It's traditional to freshen up your house in the spring, to jettison the old and tired, to clean and tidy, to put away the winter things and dig out your summer kit. It's a healthy, invigorating and positive activity. So why restrict it to your home? Why not spring clean your mental health too?

Here are a few ideas for ways you can do that, and bring the same stimulating sense of optimism to your inner life.

Clear out the bad habits

It's easy to slip into unhelpful patterns, and spring is a good time to think about what those are some of them you'll know perfectly well if you're honest . These might be to do with your physical health - it's easy to cut back on exercise in the winter, or to get into unhealthy eating habits.

Be straight with yourself about these because the invigorating nature of spring time makes this a great opportunity to change any habits you don't like. Not only is this obviously great for you physically, but you'll feel better in every way for successfully re-boosting your health.

Be self-aware about the best way to achieve these changes. Can you motivate yourself to get outside more without help, or would it be better to enlist a friend to book in a regular walk/cycle/run with? Would the eating patterns be easier to change if you went vegetarian for a month, or ate at a different time, or used a petrol station where you can pay at the pump and avoid going inside where all those tempting snacks are?

Declutter your head

There are lots of things that make it difficult to think clearly, and many of them are about having too much going on in your head. So any strategies that free up thinking space are helpful. Not only will you get more done, but you'll feel freer and more able to cope. Here are a few ideas to help you:

• For many of us, being surrounded by physical clutter makes it hard to think straight. If this is you, spring is a great time to clear out the wardrobe, the shed, the cupboard, the home office... Just tackle one thing at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. The process is really cathartic as well as giving you clear tidy space to work/cook/dress.
• Write things down. This is a great strategy for getting things out of your head without losing them. To-do lists, plans, budgets: all the things cluttering your head can be transferred to paper where you can still access them and they won't cloud your thinking.
• Plan ahead. If you know you want to go on holiday in the summer, or organise your son's 18th party, or revamp the kitchen, start planning now. There's plenty of time so no need to feel stressed. You can choose how much you actually buy or book right now, and how much detail you go into, but getting ahead of yourself is a great feeling, and will pay off again once the date gets closer and your work is half done already.