It’s spring cleaning season, and for some people that can mean drudgery or anxiety.
But from Zen monks to psychologists, experts say there are mental health benefits to be found in such manual chores as sweeping, mopping and clearing away clutter. These tasks can encourage mindfulness 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: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
What the monks know
Zen apprentices, or “unsui” monks, spend much of their time cleaning and tidying.
“We sweep dust to remove worldly desires. We scrub dirt to free ourselves of attachments,” Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk living in Kyoto, Japan, writes in his book “A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind.” “The time we spend carefully cleaning out every nook and cranny of the temple grounds is extremely fulfilling.”
Holly Schiff, a clinical psychologist based in Greenwich, Connecticut, confirms that the process of cleaning can be calming and almost meditative.
“I definitely think there is a link between mental health and the act of cleaning,” she says. “Repetitive, physical activities like cleaning can be regulating for the nervous system because they’re predictable, structured and give a clear sense of completion.”
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’t,” she adds.
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:
Change your focus
“For 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,” Schiff explains.
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.
“If you slow it down and focus on the sensory aspects of it, it can start to function more like a mindfulness exercise,” she says.
Let your mind rest
For some, cleaning can provide an opportunity to free your mind.
“By gently tending to your habitat, you allow your mind to naturally settle into a peaceful, unforced clarity,” Matsumoto says.
Expand your perspective
Matsumoto says cleaning is a way of caring for yourself and the world.
“In our practice, we don’t see cleaning as a chore to control the environment. Instead, we view it as ‘habitat care,’ ” he explains. “Just 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, Matsumoto says, try to embrace incompletion without being anxious.
“Peace is found not in the final ‘tidy state,’ ” he says, “but in the humble, ongoing act of emptying the space and our minds.”
There’s no such thing as perfection.
“In nature, everything is constantly changing — leaves fall the moment you finish sweeping,” he says.
Narrow your scope
Sometimes, the feeling of being overwhelmed isn’t about the task itself, but what it represents. That could be time pressure, self-judgment or other anxieties, Schiff says.
“Break the task down into very small, defined actions to reduce that barrier,” she suggests. “Just choose one surface, one task or one room for starters.”
“A lot of the overwhelm comes from anticipating the entire task rather than just engaging with that first step,” she adds.
Sharing the love
“In a clean space, even if the person who cleaned it is not there, we can feel their consideration and awareness,” Matsumoto says. “This awareness creates a sense of peace and safety, similar to why sacred spaces like temples feel different from the busy streets.”
