
Cleaning is a skill I have been able to learn and practice my entire life. My mom is a neat freak, she is the happiest when the home is spotless. Due to this, my relationship with cleaning was very rocky for most of my life. I found myself cleaning to find a sense of calm, not for myself, but for her.
When I moved away for college, I was on my own. To feel “freedom”, I didn’t clean up after myself. And since the mess wasn’t disrupting anyone’s peace, I let it pile up.
Funny enough, on days I was stressed, or couldn’t sleep, I found myself cleaning, and re-organizing. It felt like I had control over something in life, and I was working towards becoming a better and more productive me.
It took me a couple months to realize this, in fact, it took my mom pointing it out to me for me to see it. I cope with stress the same way she does, by cleaning! We both create our calm by cleaning and organizing our space. She is very specific about her cleaning rituals though, whereas I am more of go with the flow type of gal, who LOVES to declutter.
I am in no means an expert, but these are three things I have learned about cleaning:
- When I feel out of control, cleaning grounds me. The process of cleaning my space makes me feel like my actions can have a positive impact! That being said, I should mention – this isn’t always the case! Sometimes cleaning does feel like a chore, and that is alright. I am a proud work in progress.
- Cleaning adds movement to my day. Most my day is spent sitting in front of a laptop, so cleaning is the perfect solution to get some clarity and move around!
- Cleaning is a mood booster! I am a surface level cleaner; I don’t enjoy deep cleaning but lighting the candle after a productive deep clean session is an unmatchable feeling! Knowing that every corner in my home is the cleanest it can be, because I paid attention to detail makes me really proud and happy.
Cleaning is something I simply just “do”. I didn’t begin reflecting on my relationship with cleaning until recently when I started working at Dhyana Cleaning. But I hope this read prompts you to think about your relationship with cleaning. Do you enjoy it? Does the process of cleaning help you? Here are three questions to help you thinking:
1. Do I enjoy the process of cleaning or simply a clean space? I should point out that there is no right answer! The process of cleaning is meditative, in fact, many monks practice this every day. That doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with wanting a clean space, you might be someone who practices meditation through a different method and that it totally okay!
2. Do I like certain things better? I enjoy doing the dishes over vacuuming! When I am in the zone, I end up vacuuming, but if there is one thing I could skip out on, it’d be vacuuming – it is boring to me. Similarly, you might enjoy certain aspects of cleaning. I didn’t realize I could simply outsource those tasks until I launched a business! Being a business owner taught me that I can ask others for help on the things I am not good at or enjoy. I ended up creating a plan with my roommate, where I was responsible of making sure the dishes were always clean, and she was responsible for vacuuming the place twice a week.
3. What’s the biggest benefit for me?
Like I mentioned, cleaning can add movement to your day, boost your mood, and allow you to feel like you are in control. There are many other benefits as well, cleaning teaches you, humility, it boosts creativity and alertness. Cleaning keeps you organized and provides a sense of accomplishment – and I mean, I can keep going but you get it. So, what is it for you? How do you want to use cleaning to your advantage? This is your sign to set a goal and try something new out to become a better version of yourself. Goodluck!
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