The Power of Clean
You probably already know this, but a person does much better in a clean and organized environment than a cluttered and dirty one. When your life gets busy and hard, keeping things in order can move to the back burner, but allowing things to stay that way for too long can end up making everything feel even bigger and worse. Spring cleanings are a great way to refresh your home and safe space, but sometimes we need to be diligent to our moods and if we are feeling drained or down for no identifiable reason, putting our energy and extra time into cleaning our homes can be a great mental health booster!
As a child, I enjoyed to clean (I wish I still felt the same), and would keep my room and bathroom perfectly clean and organized at all times. Now as an adult I do not have the time, energy, nor mental capacity to be quite that responsible, so my house tends to look pretty lived in.
This can sometimes cause my mood to drop a bit, so when I notice it and have a few extra minutes, I’ll start by cleaning a room around me. The key is to start with something that needs attention but isn’t something you dread, strongly dislike, or that will take longer than you have. It needs to be a task you can finish in the allotted time and effort you have.
If you have five minutes, clear off the living room coffee table, put toys back into their baskets, and throw away the trash in the room. Then, your living room becomes fresher and a better space for you to relax with minimal adjustment.
If you have an hour, tackle the kitchen. Do the dishes, clean out the fridge, wipe down the counters, and use an air freshener. It’s amazing what a clean kitchen can do for your mood.
Once per month, I like to take the day and clean everything that I own. I’ll clean the car, the yard, and every room in the house. I’ll separate bags of trash, usually a few items to sell or give away, and then wipe down and straighten everything. I’ll do multiple loads of laundry to completion, complete a load or two of dishes, meal prep, straighten up the garden, and even give my dog a bath.
Sometimes even rearranging the furniture can help. Move your bed to a new side of your room and change sides with your spouse. Move the couches and the TV in the living room to opposite walls. Changing a few things can bring new positive energy and feelings to your space and give you new appreciation for your home and belongings.
And of course, there is the well-known concept called feng shui. Feng shui refers to the placement of furniture in your home- and says that positioning items so that they create a natural balance can cause positive energy to grow in your household and positive things to happen in your life. I personally am not sure how to do this, but I know that home designers are familiar with it and will buy pieces that work well together and contribute to this balance. Placing furniture a specific amount of space away from other things, and at certain angles and in certain places with mindfulness to light and temperature are great ways to start. I’ve attached a great resource with a few ideas as well for you to start with.
Of course, one of the main reasons that cleaning does such great things for your mood is that it provides a sense of achievement, along with a boost of dopamine, which allows you to feel proud of yourself while also accomplishing something. Completing a puzzle can provide the similar feelings, although a clean house may be a bit more productive in the grand scheme of things (not that a fun hobby is ever a waste of time). Make cleaning fun by adding music, giving yourself a completion reward, and doing it with friends and family involved. Sometimes if you’ve tried everything else to make yourself feel better and you’re still at a bit of a loss, cleaning is a great way to multitask and heal yourself and get some chores done. If you’re in doubt- try it for a few minutes and try to notice a difference. I hope you do!
Kyndal Sims
Birch Psychology