3 tips to change the way you think about cleaning your home - Detroit News

Avery Newmark | Constitution of the Atlanta Journal

A clean house is a happy house, but you don't have to worry about cleaning up.

Many people see their home as a retreat, a place where they can be themselves and relax. As beneficial as a clean home can be to your health, your sense of Zen also depends on your thoughts. Hardly anyone wants to spend all their time cleaning, and if you have unrealistic expectations of how your space will look at any given moment, you can't really relax and enjoy it.

The first step to a healthier home is to change the way you see and live in your space. Here are some simple but important tips to change the way you think and talk about cleaning your home:

Chores are boring - If you 're struggling to get things done around the house, try reimagining them as self-sufficiency opportunities instead of tasks on a to-do list. According to KC Davis, founder of Struggle Care, a simple but effective mindset shift can not only motivate but also protect mental health, Apartment Therapy reported.

"Household chores are obligations to external standards, but caring chores are acts of kindness that help you take care of yourself," Davis told the website. "This simple change shifts motivation inward and can make caregiving tasks easier to complete."

Set clear goals: If you say , "Today I'm going to clean my house," you may not get very far due to the scale of the task and the added pressure. When you have an ambiguous goal, there is no clear line as to when the work is actually done. Setting clear goals, like "scrubbing the baseboards" or "organizing the basement," will help you stay on track and not feel overwhelmed.

"For me, resetting my kitchen means doing the dishes, wiping the counter, sweeping the floor, taking out the trash, and making coffee the next morning," Davis said. "It's a manageable list that seems a lot less overwhelming, and it only takes me 25 minutes!"

Be kind to yourself: There are countless reasons people struggle with daily care chores. Whether it's a mental health issue, a physical disability, or just feeling overwhelmed, you deserve practical help, not embarrassment or embarrassment.

"As a therapist, I can attest that when I've seen a client self-identify as 'lazy,' I haven't found a character defect, but rather a functional barrier in need of support and guidance," Davis said. "Right now I'm convinced that laziness doesn't exist."

Changing the way you treat yourself encourages you to set boundaries and have reasonable expectations of yourself and your home, which will benefit your mental health.

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