5 Reasons Why Spring Cleaning is Good for Your Mental Health
Many of us feel the urge to renew with the arrival of spring. This is a sign we are in tune with the seasonal changes around us. That energy can push us to start spring cleaning. Interestingly, cleaning can also help us deal with everyday stress and anxiety. “Cleaning and organizing can make us feel in control of our immediate surroundings,” says Marni Amsellem, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Smart Health Psychology.
As spring motivates us to get rid of things, clean up, and organize, let's look closer at how spring cleaning benefits our mental health. [1]
1. It Gives You a Sense of Control
For many people, cleaning one’s space supplies a significant emotional health benefit—one that’s uniquely tied to a sense of control over one’s environment. “Many people do find cleaning to be very satisfying, but also to be a superb way of managing stress or anxiety,” Potter explains. “Plenty of people, when they are faced with other problems that maybe they can’t address at the time, or they’re just kind of overwhelmed, they find that cleaning helps them restore a sense of control.” Amsellem agrees: “When so much of life feels beyond our control, maintaining order and cleanliness at home is one way for us to exert some mastery over our environments, which can extend into our overall feeling of mastery,” she says.
2. It’s Intentional and Ritualistic
Rituals play a powerful role in our lives. As such, making cleaning part of your daily life, whatever that looks like to you, will contribute to a healthier lifestyle in more ways than one. “There’s a peace of mind from having an aesthetically pleasing place to wake up in and return to at the end of your workday. If you’re working from home, just to have your workday feel smooth and organized and put together,” Potter explains. As Amsellem stresses, regularly keeping a clean home and, in turn, nourishing your space, is a long-practiced tradition globally. “Many cultures have long-established values of keeping order and cleanliness at home,” she says. “The practice of keeping a clean home, as well as doing a deeper cleanse, is one way to both promote calm and to energize.”
3. It’s Calming and Energizing
From sweeping the floors to disinfecting the counters, household chores are an inherently mindful act. They can help you clear your head and unplug from the virtual world while getting more in touch with your personal space. And the fruits of your labor can have a particularly positive effect. “Walking into a clean and orderly room can feel both invigorating and calming, whereas walking into a cluttered space can feel exhausting and overwhelming,” Amsellem says. A lot of this has to do with the visual feedback we get after cleaning organizing—the results are immediate and tangible. “We know that we have taken charge and, consequently, feel more in charge,” she says. On the flip side, clutter is overwhelming and all-consuming. “We can lose focus, get lost, and feel a sense of powerlessness,” Amsellem says of the effects of untidiness. “These emotions can impact our mental health in other ways and affect how we see ourselves more generally, such as detracting from our sense of self-efficacy and confidence.”
4. It Can Help You Get a Fresh Start
There’s nothing quite like waking up in fresh, clean sheets that smell like meadows (or whatever else you prefer). Besides, if you keep your house spick and span, you won’t have to dread waking up to complete chaos and about a thousand pending household chores. You would rather not live in a stressful environment, do you? Your home should be a relaxing place, where you feel peaceful and safe. There’s almost a therapeutic side to cleaning, bringing harmony and order into your life. A clean house is inspiring!
5. It Helps You Create a Healthier Environment
Ridding your environment of germs along with dirt and dust, results in better indoor air quality, leaving a whiff of freshness in its wake. The kitchen and bathroom usually require special attention, as they are known to be one of the germiest places in any house. And let's do it right, with products that are safe around your little ones, powerful against even the most stubborn dirt, green for the planet, and smart on your wallet. These are the products I trust to clean my home.
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References:
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1 The Mental Health Benefits of Spring-Cleaning By Lauren Valenti, March 27, 2023 https://www.vogue.com/article/the-mental-health-benefits-of-spring-cleaning
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