Did You Know Tidiness Can Be Good For Your Wellbeing?
When it comes to releasing feel-good hormones and keeping a sunny vibe, we know what the experts say: eat more veggies (and limit processed food), hit the gym and soak up the sun. There’s one thing though, that often doesn’t make our self-care list that’s relatively easy to tackle and has an unexpectedly big pay off: Make your bed. Well, kind of. We will take a look at why some experts recommend tidiness for good health.
According to research conducted by the University of California, women who described their home environment as messy or chaotic were more likely to have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Conversely, a tidy home contributed to overall feelings of wellbeing and happiness.
Experts Say Our Spaces May Be A Window Inside Us
“Our external spaces reflect our internal state,” says decluttering expert Cary Fortin to Mind Body Green. “An orderly, organized, simplified home supports and encourages a calm, focused, content mental state. Crossing the threshold into your home when it’s organized, you’ll notice your shoulders drop, your heart rate decreases, you breathe more deeply because everything is as it should be. Life can be hectic; a decluttered, organized home can serve as an antidote to that overwhelming feeling.”
Compelling, right? Before you rush out to buy this book though, or stress that your junk drawer is making you stressed, remember that even small actions (like making your bed every morning) may be enough to give you a serotonin boost. That’s because when these chores are tackled mindfully i.e. being fully present with the activity you’re doing rather than rushing through it, the result can be a calmer mind and less stress according to this study conducted by Florida State University.
This means that mopping the floor, making the bed, doing the dishes, or tackling any other needling chore can pay off in two ways. 1) Approaching these tasks mindfully makes us feel calmer. 2) Because our external environment is in order our internal environment can chill.
We’d call that the most convincing argument we’ve heard to spin the chore wheel, but if you need more convincing there’s also this: in a study published in the Psychological Science journal people who worked in a neat space for 10 minutes were twice as likely to choose an apple over a piece of chocolate as a snack! Can keeping a clean home also help you maintain a healthy weight? Yes, say the study authors since you’re less likely to reach for the comfort foods when you’re not experiencing stress.
On board for cleaning up your spaces a little?
Here Are 10 Easy Tidiness Activities to Benefit Mind, Body and Home
1. Make it a daily practice to make your bed. (Just make this part of your new routine to be a morning person!)
2. Do your dishes after every meal.
3. Tackle the junk drawer – for twenty minutes only.
4. Recycle that pile of mail
5. Sweep something
6. Give away some things
7. Make one day a week laundry day and stick to it
8. Vacuum your car — you may find money!
9. Clean the bathroom
10. Dust something, anything
