Collaborative Post
I must admit, I have never been into cleaning in the past, preferring to leave things to the last minute before visitors were due round, and fitting in a panic tidy instead. Over the past year, however, when we have been unable to have anybody over due to the pandemic, I have really come to appreciate how much a tidy house can help lead to a tidy mind, and cleaning has given me focus when my anxiety has been playing up, quietening my mind and giving me something else to think about for a while. A tidy house can make all the difference when it comes to feeling calm and relaxed as well. Here are some cleaning tips, for those people like me, who a love of cleaning doesn’t come naturally to.
Start Small
If you are anything like me, it can feel really daunting when the whole house needs a good tidy and clean. By starting with one small job, like getting the toilets and sinks cleaned, it will feel like less of a mountain to climb, and you can get yourself into the swing of things. If you are really struggling with your mental health, don’t attempt to get everything done at once, just completing one small task is amazing when you are feeling low, so don’t beat yourself up and be kind to yourself.
Play Music
I always find getting some good music on, to sing or dance along to whilst I am cleaning, really helps to keep me motivated. Songs with a good BPM will help you to keep feeling active, but anything you enjoy singing along to will work. I personally love a good Musical soundtrack or some 80’s tunes. Music helps to improve your mood, so playing it whilst you do a task you’re less enthused about can also help bring positive associations, and make cleaning feel less daunting in future.
Have a Checklist
Sometimes when there is a lot to clean and tidy, it can feel huge. Having a checklist, that you can tick the jobs off of as you go along, can help with a sense of achievement, and make things feel a little more manageable. You could separate tasks into days of the week, to break things up a little, or into time slots, if you are working to get everything done in one day. Give yourself regular breaks, and treat yourself to a coffee, a sit down with a magazine or a walk around the block to help give you a rest, and don’t forget to sit back and relax in your nice clean home once you have finished!
Cleaning isn’t always considered a fun or enjoyable task, but it has been known to help improve mental health, and having a tidy and clean environment to live in can help ease your mind, so get those washing up gloves out, and fire up the hoover, to help tidy your home and your mind.
This is a collaborative post
