When we think about self care, the first things that come to mind for many of us are diet, exercise and sleep. These things of course make up a big part of self care, but there are lots of other factors that tend to get missed, or deemed not as important when it comes to how we take care of ourselves and the impact this has on our daily life.
Cleaning, or more importantly, keeping our spaces clean, is one of those things that tends to get missed in self care conversations, even though many studies have found that the impact of having a clean, uncluttered space has a positive effect on both our physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Let’s break it down and look at some of the ways in which cleaning, along with living and working in a clean environment, contributes to self care and a healthy body and mindset.
Number 1. Hygiene and Health
Let’s start with hygiene. We live in a world where micro-organisms and bacterias, or in simple terms, germs, exist all around us. Some of these are harmless and being in contact with them in small doses can actually contribute to a healthy immune system, and some are not so harmless, or when built up in large amounts can have the opposite affect on our immunity, making us physically unwell. Cleaning our spaces regularly (with a good quality disinfectant), is vital to keeping these germs at a healthy level so as to avoid putting ourselves at risk of illness or infection, and particularly if we are already feeling a little stressed or run down and therefore more prone to getting sick.
Number 2. Cleaning as a form of exercise
“A good clean can leave us feeling just as good as we would at the end of a workout, if we are aware and attentive to our bodies whilst we do it.”
Second to the hygiene aspect is exercise. How many of us consider the amount of movement that is required when we are cleaning our home or workplace? When you stop to think about it, it’s actually quite a lot and it usually involves every part of the body at some time or another. For example, if we consider the simple act of cleaning a shower, the up and down movements of the arm, the pressure required to massage marks off the glass screen and then to chammy or squidgy the water off. Some of this will be done in a squat sit, and some will be done standing – in both cases we will need to engage our core muscles so as not to hurt our back and to be able to put enough pressure through the arms and shoulders to do the job well.
Then there is the vacuuming and mopping – both of which require a certain amount of use of the arms and core muscles, whilst also asking us to be aware of our posture and stance, engaging the legs for stability and strength.
These are just two examples of cleaning activities that give us the opportunity to be connected to our body and aware of how we are moving.
Number 3. Mental Health and the Declutter factor
There is a further element that needs mentioning here and that is the mind aspect. Studies over the years into the impact a cluttered or damp and dark space has on mental health have shown that they do in fact have a negative affect. We can liken this to the higher rates of depression in countries with damper living conditions due to less sun light or warmth. On the contrary, we all know what it feels like to walk into a space that is clean, tidy (and warm), be it our bedroom, kitchen, lounge room or laundry, office or workspace.
A clean space feels inviting and beckons you to stay. You feel good, more productive, lighter, clearer, ready to go. A clean space is conducive to greater productivity and vibrancy in the workplace and greater vitality, joy and wellbeing at home.
Taking the time to keep our home and workplaces clean and tidy is without doubt a great act of care for ourselves. And as the saying goes…’there is nothing like a well made bed to get back into at night’.
If you’re finding you don’t have the time to tend to your office/work space in the way you’d like to, contact our team today for a free quote – we’d love to come clean for you.
