Clear Space, Clear Mind: How Spring Cleaning Can Spark A Mental Reset

As we open windows and sweep out winter dust, there’s another kind of spring cleaning that deserves our attention—the mental kind. According to former psychotherapist and Peak Performance Mindset Coach Hina Khan, the clutter in our homes often mirrors the chaos in our minds. In this insightful Q&A, Hina shares how tidying your space can also help you declutter your thoughts, reduce stress, and make room for clarity, creativity, and calm. Because a fresh start isn’t just for your closet—it’s for your mindset, too. —Noa Nichol

You often say that our external environment is a mirror of our internal state—can you explain what that means and how it shows up in our homes?

Our external environment can reflect what is going on inside of us (how we feel about ourselves, our mood, our overall well-being, etc.), with context.  For example, if your officemate always has a cluttered desk with papers and books everywhere, that would indicate to you that that’s how they operate. However, if your co-worker has a usually tidy desk, and you notice it’s starting to become increasingly cluttered, that could indicate that something is going on internally that is showing up externally. 

How does clutter affect our mental health, and why do some people find mess so overwhelming while others seem unaffected?

If we see this change, it can be a sign of stress and overwhelm, leading to more stress and more overwhelm! Seeing the clutter can create anxiety, which may trigger negative feelings about ourselves, which leads us to not feel good about ourselves. We may start to judge ourselves: “I am so disorganized, this space is a mess, I am lazy, I can’t get it together,” and so on. Having that dialogue going on in our inner world can affect our external productivity because we’re having difficulty focusing or taking longer to start things, which could lead to procrastination. And then we don’t feel good about that, so we are in this vicious cycle of beating ourselves up and having no or little work to show for it. 

Spring cleaning is often seen as a physical task—what are some ways we can turn it into an opportunity for mental and emotional clearing as well?

Spring is the perfect time for mental housekeeping, including letting go of things that are draining your energy and not serving you. 

One thing you can do is forgive yourself and others. True forgiveness is about letting go—letting go of past hurts, resentments, and grudges. If you struggle with forgiveness, remember that it’s not condoning the other person’s (or your) actions but coming to acceptance and learning from the experience.  

This would be similar to going through your closet and tossing out what you will no longer wear. You create more room in your wardrobe for clothing that suits you more. With forgiveness, you are making space mentally for creativity and new ideas.

Complete any conversations that are not complete, especially if they’re challenging ones. If there is unfinished business between you and someone else, and it is renting space in your head, then complete it. This is the equivalent of completing projects and tasks, and not having unfinished tasks around. 

Connect to your goal so you can connect to your priorities and remove habits or perspectives that will not help you get closer to your goal. This creates order in your mind, similar to a to-do list based on your goals, instead of doing random daily activities.

For someone feeling emotionally “stuck,” what’s the first small decluttering step you’d recommend that could have a positive mental shift?

Start with a fresh piece of paper and at the top of the page write “If anything is possible, I would love…” and simply write everything that comes to your mind. Think of it like a brain dump intended to stretch your thinking (which it is!).  Don’t self-censor. The hard part will be allowing yourself to write what you want, rather than what others think you should want. Or worse, denying yourself the wants or judging them. Be honest and courageous. 

Whatever feelings come up, whether guilt, shame, excitement, joy, etc., just sit with them. Allow them to move through you without judgment. This process will start to move you out of feeling stuck and into possibility. You’ll release old stories and allow more gratitude and opportunity into your life. 

What role does mindfulness or intentionality play in creating and maintaining a calm, clutter-free space?

Being mindful and intentional allows you to reflect on your space, how you want to feel, and what objects and items are meaningful to you at this point in your life.  What represents you and is a true reflection of you at this stage of your life? Be clear about what would inspire joy, creativity, serenity, and a calmer mind. Make the changes as needed – perhaps you need to move some furniture around, or declutter, or add some splashes of colour or scenery to help you feel comfortable yet energized. 

This can only happen if you approach it intentionally rather than panicking or feeling rushed. Think of where you’ve done your best work—what kind of space or environment did you thrive in? What can you recreate that can give you that feeling again? Then, introduce things into your current space to transform it. 

You blend mindset coaching with spirituality—how can someone incorporate spiritual practices into their spring refresh?

You don’t have to be meditating on a mountaintop to introduce spirituality into your spring refresh! It can be as simple as a walk in nature. Even the local park. It can be meditating for even a few minutes a day. Or even being mindful when you eat or do the dishes. Remember, the idea of introducing spirituality is to connect with something greater than yourself. And that can show up in a number of ways. 

It can be prayer, journaling, gazing at a lit candle, sitting quietly, practicing gratitude, tending to your mental health, doing breathwork, staring into the night sky…whatever makes you feel more connected to that bigger than you. Whatever spiritual practice(s) you decide to pursue will help clear out the emotional and mental cobwebs, leading to more clarity, patience, and joy. 

Are there certain areas of the home that tend to reflect our mindset more than others—like a cluttered desk or messy closet?

It depends on the person and what’s important to them. Perhaps the bedroom is where some people want to feel most calm and serene, while others may desire the kitchen to be tidy and organized. Some people with small apartments may want the whole space decluttered, while others don’t mind their desks being cluttered because they stimulate their creativity more than a bare, IKEA-like space.

Regardless, we all want a space to call our own that suits our needs practically and energetically. Spring cleaning is about removing what doesn’t serve us, not removing everything. Think about where you spend a lot of time, how you want that space, and how it reflects you. 

What are some limiting beliefs that often show up in people’s approach to clutter or letting go of things, and how can they be shifted?

A limiting belief that can show up as the feeling of loss or losing something.  We see that as a negative thing when letting go and making space. For some, letting go can set off panic, as they aren’t sure what’s to come. It’s sometimes easier to hold onto what’s comfortable, even if it means it’s not working for you. While it may make sense intellectually to release what doesn’t serve you, it can be very emotionally challenging because we would feel unsafe with what has been known to us. 

For some, letting go can mean risking losing something sentimental, thinking that they may need that thing later on, or that more is better, etc. Perfectionism can also show up, which means that it would be easier to leave things as is rather than maintaining a “perfect” space. Or the old “it’s always been this way” can hamper any attempt at shifting your mind and space. 

One way to challenge these kinds of limiting beliefs is to ask if they are based on emotion or fact. What’s getting in the way? Be honest with yourself. 

How can parents or caregivers model healthy mental and environmental habits for their children during spring cleaning season?

Many times in relationships, we will “step over things” and not deal with them, and then we have piles of things that add up until we trip over them. LEGO has no mercy, as we know. What we can model is dealing with things as they happen (similar to putting your things away when you are done using them).

What’s one mindset mantra or mental “spring cleaning ritual” you swear by each year to refresh your own energy and focus?

I forgive those I hurt or who hurt me, so I may start with a clean slate. I examine what I’ve been holding onto for some time and make the decision to no longer hold onto that hurt. It’s not always easy because those grudges can be comforting in some way. They can also hold us back by cluttering our energy and focus. By forgiving, I give myself the gift of relief and give myself more space to bring in what can serve me more.