May 20, 2026 — Household chores benefit mental health by reducing stress and anxiety ... repetitive activity that can have a calming effect. It also has been ...Read more
# Puttering around: Why small tasks feel so therapeutic Getty Images (Credit: Getty Images) Especially when you’ve got a lot on, tiny household tasks can be soothing. Why do pleasant distractions feel oddly good? Tidying your desk, watering your plants or folding laundry – these household chores are hardly the height of hedonism. Yet I often find myself seeking pleasure and comfort in small repetitive tasks. [...] At the most superficial level, puttering may be useful because it occupies the mind, so that we devote fewer resources to the things that are worrying us. Even if we struggle with structured forms of meditation, for instance, we may find household tasks can anchor us in the here and now. But that will depend on where we place our focus. [...] Bedwell points out that this may be evident in your ability to focus. “If you are sitting at your kitchen table with your laptop surrounded by clutter, that’s a lot of visual stimuli that your brain is continuously having to process while you simultaneously try to concentrate on the task at hand,” she says. “Take away the visual clutter and you can focus much more easily.”
The sight of dirty dishes piled up on the sink is about as un-relaxing as it gets. But recent research suggests you need never look at the housework in the same negative light again. Household chores can officially be used as a way to chill out. Sound radical? Not so, according to researchers at Florida State University. They found washing up while practicing 'mindfulness' - a meditative technique that focuses on the present moment - decreased nervousness and enhanced mental creativity. [...] To turn the task into one of zen it's all about focusing your mind on what you're doing. Pay attention to the five senses - the temperature of the water, the weight of the clothes as you hang them on the line, the touch of the tea-towel or the scent of the washing liquid or freshly dried laundry. Don't get hung up if your mind drifts back to its own thoughts. That's natural, Kater says. Simply bring your focus back to the task. 2. GARDENING [...] It's typically something we put off, but like colouring-in or Lego-building, the act of combing through lots of bits and pieces requires a focus that can be soothing to the mind. Sort the common denominators – like pens, paper, business cards, mail, receipts and paperclips – into piles. Then decide where they'll go. The simple act of sorting out a drawer will also reduce the stress of clutter. 4. GROOMING OR WALKING PETS
A small study from Florida State University explored whether the chore of dishwashing, done mindfully, could reduce stress. Using a group of 51 students, they discovered that dishwashers who were instructed to be mindful when washing dishes—focusing on the smell of the soap, the warmth of the water, and the feel of the dishes—reported a decrease in nervousness by 27 percent and an increase in mental inspiration (see #1) by 25 percent. [...] Chores that reduce clutter can also reduce stress. Various studies have indicated that clutter can be linked to higher cortisol—a stress hormone—and can also interfere with focusing. I love the title of author Gretchen Rubin's book: Outer Order, Inner Calm. That about sums it up. So if you’ve been yearning to clean out that junk drawer, do it. You’ll feel better. 8. Chores are an opportunity for “me time.” [...] Wanna get away? Doing repetitive chores allows you to access your inner thoughts, reflect on them, and retreat from your busy life. ## Summing Up
strong associations between housework activities and musculoskeletal pain, including neck pain, low back pain and upper extremity for homemakers (especially housewives) (Habib et al., 2010; Habiba et al., 2012; Josephson et al., 2003). This mainly is due to the fact that everyday household tasks often involve the repetition, force and awkward postures, such as washing dishes and clothes, lifting of objects or children, cleaning carpets and windows, and vacuuming. These physical risk factors [...] activities include everyday household tasks (e.g., cooking, doing laundry, room cleaning, washing dishes and shopping), which require much substantial physical and emotional labor. Research has shown that the intensity of some housework activities (e.g., sweeping, window cleaning, vacuuming) are not low than several types of paid work, and most homemakers cannot “go home and relax” (Brooks et al., 2004; Sujatha et al., 2003). Some studies have demonstrated that there are strong associations [...] The HWMSDs model further showed that cooking (0.81) was assigned greatest weights to the housework, followed by doing laundry (0.73) and room cleaning (0.71), then by shopping (0.59) and washing dishes (0.41). Perhaps this was due to the fact that participants averagely spent 181 min in cooking, 112 min in doing laundry, 108 min in room cleaning, 96 min in shopping and 82 min in washing dishes every week. That is, each of the five housework tasks was weighted based on an assessment of its
Research has found that cleaning can have a number of positive effects on your mental health. For instance, it helps you gain a sense of control over your environment and engage your mind in a repetitive activity that can have a calming effect. [...] A study by the University of Connecticut found that in times of high stress, people default to repetitive behaviors like cleaning because it gives them a sense of control during a chaotic time. Other research has found that decluttering can help older adults retain a sense of control over their life as they age. What's more, clutter and disorganization can be really distracting, making it hard to focus or complete other projects. You can start to feel stuck in a rut. [...] woman in the kitchen washing the dishes with yellow gloves woman in the kitchen washing the dishes with yellow gloves:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Stocksy_txp0c6d6160YHf300_Medium_36710541-5bdf547592b54ec7b66f7810a0960f20.jpg) organizing closet organizing closet:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/GettyImages-1281597360-8e8fa2e0c5234861a69c32fdd1760103.jpg) Young woman sitting on the floor at home organizing a moving box
Whether you think of cleaning as a meditative task, or an energetic throw yourself into it task. Either way, any form of exercise releases endorphins. Endorphins send messages to your brain that changes your perception of pain and will trigger positive emotions in your body. Regular exercise has been proven to reduce stress and reduce anxiety, along with preventing depression. Cleaning will also have these effects on your body and mental health as long as these chores require some physical [...] and depressive symptoms. Cleaning can also reduce fatigue as having clean sheets and making the bed has been proven to give you a better night’s sleep. Which in turn is linked to a more positive mood. What is stress management? [...] home to a clean and organised house helps them to unwind after an overwhelming day.
💪 🧠 🧘🏽♀️ 🌱 😌 🔗 Graphic with text: Health benefits of chores. Doing chores is a way to add more movement into the day, helps increase responsibility and independence, may reduce stress, and provides opportunities to practice a variety of skills (e.g., memory, planning, organizing). Logo: Advocate Medical Group Adult Down Syndrome Center [...] '/%3E%3Cpath d='M16.0001 7.9996c0 4.418-3.5815 7.9996-7.9995 7.9996S.001 12.4176.001 7.9996 3.5825 0 8.0006 0C12.4186 0 16 3.5815 16 7.9996Z' fill='url(%23paint1_radial_15251_63610)'/%3E%3Cpath d='M16.0001 7.9996c0 4.418-3.5815 7.9996-7.9995 7.9996S.001 12.4176.001 7.9996 3.5825 0 8.0006 0C12.4186 0 16 3.5815 16 7.9996Z' fill='url(%23paint2_radial_15251_63610)' fill-opacity='.5'/%3E%3Cpath d='M7.3014 3.8662a.6974.6974 0 0 1 .6974-.6977c.6742 0 1.2207.5465 1.2207 1.2206v1.7464a.101.101 0 0 0 [...] '/%3E%3Cpath d='M16.0001 7.9996c0 4.418-3.5815 7.9996-7.9995 7.9996S.001 12.4176.001 7.9996 3.5825 0 8.0006 0C12.4186 0 16 3.5815 16 7.9996Z' fill='url(%23paint1_radial_15251_63610)'/%3E%3Cpath d='M16.0001 7.9996c0 4.418-3.5815 7.9996-7.9995 7.9996S.001 12.4176.001 7.9996 3.5825 0 8.0006 0C12.4186 0 16 3.5815 16 7.9996Z' fill='url(%23paint2_radial_15251_63610)' fill-opacity='.5'/%3E%3Cpath d='M7.3014 3.8662a.6974.6974 0 0 1 .6974-.6977c.6742 0 1.2207.5465 1.2207 1.2206v1.7464a.101.101 0 0 0