5 Ways Spring Cleaning Can Make You Healthier
05 Aug
Spring cleaning usually conjures up images of fresh linens, colorful spray bottles, and dust bunnies galore.
Even though it’s a useful activity, it can often be difficult to find the motivation to break out the toilet wand.
Believe it or not, the spring cleaning tradition has a complex history and diverse origins, with ties to numerous cultures, holidays, and even our biological stimuli.
There are many additional benefits to spring cleaning besides a tidy space, including improved health. Below, we’ve listed five ways spring cleaning can make you healthier.
1.) Encourages Mindfulness
mindful.org
On a basic level, the definition of mindfulness is the ability to be fully present in the moment —easier said than done, we get it. Organizing your space requires concentrating on the task at hand. This allows you to slow down, become more aware, and ultimately increase your mindfulness.
2.) Improves Your Focus
Focus is hard to come by in the fast-paced digital world we live in. Everywhere we look, it seems like there is some new advertisement vying for our attention. How could there be so many products we didn’t know we needed?
Taking the time to break down your space and clean allows you to remove yourself from these distractions. You might be surprised by how the hours fly by when you organize your closet.
3.) Curtails Chaos
considerable.com
Many people believe that a clean space correlates with better health and increased happiness. A chaotic space can often reflect a chaotic mind. Happiness expert, author, and researcher Gretchen Rubin is an advocate for organizing your space to improve mental health. She has famously stated, “every time I’ve brought order to my rooms, I’ve brought calm to my mind.
4.) Helps You Unplug
There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and while it’s very important to stay informed, it’s also ok to unplug sometimes. Spring cleaning allows you to crank up some tunes and block out the digital world for just a little while. The news will always be there…but so will those dust mites if you don’t clean.
5.) Gets You Moving
cfainstitute.org
Most of us are currently quarantined in our homes, which means our steps are from the fridge to the living room and back. It can be hard to reach a 10,000 step goal in this environment however spring cleaning can help. The number of steps you can get by cleaning your space for a few hours may shock you.
Conclusion
Spring cleaning might seem like a big undertaking for some. But with so many practical benefits, as we’ve learned it seems worth trying. You can take things slow and start with small sections of your space — don’t be afraid to take breaks when you need them.
Try spring cleaning to give your space some well-deserved TLC. But more importantly, do it as an act of self-care and increased wellness. Your body and mind (or if you have a roommate) will thank you.