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elevaterecoveryhomes.com
article
https://elevaterecoveryhomes.com/cleaning-as-self-care
## The Science Behind Clean Spaces and Mental Health
Numerous studies have demonstrated the connection between a clean environment and improved mental health – one study found that individuals who described their homes as cluttered experienced higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, throughout the day.
Your brain responds to your environment. When you’re surrounded by mess, your mind struggles to process information and make decisions. [...] A clean space supports a clear mind. And a clear mind supports recovery.
### The Bottom Line
The connection between a clean space and mental well-being is undeniable – by understanding the psychological impact of our surroundings, we can harness the therapeutic benefits of a tidy environment.
Cleaning isn’t just about having a nice-looking home. It’s about:
Managing stress and anxiety
Creating a sense of control
Building confidence
Providing a safe haven
Supporting your mental health [...] When life feels uncertain, cleaning is a tangible action you can manage – it can restore a sense of agency when everything else feels chaotic.
## The Mental Health Benefits of Cleaning
### Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Cluttered spaces can contribute to feelings of overwhelm and anxiety—when your environment is disorganized, your mind tends to feel the same way, and by systematically cleaning and organizing, you can create a sense of order and control, reducing stress levels.
V
verywellmind.com
article
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-mental-health-and-cleaning-are-connected-509…
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. [...] ### Key Takeaways
Maintaining a clean home positively impacts mental health by relieving stress, enhancing mood, and fostering a sense of control over your surroundings. By tackling small cleaning tasks daily, you can cultivate a more peaceful and organized environment.
## How Cleanliness and Mental Health are Connected [...] In fact, for some people, the simple sight of a clean and organized home can help them unwind and de-stress even after an overwhelming day.
Evidence suggests that having a messy, cluttered environment can create stress and interfere with your ability to concentrate, at least for some people. The actual act of cleaning and decluttering can boost your mood, help you move your body more, improve focus, and help you feel more in control of your surroundings.
M
mhanational.org
article
https://mhanational.org/resources/creating-a-healthy-home-environment
Keeping your living space clean is shown to promote calmness and a sense of control over your day-to-day life. Your home environment doesn’t need to be spotless, but clutter can be harmful to your mental state – contributing to depression, trouble focusing, confusion, and stress. Not only can clutter be distracting, but it has been shown to actually make it harder for your brain to think clearly. Neatness also provides predictability, which can cut down on brain fatigue and anxiety. Less time [...] A big part of a mentally healthy living situation is feeling like your space gives you comfort, support, and calming energy. This could look like keeping comfort items around. Your favorite blanket, a meaningful gift, or a candle in your favorite scent can go a long way in helping you feel more at home. Your home can also impact your mental health based on colors, natural light, and set-up. Appropriate light, furnishing textures and patterns, and room organization can help reduce signs of [...] Celebrate BIPOC Mental Health Month Image
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# Creating a healthy home environment
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Optimizing your space to improve your mental health is something that anyone can benefit from. For those living with mental health conditions, it is one tool of many that can be used to improve and support your mental well-being.
## Practice tidiness
D
dartmouth.edu
research
https://www.dartmouth.edu/wellness/docs/healthy_home_environment.pdf
HEALTHY HOME ENVIRONMENTS Optimizing your space to improve your mental health is something that anyone can beneft from. For those living with mental health conditions, it is one tool of many that can be used to improve and support your mental well-being. PRACTICE TIDINESS Keeping your living space clean is shown to promote calmness and a sense of control over your day-to-day life. Your home environment doesn’t need to be spotless, but clutter can be harmful to your mental state – contributing to [...] feel the water, and absorb the experience – reported a 27% reduction in nervousness, along with a 25% improvement in mental inspiration.3 Once your space feels clean, think about organization. How can you maximize your space and be intentional about organizing to avoid future clutter and mess? Having a clean and organized space can help you feel in control and calm.4 Get rid of unneeded belongings. Periodically going through your place to fnd items to donate or get rid of can go a long way [...] According to a 2022 literature review, 95% of studies on outdoor air pollution, mental health, and human/animal brains found that exposure to polluted air changes the brain. Of the studies, 73% reported that those exposed to above-average levels of air pollution showed more symptoms and behaviors associated with mental health challenges.11 Many studies on diferent breath awareness and regulation techniques have found them to reduce symptoms of stress, depression, and PTSD.12 WHAT CAN I DO TO
Y
youtube.com
video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVlbS04uQAc
as cluttered or complained about you know the unfinished projects that we all have uh these people were more likely to suffer from depression and fatigue while those who described their home as restful and restorative um were more likely just to be happier and have better mental health so there definitely seems to be some sort of connection um in most people between you know the being clean and organized and having better mental health and i know we've you know touched on it here and there but [...] yeah i definitely notice a difference just in my overall kind of like focus um and you know just like motivation if things around me are kind of like tidy and cleaned up a little bit you can definitely tell there's some sort of impact on your mental health absolutely yeah because otherwise you can be distracted like oh gosh i need to put those dishes away or i'm gonna have to do that later so if you start out with everything neat and tidy then you don't have those distractions and a lot of [...] Feeling anxious, stressed or unable to focus? Take a look around you. Clutter, mess or an untidy work area can make some people feel overwhelmed. In fact, research shows that cleaning (or a lack of cleaning) can have an impact on your mental health. Clinical psychologist, Dawn Potter, PsyD, discusses tips for decluttering, how mess can contribute to depression and tension and hoarding disorder.
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O
oxfordcbt.co.uk
article
https://www.oxfordcbt.co.uk/stress-management-cleaning
This one is particularly true if you share your living environment with other people. Whether you are sharing with a partner, friends, housemates, there is always a chance that you won’t all feel the same way about cleaning. Seeing someone’s dirty clothes around, unwashed plates or a messy bathroom can cause negative feelings of resentment towards the person responsible, and the negative feelings then in turn will have an impact on your mental health. You must discuss your shared responsibility [...] Clutter and mess can be linked to negative emotions like confusion and tension. Whereas a clean and tidy home leads to positive emotions such as a sense of calm and well-being. By sorting and organising the clutter and mess around you, you can reduce any stress or anxiety you may be feeling and this will help you feel like you are taking control of your life. The physical activity of cleaning combined with the result of a cleaner home helps reduce stress, feelings of anxiety, and depressive [...] 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
P
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
official
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11925691
others; Tesser, 2000). Paralleling such mental mechanisms, we observe that cleaning can attenuate the effects of psychological threats to one’s self—as moral (West & Zhong, 2015), as rational (Lee & Schwarz, 2010), as competent (Kaspar, 2012), and as socially accepted (the present findings). This opens up a broad and exciting avenue for future research: Daily cleaning behavior, mundane as it seems, may serve supplementary coping functions that not only attenuate stress but also sustain positive [...] of the manipulation check items (how clean the visualized experience felt and how much it involved touching oneself), only clean feelings significantly predicted lower anxiety (β = −0.1215, _SE_ = 0.0353, _t_(295) = −3.437, _p_ = .0007) and lower tension (β = −0.1693, _SE_ = 0.0344, _t_(299) = −4.924, _p_ = 1.41e−06), whereas touch involvement did not significantly predict anxiety (β = 0.0550, _SE_ = 0.0375, _t_(295) = 1.469, _p_ = .1429) and predicted higher tension (β = 0.0759, _SE_ = 0.0369,
P
psychologytoday.com
article
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truisms-wellness/201607/the-power…
The solution: Look at organization porn. Read an anti-clutter blog. Remember this article. People who keep their homes clean and organized are healthier, both physically and mentally. Spending the time and effort to keep your space clean is well worth it.
Why do we love organization? [...] A study led by associate professor NiCole R. Keith, Ph.D., research scientist and professor at Indiana University, found that people with clean houses are healthier than people with messy houses. Keith and her colleagues tracked the physical health of 998 African Americans between the ages of 49 and 65, a demographic known to be at an increased risk for heart disease. Participants who kept their homes clean were healthier and more active than those who didn’t. In fact, house cleanliness was [...] A 2010 study published in the scientific journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin used linguistic analysis software to measure the way 60 individuals discussed their homes. Women who described their living spaces as “cluttered” or full of “unfinished projects” were more likely to be depressed and fatigued than women who described their homes as “restful” and “restorative.” The researchers also found that women with cluttered homes expressed higher levels of the stress hormone