By Dr. Jessica Monteleone, PT PhD
I didn’t fully understand it as a child. I was brought up as a Methodist. Our family would pitch in and deep clean our home in the spring. Then, for 40 days before our Easter celebration, we were not allowed to have anything with sugar in it. However, on Easter morning, we were greeted with a coconut filled chocolate egg. We participated in Sunrise service, Sunday service and a special meal. It was the greatest celebration in our Christian faith.
Why is it called a “spring clean”? Is it because most people find the spring to be an annually invigorating time when it feels good to get rid of the old and bring in the new? Yes, and it offers holistic health benefits as well.
Some scholars attribute spring cleaning from the Jewish tradition of regular house cleaning just before Passover; the holiday marking the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Since matzah, or unleavened bread, was fed to the Jewish slaves in Egypt, it is tradition for Jews to rid their house of any leavened bread in preparation for the Passover celebration. The Jews left the captivity of Egypt to come into their promised land. It was out with the old and in with the new.
This year, Passover is celebrated April 12-20th. April 20 is also Easter. Jesus’ death and resurrection happened during the Passover week. On Easter, Christians celebrate the new life of the resurrected Jesus, the sacrificial Passover lamb, with the hope of eternal life in Heaven.
For Christians, we might celebrate lent, a season of 40 days from Ash Wednesday on March 5th to Easter on April 20th this year. It can include fasting, study and reflection of the crucifixion, death and resurrection of our Passover lamb. Jews may deep clean their homes of leaven. Christians may deep clean their hearts.
Spring cleaning might be part of a religious ritual; however, it has physical and psychological benefits as well.
Emptying your refrigerator and pantry can offer us the opportunity to throw out outdated and nutritionally poor food that has harmful ingredients such as seed oils, high fructose corn syrup, food dyes and preservatives.
A clean home offers a calmer, more organized living space. For our visually or physically impaired, clear open pathways can help to prevent injurious falls.
Getting rid of things that clutter your closets can benefit someone else through donations. Many folks have financial difficulties. Your clutter items may be an answer to their prayer. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Deep cleaning your home means inhaling less dust and irritants that place a demand on your lungs and immune system reducing exposure to allergens and irritants, such as dust, mildew and mold. This helps prevent respiratory issues, such as asthma and trouble breathing due to poor air quality.
It will reduce the presence of potentially harmful germs that can live on your home’s surfaces that can make you sick, including those living on the dirtiest surfaces in your home, such as cutting boards, countertops, doorknobs and sinks.
A tidy and peaceful-feeling bedroom may help improve your ability to sleep, which can improve focus and moods.
It can help you stick to healthy habits, such as cooking at home and working out at home, if you’re better able to find what you need and have the space to do it. Remember, exercise bikes are not made to be coat hangers.
Oh my, I’ve been looking for that for months! Reducing clutter can save you money if you’re better able to find and use what you already have available.
What’s included in a spring clean? A thorough cleaning usually involves organizing your belongings, getting rid of what you don’t need, as well as a scrub down of your home’s dirtiest and most frequented spots. Holistically, it might include getting rid of bad attitudes, faulty habits and practicing an attitude of gratitude.
The Jews were enslaved for 400 years. Their freedom did not come easy. The last of 10 plagues sent to Egypt was a death plague. God sent an angel of death that took the life of the firstborn in every family that did not have the blood of a lamb smeared over their doorpost. It was then that the enslaved Jews were set free from captivity.
As a Christian, Jesus Christ is my Passover lamb. This is a time I will Spring clean my house, get rid of the clutter and clean out the debris in all areas of my life, so that this springtime can truly bring the newness of whole health in every realm in living. Out with the old and in with the new.
Visit Wholistic Therapy at Home, wholistictherapyathome.com or contact me at wholistictherapy@yahoo.com or 850-974-0970.
