Sometimes life gets chaotic and we forget to tend our surrounding environments. It is especially challenging to focus on anything, let alone household duties, while we are deep in grief. It is up to your personal timeline to decide when you feel ready to tackle the more mundane tasks. Perhaps your clutter is stacks of paperwork, piles of laundry, sticky notes all over your desk, or rolling dust bunnies. Did you know decluttering and cleaning your home has a direct impact on your health? While I know cleaning might not be everyone’s favorite activity, it truly can be therapeutic and beneficial. As Spring approaches you might feel motivated to grab the dust rag, mop, or vacuum. I highly encourage you to do so! Let’s explore some benefits associated with tidying up.
First, the actual act of cleaning keeps you physically fit. Of course, please listen to your own body and its limits. Dusting shelves, lifting boxes of old clothes, and rearranging furniture around are all examples of heart healthy activities. Cleaning can serve as a nice low-intensity way to get your body moving. Any type of physical activity can help release feel-good endorphins.
Spring cleaning can potentially improve your sleep schedule. Clean sheets and a warm, cozy bed can promote higher comfort levels allowing you to fall asleep quicker. Keeping your bed clean is essential to wellness, immunity, and serenity. A mist of lavender essential oil sleep spray on your bedding is a fantastic way to lock in peace before bedtime. Making your bed every morning can also encourage order and structure around your resting habits.
Regular maintenance and cleansing of your space can ease some of your anxiety. A study published by Princeton University researchers found: “Clutter can make it difficult to focus on a particular task. More specifically, they discovered that a person’s visual cortex can be overwhelmed by objects not related to a particular task, making it harder to focus and complete projects efficiently.” Committing to cleaning up and focusing on the tasks at hand can break negative thought patterns, nervous energy, and feeling stuck.
After sudden loss our ability to maintain healthy habits is most likely extremely hindered by the pain of losing our loved one(s). In grief it is not about solving our pain. It is about tending to it. There are different ways to tend to grief. Each way is completely unique to the individual. Spring cleaning might be a tangible and helpful way to tend to grief you may consider trying whenever you feel up to it.
Sources: https://blog.bonsecours.com/healthy/spring-cleaning-health-benefits/
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-mental-health-and-cleaning-are-connected-5097496#citation-1
