soul call for adoration and adornment? We love this vibrant bouquet from Wisteria Rockridge (as captured at The Wolf). Photo credit: Laura Martin Bovard

And in your living spaces, are there places that could lose some weight? I believe that less is more. Having higher quality items, and in most cases, fewer of them, gives us literally more room in our homes and in our heads.

Are you ready to do some home organizing and decluttering? Can you get rid of five things a week?

If you would like help, I highly recommend hiring an organizer. We have two that our firm collaborates with for our clients: Jen DiPrisco (ommmhome.com) mindfully and beautifully handles individual rooms and whole homes; and the amazing artful-storage genius, Wiebke Liu (blisshaus.com) will turn your kitchen cabinets, shelves, and pantries into galleries of creative and efficient containerization. NOTE: Both of these women were in high demand for decorator showcase (decoratorshowcase.org) this year, which continues through May 29, so you’d do well to call them now to get on their schedules.

What rituals of self-care and home care are you called to, this Spring? Share your thoughts with me at laura@lmbinteriors.com, or/and share photos of your #springresolution #resolutionrevolution #myhomeisatemple results on Instagram and tag @LMBInteriors.

A version of this article appeared in the Piedmont Post.