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oxfordcbt.co.uk
article
https://www.oxfordcbt.co.uk/stress-management-cleaning
Can cleaning help you reduce stress? There are lots of different ways that we can manage our stress. We each have our routine that we reach for when we feel overwhelmed. Some may try yoga, or mindfulness exercises, maybe even head to the hairdressers or for a massage. For others, dusting shelves, wiping down the kitchen or organising is their way to deal with stress. Cleaning is just as beneficial for our mental health as mindfulness related activities. For some people, coming home to a clean [...] 3 Set a time limit so you have an end goal. This is very popular with online cleaning sensation Mrs Hinch. Having a set time (30 minutes for example) will keep you focussed on what you want to achieve. Get all your cleaning products organised and ready and refer to your list of what you want to achieve in that time. [...] ## How to Incorporate Cleaning Into Your Life
1 Start small and do a little bit each day. The thought of having to clean your house from top to bottom in one day can be daunting and will only add to any stress or anxiety you are feeling. Don’t make your to-do list bigger than what you can handle mentally. To begin with, choose one thing to do today, and then something else tomorrow and so on. You won’t then be faced with a daunting feeling when you come to cleaning.
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apartmenttherapy.com
article
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/stress-cleaning-solutions-37396967
Alternatively, you can refocus your energy on more productive tasks. “Engaging in creative pursuits, pursuing personal or professional goals, and focusing on activities that bring a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment can shift the focus away from cleaning and towards more meaningful endeavors,” says Rosado. [...] Decluttering is a good way to improve your overall mental health. A clean environment can make you feel less anxious, which can help reduce your desire to stress clean.
Rosado advises utilizing the “one in, one out” method. The strategy is simple: for every one thing you bring into your home, one thing must go. So if you buy a new centerpiece, you can get rid of the one gathering dust in storage. [...] When it comes to stress cleaning, I’d argue that the first step is to develop more awareness around it, such as knowing the difference between productive vs. obsessive cleaning (and the signs to look for) and your triggers. “Pay attention to when the need to clean seems more pressing,” advises Goldberg. By recognizing your triggers, you can understand your anxiety better.
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kwikbrain.medium.com
article
https://kwikbrain.medium.com/fight-stress-by-cleaning-it-really-works-33cd50e…
One way to fight stress is through cleaning. This is probably a solution many of us have never considered as a destress solution. In fact, cleaning is something many people add to their list of things that adds stress to their lives. But there’s a lot of science to back this up. Here are four ways cleaning helps lower stress.
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Photo by Volha Flaxeco on Unsplash
### Provides a sense of control [...] Whether it’s cleaning out a closet, organizing our inbox, or scrubbing the floors, cleaning can help us feel like we’re in control of an outcome. We start with a mess and end with a tidy space. This is even more powerful if the cause of our stress is something we can’t control. [...] Engaging in an activity like cleaning, where countless choices need to be made and progress can be visually marked helps alleviate that anxiety and stress. It grounds us, giving us a sense that we’ve regained control of our decisions. It also engages our executive cognitive abilities, keeping our brain focused on the task at hand instead of worrying about all the unknowns.
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Photo by Crema Joe on Unsplash
### Satisfaction releases happy hormones
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columbiadoctors.org
news
https://www.columbiadoctors.org/news/reduce-stress-through-decluttering
Whether someone is dealing with depression or is simply overwhelmed, we often use a technique called behavioral activation, which involves purposefully engaging in achievable activities to improve mood. This approach has been borne out in research; one study even suggests that cleaning can help alleviate stress, even when the stressor has nothing to do with the clutter. Spring cleaning is a great example of behavioral activation. [...] In behavioral activation, we help our clients identify objectively achievable tasks (this will often include cleaning or straightening up) and help them differentiate these actions from the stressors and tasks that the individual finds overwhelming. We also help them chunk down any large, overwhelming task into smaller, more manageable steps. [...] This doesn’t mean you need to clean out your closet every week. But everyday tidying and maintenance, like making your bed every day, may have surprising dividends. I often suggest engaging in a two-week trial period for any new habit or behavior. This helps people to assess whether the behavior has any real benefits before deciding whether to commit to it. Additionally, it is usually easier to find the motivation to continue a behavior once we fully understand and experience the benefits of
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healthieru.unl.edu
research
https://healthieru.unl.edu/news/spring-cleaning-mind-how-decluttering-reduces…
Practicing mindfulness, journaling, and limiting information overload are great ways to clear mental space. Decluttering your physical surroundings can also enhance mental well-being, as a tidy environment promotes relaxation and reduces distractions. Writing down tasks instead of keeping them in your head helps free up mental energy, reducing anxiety and improving productivity. Setting boundaries and learning to say no can prevent overwhelming feelings, allowing you to focus on what truly [...] focus on what truly matters. Taking breaks from social media and engaging in restorative activities like walking, reading, or meditating can further ease stress and promote inner peace. [...] Lynn McGill
Spring is the perfect time to refresh and reset—not just our homes, but also our minds. Mental clutter, like negative thoughts, worries, and endless to-do lists, can increase stress and make it difficult to focus. Just as cleaning a messy room creates a sense of order, clearing mental clutter can bring clarity and calm, allowing you to be more present and intentional in your daily life.
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verywellmind.com
article
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-mental-health-and-cleaning-are-connected-509…
Additionally, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America indicates that the physical activity of cleaning coupled with the end result of a cleaner home helps reduce stress, feelings of anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Cleaning can also reduce fatigue and improve concentration.
### Cleanliness and Focus [...] ### Start Small
Most people put off cleaning because the task seems way too big to tackle. But instead of expecting to get the entire house into order in one weekend, start small and do just a little bit each day.
Commit to doing one thing around your house or apartment each day. Before you know it, your environment will be much cleaner and less stressful. [...] The key is that you don't make your to-do list bigger than what you can mentally handle or you will just increase your stress rather than reduce it. To enjoy the benefits of cleanliness and decluttering, start with what you can realistically manage.
### Set a Timer
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pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
official
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11925691
## found that (a) concrete visual simulation of cleaning behavior alleviated residual anxiety from a stress-inducing physical scene, an effect distinct from touch, and (b) actual cleaning behavior enhanced adaptive cardiovascular reactivity to a highly stressful context of social performance/evaluation, which provides the first physiological evidence for the attenuation of stress-related effects by cleaning. Overall, actual cleaning and simulated cleaning attenuate effects of physical or [...] 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 [...] Our work also provides the first physiological evidence for the attenuation of stress-related effects by cleaning, extending the hitherto mostly experiential evidence to a new level of analysis. An additional nuance is that cleaning effects in some of the present experiments were evident for indirect measures, including pictorial assessment of basic affective dimensions and physiological markers, but not for direct verbal measures that used specific emotion terms, which can operate
C
cdc.gov
official
https://www.cdc.gov/mental-health/living-with/index.html
## Healthy ways to cope with stress
Learning to cope in a healthy way can help reduce your stress. Taking small steps in your daily life to manage stress can have a big impact. Everyone manages stress differently. You can find and manage what triggers your stress and the right combination of healthy techniques that work for you.
Take care of your mind.
### Gratitude works
Woman with bandana drinking from a mug
Take care of your body.
### Integration of physical and mental health [...] Everyone experiences stress, which is your body's physical and emotional response to new or challenging situations.1 This can occur when you face problems such as those related to work, school, health, and relationships. Feeling stress can be a normal coping response and can forge a healthy sense of our ability to solve problems. However, when the stress is long term, known as chronic stress, it can lead to worsening health problems.2
Stress can cause the following: [...] # Managing Stress
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, confidential, free, 24/7/365 help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. See Resources for help.
## Key points
A woman sitting in a garden, eyes closed, hands folded across her chest. Above her, a watering can is pouring a rainbow.
## How it impacts everyday life