NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Amid spring cleaning season, it can be tempting to dismiss housework as drudgery, so dreaded or anxiety-inducing that it’s best delegated to others if at all possible.
But experts from Zen monks to psychologists say there are mental health benefits to be found in such manual chores as sweeping, mopping and clearing away clutter. These tasks can encourage or permit the mind to wander, all while producing a concrete sense of achievement in accomplishing the basic tasks of daily life.
As one famous Zen saying goes:
鈥淏efore enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.鈥�
What the monks know
Zen apprentices, or 鈥渦nsui鈥� , spend much of their time cleaning and tidying.
鈥淲e sweep dust to remove worldly desires. We scrub dirt to free ourselves of attachments,” Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk living in Kyoto, Japan, wrote in his book 鈥淎 Monk鈥檚 Guide to a Clean House and Mind.鈥� 鈥淭he time we spend carefully cleaning out every nook and cranny of the temple grounds is extremely fulfilling.鈥�
Holly Schiff, a clinical psychologist based in Greenwich, Connecticut, confirms that the process of cleaning can be calming and almost meditative.
鈥淚 definitely think there is a link between mental health and the act of cleaning,” she said.
鈥淩epetitive, physical activities like cleaning can be regulating for the nervous system because they鈥檙e predictable, structured and give a clear sense of completion,鈥� she says. That gives people a feeling of control and grounding.
Plus, you can immediately see the result of what you’ve done, “which can be satisfying in a way that many cognitive or emotional tasks aren鈥檛,鈥� she says.
For those who dread cleaning and find it daunting, it can help to focus on the process rather than on a to-do list.
Some tips for a more mindful approach to cleaning:
Slow down and change your focus
鈥淔or people who tend to see cleaning as drudgery, I think the shift is less about forcing yourself to enjoy it and more about changing how you engage with it,鈥� says Schiff.
Don’t try to rush through it. Pay attention to the physical movement or its rhythm, or to things like the temperature of the water.
鈥淚f you slow it down and focus on the sensory aspects of it, it can start to function more like a mindfulness exercise,” Schiff says.
Let your mind rest
For some, cleaning can provide an opportunity to free your mind.
鈥淏y gently tending to your habitat, you allow your mind to naturally settle into a peaceful, unforced clarity,鈥� says Matsumoto.
Expand your perspective
Matsumoto says cleaning is a way of caring for yourself and the world.
鈥淚n our practice, we don鈥檛 see cleaning as a chore to control the environment. Instead, we view it as 鈥楬abitat Care,鈥欌�� he explains. 鈥淛ust as our bodies maintain a dynamic equilibrium to stay healthy, cleaning is an extension of that biological process into the space we inhabit. When we clean, we are not just fixing a room; we are tending to our expanded self. It is a way of caring for the relationship between us and the world.”
Let go of perfection
Rather than needing a perfect result, says Matsumoto, try to embrace incompletion without being anxious.
鈥淧eace is found not in the final 鈥榯idy state,鈥�” he says, “but in the humble, ongoing act of emptying the space and our minds.鈥�
There’s no such thing as perfection.
鈥淚n nature, everything is constantly changing 鈥� leaves fall the moment you finish sweeping,” he says.
Narrow the scope of the task
Sometimes, the feeling of being overwhelmed isn’t about the task itself, but what it represents. That could be time pressure, for instance, says Schiff.
“Break the task down into very small, defined actions to reduce that barrier,鈥� she suggests. 鈥淛ust choose one surface, one task or one room for starters.鈥�
鈥淎 lot of the overwhelm comes from anticipating the entire task rather than just engaging with that first step,鈥� she says.
Cleaning as sharing the love
鈥淚n a clean space, even if the person who cleaned it is not there, we can feel their consideration and awareness,鈥� says Matsumoto. 鈥淭his awareness creates a sense of peace and safety, similar to why sacred spaces like temples feel different from the busy streets.”
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