These Underrated Effects of Cleaning May Increase Your Wellness
Your home is the only place in the world you can call yours. When you protect your home and keep it livable, it reflects on the perception of your self.
A home is meant to inspire you and remind you of the things you love. Which is why people decorate their homes with items that are meaningful to them.
However, a home can only mean so much if it is tidy and clean.
Our sensors are drawn to what gives us a sense of calm and wellbeing.
In the same vein, they are repelled by what signifies chaos; this is exactly what a messy home does to us.
After a long day at work, it becomes necessary to return to a space that gives you joy. It doesn’t have to be free of clutter (don’t fear, I’m not asking you to throw away stuff), it just has to be organised and free of dirt.
Below are the benefits of cleaning that contribute to your overall wellness:
You Feel in Control
Cleaning gives us the sense of mastery because we control the objects in our homes, where they belong, and how they are treated.
It’s our responsibility to take care of our homes but it’s rewarding to know that we are responsible for making our homes exude the aura of calm and peace.
Alicia H. Clark, Psy.D, a clinical psychologist, says “We want to be able to do something when we get anxious, and what we really want is to be in control and take action…while there are times we have to accept some situations in life, we do not have to accept an untidy home.”
A messy home contributes significantly to a messy mind.
You Feel Replenished
If you’ve ever wondered why people enjoy cleaning, here are 3 reasons the experience is enjoyable:
- Cleaning is therapeutic: It provides the opportunity to disconnect from the world and reflect on recent happenings.
- Cleaning is repetitive: it doesn’t require much mental effort; this allows the brain to slowly process information.
- Cleaning is a communal effort: cleaning with loved ones enables you to appreciate it more and get creative in the process. This leads to creating fun memories to look back on and replicate.
You Feel Less Overwhelmed
More times than not, the mess in our heads is enough to drive us crazy.
Added to that is what our eyes capture from a chaotic environment and signal to our brains: more mess!
Psychiatrist, Dr. Rian Rowles, said “when you live in a messy home, you are subconsciously reminded of work that needs to be finished and visually, your eyes do not have a place to rest.”
A study published by Princeton University draws attention to the fact that our visual cortex can feel undue pressure from objects that are not useful to the task at hand.
This makes it harder to be efficient at work.
You Feel Productive
For someone that enjoys being productive in the most unusual of ways, cleaning should be something you consider practising because of these reasons:
- It gives a sense of accomplishment and lays the foundation for more tasks to be done.
- The overall benefits of the activity would increase your quality of living.
- By cleaning your workspace consistently, you improve your power of focus and increase your level of discipline.
- It helps you find work tools faster and saves energy that would have been expended in their search.
Finally, Your Body Will Thank You
Asides the fact that cleaning reduces your stress levels, it also keeps the body and mind healthy by other means such as exercising, keeping pests away, reducing allergies, and preventing injuries.
A chaotic home shouldn’t be something we settle for just because it seems bearable. We must all strive for sustainable living environments that make us feel tranquil and sane.
If you’re too busy to include cleaning in your schedule, consider setting a 10-minute timer to do the basics and leave the deep cleaning for free days.
As I said earlier, your home is the only place in the world you can call yours. Make it worth living in.
