Decluttering your space and mind
Our serotonin level goes up when we declutter, which makes us more mentally stable, more focused, and happier. — Photo from pexels.com / Tima Miroshnichenko
DO you ever feel stressed when your things are screaming at you from all around your house: 'Clean me! Organise me! Put me away!', especially when you are too busy to declutter them?
Don't worry, I have felt that way many times before.
Our cortisol level — also known as the 'stress hormone' — goes up when we are around a lot of mess that makes us think of all the things we need to do.
In contrast, our serotonin — or the 'feel-good hormone' — level goes up when we declutter, which makes us more mentally stable, focused, and happier.
For me, tidying up and cleaning are 'mindful' practices.
They are not things I hate doing; instead they help me to try living in the present.
While I vacuum my bedroom floor I don't think: 'I wish someone would do this for me', or 'I have too many things to do today, I don't have time for this.'
Or at the very least, I do think about them but then go back to cleaning.
As I clean my bedroom floor, I can see the dust and hair getting sucked into the vacuum. As I focus on the work at hand, I notice my jaw tense, so I relax it.
I do the same thing as I do my laundry or organise my closet.
This could be referred to as a practice of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as the practice of being aware of your body, mind, and feelings in the present moment, thought to create a feeling of calm.
Instead of fretting about the same things over and over again, you want to de-stress and step back from your thoughts, and sometimes 'trying' is the exact opposite of what mindfulness is meant to do.
It has been shown that mindfulness greatly elevates mood and lowers stress, which helps with just that.
While there are many wonderful methods to cultivate mindfulness, I find that decluttering really helps.
'Let the thoughts come and go, just like the dust and unwanted items in my room,' is how I would describe it.
Adding some mindfulness to when you are tidying your space could have a bigger impact than you would think.
Clutter and disorder are in some respects associated with negative emotions like stress, irritability, and tension, while an organised environment fosters more positive feelings like calm and peace.
Clutter is seen by the brain as incomplete tasks, and for some people, this lack of completion could be highly upsetting and stressful.
Cleaning is not just chucking things away; the activity itself could enhance your mood, increase physical activity, sharpen your focus, and give your mind a repetitive task that can help you relax.
Additionally, when you incorporate some mindfulness into the activity, it feels like a mini meditation session; you pay attention to the details of each object you pick up and notice its significance to you.
However, the main reason why I think decluttering could improve your mental health is that it gives you more control over your surroundings.
Cleaning could help you regain control over your life when you feel like you are battling with uncertainty or that your life is out of control.
According to studies, people tend to engage in repetitive behaviours like cleaning when they are under a lot of stress because it helps them feel in control during a chaotic time.
This is probably why I used to hear my coursemates go into a random cleaning frenzy at midnight the night before our big exams or while chasing deadlines for assignments. Does this sound familiar to you as well?
Furthermore, clutter and disorder could be extremely distracting, making it difficult to concentrate or finish other tasks.
So, if you experience the impulse to clean when you are under stress, your body and mind are likely searching for a way to restore control over your surroundings.
In addition to cleaning, a recent hobby of mine that I really like and find to be quite relaxing is crocheting.
By crocheting repeatedly while watching YouTube videos or anime in bed or on the couch, I am 'in the zone' and mentally focused.
Nothing stressful comes to mind other than making the chain and concentrating on counting each loop as I go, and the calmness is evident.
The practice of mindfulness could be enhanced by a variety of other wonderful activities, even if you are new to 'bringing awareness to the present moment'.
I believe there is as much delight in practising mindfulness as there is in any other time in my life.
Whether it is tidying my room, crocheting, journaling, stretching, or building a 'Gundam', I am thankful for the present I am in and enjoy every moment I spend doing these activities.
* The writer is a psychology graduate who enjoys sharing about how the human mind views the world. For feedback, email to [email protected].
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