The importance of keeping a clean home is difficult to underestimate, and not just in terms of hygiene and cleanliness. Studies over the years have proven that clean and organized spaces in a home can have a significant and meaningful impact on an individuals mental health, too; helping to reduce stress levels, anxiety and even depression.
Clutter and therefore uncleanliness (the two often go hand in hand as not only does clutter attract dust and grime, but it makes it harder and more time consuming to keep a home clean), can cause our minds to become overwhelmed, and if already feeling that way, clutter can simply exacerbate an individual’s symptoms of a whole host of mental health conditions.
Here are 4 ways that keeping your home clean and uncluttered can give your mental health a boost:
- It can reduce anxiety and stress
With a lot of clutter in a home, it’s hard for the mind to focus on anything else but the mess and how it needs to be organized, which leads to stress and anxiety. With a clean and tidy home on the other hand, a sense of control and accomplishment can be gained, helping to alleviate stress and anxiety and promote a healthier state of mind and mental wellbeing.
- It can encourage you to move
The link between physical movement and stress relief has long been proven, and as cleaning and keeping a home tidy can only be done with a certain amount of physical movement, it stands to reason that keeping up with the cleaning can help us reduce our stress levels. From mopping, vacuuming and dusting, there are many household cleaning tasks that can help keep your heart pumping and your oxygen levels increased, and which when carried out regularly, can have a positive impact on your mental wellness.
- It can encourage productivity and enhance focus
A cluttered and dirty home can act as a significant source of both procrastination and distraction, and quickly lead to a decrease in efficiency levels and an increase in stress levels. Being able to focus on any tasks at hand is made all the more difficult, and we are much more likely to not carry them out at all, or do so without efficiency.
- It can help you get quality sleep
Having a cluttered living space is anything but conducive to restful sleep, and knowing that we are surrounded by mess and untidiness (whether in the bedroom or any other spaces in the home) can make it impossible sometimes to shut our mind down enough not just to fall asleep, but to enjoy a restful period of sleep. With a clean and tidy home free from excess clutter, you can create a peaceful, calming environment to rest in.
While the act of cleaning in itself can help boost mental wellbeing, even if you don’t carry out the cleaning yourself, simply having a clean and tidy environment in which to live, can help you feel more relaxed and less stressed. With this in mind, hiring a professional cleaning company can be just as beneficial to your mental health, and if you frequently find yourself stressed, depressed or anxious, and the state of your home is by no means helping, you may want to consider hiring the services of a cleaning company.
