tidy the home to tidy the mind
When the home is messy, it’s really difficult to feel relaxed and it doesn’t feel good to be in. Likewise, when my mind is messy, it’s impossible to relax, I feel scattered and it’s really the last place that I want to be. Taking care of my home, creating and providing a nurturing environment that says I care about myself not only gets the house into tip top shape but the mind as well.
When the home is messy, it’s really difficult to feel relaxed and it doesn’t feel good to be in. Studies show that living with a messy home, living with clutter can increase anxiety, depression and a whole realm of debilitating effects on your health and wellbeing. At least with the home, unlike the mind, you can leave it and come back to it at a later time. Like the mind though, it’s still going to be there exactly as you left it. In my experience, to bring the mind back into balance, taking care of my home, creating and providing a nurturing environment that says I care about myself not only gets the house into tip top shape but the mind as well.
This got me thinking, how many times have I done something else to avoid doing the thing that just needed to be done. For me, having a messy home is like having a messy mind. When my mind is in overdrive, I start to feel anxious and I shut down those habits that have a positive effect on keeping my mind clear, alert and decisive. When it’s messy, I imagine my mind is a cartoon; it’s the chook with its head cut off, aimlessly running around without a single clue on where it’s going or what’s happened to it. When my mind is messy, it’s impossible to relax, I feel scattered and it’s really the last place that I want to be.
Just start by tidying up one room. Identify the one thing that is annoying you and start there. For my sister, that was folding clothes up and putting them away. Tackle one job at a time and move through the space methodically. This type of work gives your mind a chance to relax, it gives your mind breathing space for your mind and physically you observe how the space reveals itself as an ordered and tidy environment. There’s something to be said about this connection between the physical act of cleaning and the message it sends to yourself about self-care. If you’ve got the energy, and by now you’ll probably find that you do, tackle another room and keep going. The bonus is that once you’re done, you’re at home so you can immediately enjoy the environment you’ve just created for yourself. I love to light a candle once I’m finished up because the scent helps to set the tone for the rest of the day.
