6 Ways Cleaning Your Home Can Benefit Your Mental & Physical Wellness

 There might just be some truth to the saying, "Clean your space, clear your mind." 

It's a simple logic, a cleaner home allows you to think more clearly and feel less anxious. It immediately alleviates stress and you can feel the benefits almost instantly. Of course, the act of cleaning can take a little more than just knowing you'll feel better once it's done. We have to start somewhere and when life gets busy, that's when we get overwhelmed and fall behind on tasks that quickly accumulate and weigh us down both mentally and physically.

What are the benefits of keeping a clean space?

1) Clarity. Improves concentration and helps you process things with ease. It's easier to be more productive when your mind isn't churning over your to-do list that is prompted by visual cues. 

Think of it this way, when you sit down at your kitchen table to do your monthly bills, if the table is cluttered, your mind is going to have a harder time focusing on balancing your checkbook because it'll be distracted by what's on the table and why. Same for cooking dinner, if there's a sink full of dishes, or a messy stove top, chances are you won't feel up to cooking. 

Try this: Set up a daily cleaning list. Don't worry about what others suggest you should do everyday, instead, be realistic about what you need accomplished. For example, I included sweeping and mopping on my daily cleaning list. Not everyone needs to mop their floors everyday! I choose to because we have pets and a large family. It helps with the pet hair and keeps the pet odors at bay. I also choose which floors I mop. During the week, I focus on high traffic areas and sometimes I opt for my spray mop instead of my spin mop. The main idea is to do something everyday to help you achieve your overall goals.

2) Lessens anxiety and gives you better control of your environment. Home should be a safe place to retreat. If you walk in your home and feel overwhelmed as soon as you cross that threshold, it's time to make a change. 

Try this: Focus your efforts in areas you spend the most time; kitchen, bedroom, living room, etc. Pick one area of your home to start and give yourself a set amount of time for tasks like tackling clutter, laundry, trash, or dusting. Once that area is clean, move on to the next. It is very important to not try to cram all of your cleaning into one day. You'll become overwhelmed and discouraged quickly. Take it one task at a time and before long, your home will be in order the way you need it to be.

3) Reduces stress and boosts mood. When you get up and start washing the dishes, that physical act is like a mini workout session. It's all about movement and knowing you are accomplishing something.

Try this: Put on some music or an audiobook while you clean. It provides enough of a distraction to keep your mind from going into a negative train of thought, i.e. "Why can't they rinse their plates and load the dishwasher!" or "Am I the only person that cares we are living in a pig sty?" Cleaning should feel good because you are working towards a goal and making a positive change to your space. Changing our mindsets towards how we look at the chore of cleaning in a positive light can rid us of the stress associated with having to clean. The goal is to make cleaning as stress-free as possible and in turn it encourages us to continue a cleaning routine to help prevent stress within our homes.

4) Helps us become decisive, improves goal-setting skills and gives us a sense of accomplishment. We may not realize how mundane tasks actually help us build and retain important skills, but they really do!

Try this: Tackle paper clutter. Where ever you keep your bills, budgets, receipts or mail - pick a time to sort, shred and save. Swimming in unopened or junk mail mound can be mentally and physically draining. Sort your papers into three piles; first pile is to save, second pile is to shred, and third pile is to recycle or toss. Take the first pile and immediately file or put away. Take the second pile to shred and then put the shredded paper with the recycling. 

Once you have whittled down the paper clutter, look at setting up a station to tackle paperwork as it comes in to prevent an overflow in the future. I've got in the habit of sorting mail as soon as I bring it into our home. I sit at my desk and put bills (the few that aren't online) and important papers in a divider on my desk. Anything like receipts or medical records I file away in a filing cabinet. Junk mail goes straight into recycling. This has also been helpful with the kiddos school papers. I check their bookbags before dinner and sort immediately.  

5) A clean home can lead to a better nights sleep. If you've ever found your mind racing at the end of a long day when you lay your head on that pillow, this might help turn that overthinking switch off. 

Try this: Before bed, do a quick fifteen minute pick up around your home. This might be loading the dishwasher and wiping down counters. Or maybe folding that load of laundry that's in the dryer with your kiddos favorite hoodie you just know she's going to want to wear the next day. Doing a few last minute tasks before heading to bed can help you rest easier. This will be especially true when it comes to a clean and clutter free bedroom. After all, your bedroom should be your sanctuary! A place that is calming, comforting, and designed to help you get the best sleep possible. 

6) Physically - cleaning is a workout! Just like cleaning is good for your mind, it is also just as good for your body! Mopping floors, running up and down the stairs, squatting as you pick up legos off the floor, balancing laundry baskets and an arm full of dirty dishes from your teenagers room - that takes pure endurance! 

Try this: Pump up the jams! Turn on your favorite tunes (I go for upbeat and old school) and clean one area per song. I can't tell you the number of times my hubby has walked in on me jamming out to Salt N' Peppa or doing 'running man' while I was cleaning. Even my kids know, if mom has the music cranked up, she's in her zone...beware! I might make you dance with me, haha! 

Cleaning really is one of the simplest ways to tackle your mental and physical woes. Is it a cure all? Of course not. Life gets heavy, things happen, but this is about what you can do and what you can control. It's a coping skill (a few actually), another tool in your arsenal of skills to keep you focused on the present. Everything you do everyday should help bring you one step closer to your goals. 

Once you you regain your space, how do you stay on track?

Learning how to work cleaning into our already busy days can be a bit tricky, especially when you feel unmotivated or underappreciated to do it. Just like my daily cleaning list, I needed to have a weekly, monthly and yearly list to help keep me on track. It also helps keep me from forgetting to do certain chores around our home that aren't as obvious as dirty dishes or piles of laundry waiting to be washed.

Another trick I use is to make sure I have an inventory of cleaning supplies just for our home. This does two things for me; first, it makes sure I know what products I need to buy and keeps me from overbuying products. Second, it helps make sure I always have the products I love on hand to get the job done. 

A big key to reaching any goal is consistency. Give it a try and let me know in the comments if you noticed any changes in your overall health!

xxoo

Crystal