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It’s safe to say that most people have found it tough to move about and stay active during the pandemic.
Lockdowns and social distancing caused many to feel exhausted and transformed them into couch potatoes. And before the pandemic, you might not have stayed home too much, especially during the week when you hit the road for work.
Now that you spend most of your day at home, you realize many things need to be changed.
For starters, you haven’t noticed that your ten-year worn-out chair is still ever so present in your room. Besides being an occasional clothing rack, it serves no purpose.
It’s not just the chair that caught your attention, though. You notice there are too many things that are annoying you.
Why is that?
Read on to find out the reasons why cleaning and getting rid of extra clutter will make you much happier and calmer.
Cleaning Benefits Your Health
According to a study published by the University of Indiana, keeping your home tidier makes you healthier.
In fact, the study found that participants, who were African Americans ages 49-65, would rather spend 30 minutes cleaning their home than taking 30 min to go for a walk. Those who are primarily city-dwellers find it tough to go for long walks if most pavements are damaged or, in some cases, non-existent.
That’s why cleaning a table, sweeping the floor, doing the laundry, and vacuuming provides a more reasonable alternative to stay physically healthy. Frequent cleaning will also get rid of pests, spider webs, and accumulated dust.
Cleaning Brings More Control in Your Life
When high-stress levels persist, you’ll need to distract yourself with something to avoid dwelling in anger. Most people pick up their phones and scroll through their social media. Others resort to tidying up their closet.
The latter is a better choice for your mental health. The University of Connecticut* study mentioned that cleaning and reorganizing your room would give you more control during a chaotic time.
The constant repetitive movements will clear up your mind and distract you from the grim reality. Moreover, if you have too much stuff in your room, you may find it hard to focus on your project. Your eyes will quickly divert to the objects and make you feel submerged in your surroundings, gasping for air.
When you eventually remove a lot of clutter from your room, you most often won’t know what to do with it. If you happen to live in Washington, junk removal services in Seattle can assist you with collecting your items on the same day and disposing of them swiftly. In the end, reorganizing and cleaning your room will bring more order to your environment and let you work better.
* Saxbe DE, Repetti R. No Place Like Home: Home Tours Correlate With Daily Patterns of Mood and Cortisol. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2010;36(1):71-81. doi:10.1177/0146167209352864
Cleaning Improves Your Mood
If you’ve ever seen the Classic Disney movie Snow White, you’ll know how cleaning can improve your mood in an instant.
Sure, you won’t have deer or rabbits helping you out, but putting on some music can shift your mood and boost your energy.
Washing dishes*, for example, can help reduce nervousness and increase mental inspiration, according to a study published in the journal Mindfulness.
So get that broom and start sweeping for a healthier and happier mind!
*Hanley, A.W., Warner, A.R., Dehili, V.M., et al. Washing Dishes to Wash the Dishes: Brief Instruction in an Informal Mindfulness Practice. Mindfulness 6, 1095–1103 (2015).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-014-0360-9
