Five Ways to Bring in Spring at USC
By: Tamanna Sood ‘24
Spring is officially here! The grass is green! The air is clean (well I guess as clean as LA air can be)! The flowers are in full bloom! Spring is my favorite season of the year. There is something about spring that just makes me feel so productive and powerful! This got me thinking about the ways I could celebrate the season and bring Spring in, so here are five ways to bring in Spring at your dorm!
Spring Cleaning!
Nothing starts off your season better than a clean room! I personally find cleaning really relaxing, but when my weeks are busy, it’s the first thing that I put at the back of my list. This week my room was a mess. Worse than I usually like it to be. Clothes everywhere, makeup all over the place, crumbs on the ground. Basically, I was in desperate need of a reset. And I made sure to go all the way!
How I like to Spring Clean:
DECLUTTER! Get all of the trash from all the past seasons out of there! I like to do this specifically with my drawers. When I get lazy I just stuff everything in my drawers knowing full well that most of it I don’t need.
LAUNDRY! I’m talking about everything! Not just the dirty clothes. The sheets, the towels, the kitchen towels, comforter, the throw blankets — EVERYTHING! Nothing makes you feel better than a freshly made bed and a room that smells like fresh linen.
DISINFECT! Pull out those lysol wipes! We still are living in a time of uncertainty and thoroughly disinfecting your surroundings is one of the best ways you can keep yourself safe. I make sure to clean every part of my dorm — my loft beds, the stairs, my desk, the widows — everything that looks like it’s dusty needs to be wiped!
VACUUM! I always leave vacuuming to the absolute end so I can throw any crumbs on the floor and pick them up at the very end. It’s my favorite part of my cleaning process. I just love seeing a clean floor - it pulls everything together
OPTIONAL, BUT LIGHT THAT CANDLE! I love when my room smells fresh and clean. Candles are my one true love and I adore ending my cleaning process with a fresh smelling candle.
2. Decorate!
Another way you can bring in Spring is by making your space look new by decorating! Since my room is small and shared, I really do most of the decorating on my desk. Recently, I strung some lights underneath my bed and it makes my desk look so much nicer. It also helps bring in more light when I’m studying late at night.
Another way of bringing in new energy into your life is by rearranging the layout of your room. Because my dorm comes with a loft bed, I can’t really move around many things, but recently I moved my side table so it was facing the window, and suddenly I feel like I have a new room! Just a simple change can make things feel like new..
3. Bring in Some Life!
One of the easiest ways to bring about spring is buying a new plant or buying yourself some flowers. Some of the benefits of having a plant inside include air purification and stress reduction.
I was waiting all week to go to the farmers market at McCarthy Quad and visit the plant vendors to see if I could get myself a new deskmate. However, this week, I didn’t see any! :( While I always try getting my plants locally and from a nursery, I didn’t have the option this week and made my way to Trader Joe’s.
I didn’t find what I was looking for at TJ’s either, so I’m choosing to wait another week for the next farmer’s market. If that plan fails too, I’m going to look for a bonsai starter kit because I’ve loved how they look too!
4. Pick Up A New Book!
I love reading but recently found myself struggling to find time or the motivation to read a book. However, now that the sun is out longer, I feel like I have more time in my schedule to read. This spring I want to not only invigorate my physical space, but also my mind! I want to try to get my habit of reading back, so I’m on incorporating these small tips in my life:
I will always keep a book on me! (My current read is The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller) If I’m bored, my first reaction is to go on my phone because it’s most accessible to me. If I keep a book in my bag at all times, I will be able to change that.
I will read before I sleep. I’ve made it a goal of mine to read for at least 10 minutes before I sleep. It’s been kind of hard to keep this one up because my natural instinct is to fall asleep as quickly as possible but I have noticed that I sleep more soundly when I read the night before.
Setting a reminder on my phone. This one has helped me the most. Sometimes I just forget to read even when I have a book on me. Having a daily reminder never lets me forget though!
5. Change That Wardrobe!
Last but definitely not least, is to change your wardrobe! Put away all those dreary winter clothes and bring out the fun! One of the ways I make my wardrobe more ready for spring is by putting all my bright colored clothing out in the front. I naturally gravitate to lighter and brighter colors when the sun is shining and it makes me feel more happy when my clothes match my attitude.
As an LA native, I’m pretty accustomed to a hot and sunny spring, and know that it’s perfectly okay for me to say goodbye to my heavy winter coats and hoodies. I store those away (also making my life easier for move out) and start hanging up my lighter and airy clothes.
Color coordinating my wardrobe has made it easier for me to pick out my clothes and it saves me so much time in the morning! I highly recommend doing this. I keep all my bottoms on one side of my closet too leaving no space for confusion for my tired morning brain!
A new spring wardrobe is an absolute dream when it comes to spring!
And those are the five main ways I recommend you bring in spring at USC! I hope these little tips help you have a warm and productive end to your spring semester!
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