Mindful Benefits of Spring Cleaning: Decluttering May Improve Your Mental Well-being Mindfulness Mental Health
When your physical and mental space is cluttered, stress can take over. With spring around the corner, it is the perfect time to declutter your home or office, but did you know this can improve your mental health as well?
Physical clutter equals mental clutter: it’s impossible to have a clear head when your space is dirty or unorganized. When someone comes to me to learn meditation or mindfulness, one of the first things I have people do is clean their house and keep their primary living space organized and clutter-free. Eliminating external clutter makes it much easier to meditate and be mindful, and it will also improve your mood, reduce stress and anxiety and more.
Here are my three spring-cleaning tips to help reduce stress and anxiety brought on by clutter:
- Start Small: Maybe it’s your desk or the room you spend the most time in. Commit to keeping your primary work or living area clean and clutter-free. Once you do this it will become easier to tackle those other places that need more work.
- Prioritize Positive Emotions: If something you have doesn't make you feel good, for any reason, get rid of it to make space for something that does. This could be a piece or art, furniture, clothes, dishes or just about anything. The stuff we have becomes a trigger for different emotional states, so when you choose to only have things around that evoke happiness or contentment, you create that in your life.
- Breathe: Even cleaning your space can be daunting, so take a moment to breathe deeply and focus on the space you want to create for yourself. Breathing is connected to good mental health and lowering stress levels, so take a deep breath or 10 before you start. It will help you focus and get motivated.
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