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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 [...] Research has shown that living in a cluttered environment increases stress. In the study, young women cared for an infant in either a normal or cluttered environment. While chaos didn't seem to affect mood or responsiveness, physical stress levels were still higher for women in the cluttered homes. Such findings suggest that parents should consider how cleanliness and clutter in the home may impact their stress levels.
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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 [...] Your home reflects your mental state. When your space is cluttered, your mind feels the same way. Research shows that messy environments increase stress hormones, make it harder to focus, and contribute to anxiety and depression. But cleaning isn’t just about having a tidy house – it’s an act of self-care that directly impacts your emotional well-being. Understanding this connection can change how you think about household chores and give you a practical tool for managing your mental health.
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 [...] It is important to look at your environment and think about if you are allowing yourself the best chance to concentrate and focus. If your workspace is filled with items that are not related to the task you are focusing on, you may find it difficult to concentrate. Dirty plates from breakfast, an overflowing bin, piles of laundry or the children’s toys everywhere. These can all raise your stress levels! They all act as visual clues for reminders of things that you are still yet to complete. [...] 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
Y
youtube.com
video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVlbS04uQAc
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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▶For more Health Essentials video podcasts: [...] just kind of overwhelmed they find that cleaning helps them restore a sense of control i think that the the act of cleaning itself of course is a physical act and so if depending on how much cleaning we're doing how vigorous we're getting we actually may be getting a bit of a workout um and even if not it's just something that gets us up and moving and being you know in control of our environment um the other thing i think that you know in terms of health benefits for some people uh keeping
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 [...] Learn more about how your surroundings and environment impact your mental health.
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"\" indicates required fields [...] 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
F
fepblue.org
news
https://www.fepblue.org/news/2023/02/08/17/34/The-Mental-Power-of-Cleaning
Accumulation. Clutter. Dust. A messy home or workspace can take its toll on your mental health and wreak havoc on your productivity. But understanding why can help you take charge.
Clutter can feel like chaos—especially when life feels most hectic. But decluttering is a great way to regain control of your environment. By cleaning, sorting and organizing, you are engaging with your surroundings in a positive way. Your mind will be at ease and your space will be much cleaner. [...] Accumulation. Clutter. Dust. A messy home or workspace can take its toll on your mental health and wreak havoc on your productivity. But understanding why can help you take charge.
Clutter can feel like chaos—especially when life feels most hectic. But decluttering is a great way to regain control of your environment. By cleaning, sorting and organizing, you are engaging with your surroundings in a positive way. Your mind will be at ease and your space will be much cleaner. [...] The connection between body, mind and cleaning is a deep one. In fact, one study found that people with cleaner houses were, on average, healthier than those living in cluttered homes. While researchers point out the study raises some questions, it does suggest a strong link between the interior condition of a home and physical activity.
P
psychologytoday.com
article
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truisms-wellness/201607/the-power…
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 [...] 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 [...] 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?
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 physical or psychological stressors, even when they have nothing to do with contamination or disease and would not be resolved by cleaning. Daily cleaning behavior may facilitate coping with stressors like physical risks and psychological threats to the self. [...] . Trougakos, Chawla, McCarthy (2020). Working in a pandemic: Exploring the impact of COVID-19 health anxiety on work, family, and health outcomes. _Journal of Applied Psychology_, 105(11), 1234–1245. doi: 10.1037/apl0000739 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
. Tybur, Lieberman, Kurzban, DeScioli (2013). Disgust: Evolved function and structure. _Psychological Review_, 120(1), 65–84. doi: 10.1037/a0030778 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]