Get the Little Things Out of the Way… So You Can Enjoy a Big Summer

Ah, the joys of early summer - the warming weather, the sounds of children playing, the opportunity to get out and enjoy the important things in life. Winter is tough. Spring thaws us out a bit, and by the time June rolls around, we’re ready to get out there.

But first, what about that spring cleaning? Enjoying the small things in life can be a challenge when it’s those very little things that start to become unmanageable.

If you are feeling burdened by the challenge of getting your home ready for summer, there is help available. Some homecare services provide living assistance services that range from transportation to errands to you guessed it… spring cleaning.

Want to get started on your own? Here are some tips to make spring cleaning a smaller task:

• Simplify. Understand that clutter can have emotional and health effects, too. If you can’t find your shoes, how are you going to take a walk? And remember, cleaning takes less time if there’s less to clean around.
   

• Uneasy about what to purge? Keep what’s important! If you haven’t used it in 30 years and it holds no emotional value, you simply don’t need it.
   

• Tossing out old stuff sometimes makes older people feel uneasy. There are many options to avoid the garbage. Hold a garage sale with neighbors, donate to your local thrift store, or give to a younger neighbor to sell on the Internet. You can feel good about where your things are going, knowing that they may be a needed treasure to someone else.
   

• Work in small time increments. Force yourself to work on projects for 15 minutes at a time. You may just get it done and then you can get out and enjoy the summer with an uncluttered house and head.

It goes beyond spring cleaning, of course. It’s about the little tasks that become a big problem. And then those big problems become big barriers to enjoying the important things in life. Remember that with the right help, independent living can be achieved much longer.

For more information about living assistance services and/or Celtic Healthcare, please visit www.celtichealthcare.com or call 800-355-8894.