Time for a Mental Spring Cleaning

In California, where the demarcations between seasons are slight and blurred, it's easy to forget the exhilarating sensation of "spring," of the transition from gray, cold and dead vistas to color, warmth and new growth. I was reminded recently by a quick April trip to Omaha. It snowed on the day we arrived (wet feathery clumps that melted on contact with the thawing earth), but, in just the next few days, a benign sun drew a bright green haze of budding leaves from leafless branches and coaxed so many blossoms from the fruit trees that they became white and pink earth-bound clouds. A clump of red, pink and yellow tulips appeared magically beside the front door. I was reminded why literature and poetry associate spring with rebirth, renewal, love, and hope, and symbolize it with lilacs, lambs and lovers. Spring is a universal spur to optimism. When winter's claustrophobic sheltering can be left behind by opening windows and stepping out into fresh air, our minds and hearts are encouraged to follow suit. So I decided to take the tradition of "spring cleaning" a step further this year by tossing out the rubbish of pessimistic thoughts and feelings along with accumulated dirt and clutter. I figure I'm pretty much guaranteed to feel better. A recent Shape magazine article cited a new health study that looked at 5,000 adults and found optimists were more likely to eat a healthy diet, have a healthy body mass index, not smoke, and exercise regularly than their pessimistic counterparts. They also had healthier blood pressure, blood sugar, and total cholesterol levels. Previous studies have shown that cancer patients with positive attitudes tend to have better outcomes, and optimists have more satisfying personal relationships. The article even listed three steps to kick-start an upbeat spring mood: write thank-you notes; do things you love; share good news. Need more help to shake the blues? For 20 more ways to a happier mindset, try this Shape article: http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/20-ways-get-happy-almost-instantly/slide/all