We have all seen people engaging in cleaning and organizing when they are highly stressed or anxious. They even say that it makes them feel better. The major reason behind this is that cleaning involves repeated known actions to achieve a particular outcome. Cleaning is oddly satisfying as it adds predictability to our otherwise uncertain life. The sense of relief that we get at the end of any cleaning activity is because of how much our brain loves orderliness and familiarity and this makes cleaning therapeutic.
If you ever wondered if cleaning could help you destress, here are four reasons why you should try it.
1. Beat Stress
When you live in a cluttered space, you feel unsettled deep down. This can be because the pile of things around you reminds you of the unfinished work and acts as a source of stress and anxiety. In such cases, when you clean your house, you not just remove the stressors from your sight but also create an environment to relax. This helps you reduce clutter and overwhelm. So, when you finally look at a clean room, you feel like you have space to deal with life.
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2. Control
In every situation, there are some things in our control and some that are not. Due to this, sometimes, even after planning so much, things just don’t go well, making you feel frustrated and helpless. At such times, cleaning can help you get a sense of control. Looking at your organized closet or the shining floors in your house after an hour of cleaning can help you feel that you have control over your environment. This helps you feel good and motivates you to approach other areas of life with a more positive attitude.
3. Focus
It has been scientifically proven that cluttering your visual field with numerous items can make it difficult for your brain to focus on the important things. Looking at a messy place makes you feel stuck and constantly distracts you. This makes you unproductive, and you lose track of what matters more. When you clean and organize your house, you make the environment soothing, so the visual cortex of your brain is no longer cluttered with unimportant items. This helps you focus on the task at hand and be more productive, hence reducing stress.
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When you engage in activities like cleaning and moping, you get a break from your worries as it takes the focus off from the thing that stresses you. You focus on the object which is being cleaned and end up being in the moment. It helps you slow down, gain perspective of things happening in your life without judging them, aids you in clearing up your mind and making better decisions. Although no one consciously engages in cleaning for being mindful, it is an added benefit that one can reap.
To conclude, cleaning not just creates more space around you, but also more space within your head, and helps you deal with life better.
