Photo credit: Sarah Brown via Unsplash
Spring is here, so you might feel the urge to declutter, clean, and organize your spaces. Of course, this has benefits for your home, but spring cleaning will also have a positive impact on your mental health. Here’s how:
1. Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Clutter is overwhelming and stressful. A messy environment makes it difficult to relax, which increases stress levels and can contribute to anxiety. Studies have shown that walking into a messy space increases one's heart rate and breathing. Your body craves calm and ordered spaces, so listen to it and clear that clutter.
2. Boost Productivity and Creativity
We live in a world that has us more distracted than ever. Clutter is a huge factor that contributes to lower levels of efficiency, productivity and creativity, especially in home office spaces. Your brain can’t focus on tasks or come up with new ideas when your surroundings are in chaos and competing for your attention. Tackling these spaces during your spring cleaning sessions will work wonders to energize your workspaces and increase your capacity to get things done!
3. Increase Happiness
A clean and organized environment can have more of a positive impact on your overall happiness and well-being than you might realize. There is a sense of accomplishment and pride people feel when they have taken the time to make their spaces more enjoyable to spend time in.
4. Feel More in Control
When your space is in order, you will feel a rising sense of control over your environment. This helps reduce anxiety and the feeling of “being all over the place”. Creating systems will help your family’s day-to-day activities run more smoothly, too, making everything feel more streamlined (which is never a bad thing!).
5. Clear Mental Clutter
Spring cleaning isn't just about clearing physical clutter; it's also about clearing mental clutter, that internal weight that sits on your chest. As you declutter, clean, and organize your space, you might also find yourself letting go of negative thoughts, emotions, and ties to that clutter. This type of catharsis can help you feel more positive, optimistic, and free.
Spring cleaning is a powerful vehicle for improving your (and your family members’) mental health through the process of caring for your spaces. By taking care of your physical environment, you're also taking care of your mental and emotional well-being. Clearing out the clutter and creating a more calming environment in your home not only allows you to take back control of your spaces, but be intentional with your self care, which is something so many of us neglect.
So let’s go ahead and start that spring cleaning today!
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