This Way of Cleaning Reduces Stress and Anxiety
We’ve already talked about the importance of giving our homes the care that they deserve. However, beyond how beautiful they may be, order and cleanliness can directly influence our mood. Therefore, we want to talk to you about how cleaning reduces stress and anxiety.
Overcoming certain emotional situations is a process that can be difficult. But there are many ways that we can contribute to making our recovery faster and more effective. One of them is taking care of the spaces that we inhabit.
Why cleaning reduces stress and anxiety
Numerous studies show that the state of mind is reflected in both our appearance and in our homes. We can’t have a clean and tidy house if our lives are in chaos.
Research published in The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin explains how and why scientists analyzed the cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in 60 women. Those women who spoke of their homes as untidy places, presented a certain degree of depression, while those who defined them as orderly and welcoming, had less cortisol in their bodies.
The conclusion is that a home where we feel calm and comfortable works in our favor when it comes to reducing states of stress and anxiety.
Cleaning reduces stress and anxiety, but take it easy!
We must change the outlook when it comes to cleanliness. There’s no point in becoming stressed over something that’s going to ultimately benefit us. So, let’s face cleaning with different eyes, calmly and without expectations.
It’s not about judging ourselves by the amount of accumulated dust that’s on the living room furniture, but about shaping a home that’s much more akin to our needs and desires.
Cleaning with all the senses
The goal is to have a clean and tidy home, but the key is to take special care to make the journey pleasant. To do this, we must pamper our senses: sight, taste, smell, and touch.
To start, let’s choose a favorite music playlist to motivate us and make us dance while mopping! It’s common knowledge that music is capable of bringing us to a state of well-being.
When it comes to smell, nothing is more pleasant than the smell of clean sheets or a well-ventilated room. If, in addition, we take care of the environment with ecological fragrance and without artificial and saturated odors, much better.
Allowing natural sunlight to flow in, allows the brain to benefit and helps to alleviate stress and anxiety. The sun can work wonders for our emotional health.
Cleaning reduces stress and anxiety according to Marie Kondo
One of the philosophies of the Japanese guru of order Marie Kondo, is, “Does this bring me joy?” She invites us to ask ourselves this question about each of the objects and items and possessions that we have at home. And it makes a lot of sense!
If we think about it, having to face that horrible vase every day as soon as we enter the front door can’t be good for our emotional health. So why have what doesn’t give us happiness?
The effects of order on your health
In addition to the fact that our mental health diminishes with a disorderly house, psychologists also affirm that it can increase the feeling of tiredness, or cause headaches and gastrointestinal discomfort. When we see things in their place, we automatically feel better.
Cleaning reduces stress and anxiety, so once we achieve this goal, we must maintain it at all costs. Once the hard work is done, maintenance cleaning for 20 minutes each day, every day will be enough.
Don’t forget, the outside is reflected on the inside!