Few things are more divisive than cleanliness: there are those who hate housework “with all their soul” and who claim that they find a certain taste in washing dishes, vacuuming, or ironing.
But, how can it be that in tasks that are normally lazy and boring, there are those who find comfort? Francisca Barba Colmenero, director of the Mental Psychology Center and member of Top Doctors. explains that cleaning can generally be “a way to relax and regulate ourselves emotionally when we are most stressed.” “It helps us to concentrate on that specific task and not to get carried away by negative intrusive thoughts that cause us discomfort,” he explains.
Aída Rubio, psychologist and coordinator of the
TherapyChat psychologists comment that, when pleasure or calm is found in these tasks, what is experienced is what is known as the state of flow . This is a state of mind in which the mind flows, disconnects and rests. You are focused on the task and time flies. It can also occur with other activities, such as gardening, cooking or reading, ”says the professional. On the other hand, he points out that housework has another distinctive component compared to the others: ordering and cleaning the physical world can function as a metaphor for ordering and cleaning the mind. “The external disorder does not help the internal order, and vice versa,” he adds.
Repeat to find calm
The key to this concentration is that we are faced with a repetitive task. Aída Rubio further develops the idea of the state of flow : «It is a concept of Positive Psychology that refers to the” state in which the person is completely absorbed in an activity for their own pleasure and enjoyment, during which time flies and actions, thoughts, and movements follow one another without pause. ” In the end it is about obtaining happiness through action ».
On the other hand, the taste we can feel with cleaning can also be related not only to the execution of the task, but also to the end. “The fact of having our space clean and tidy provides psychological well-being in the form of tranquility , pleasure, peace, confidence, mental and emotional order,” develops Francisca Barba Colmenero, who adds that, for example, the smell of soap can trigger a state positive mood.
Daily “flow” moments
Even so, both professionals agree that what is really beneficial is the state of flow when cleaning, because as Barba Colmenero points out, it is a way to “transform any daily task into a relaxation or meditation technique.” “The most valuable thing is mental rest,” says Rubio, who points out that, looking for moments of flow throughout the week has great benefits, such as “reducing anxiety, improving self-esteem, greater internal motivation, learning and creativity. and finally happiness.
Finally, psychologist Aída Rubio talks about the other side of the spectrum: people who hate doing housework. «In western culture we have very much associated housework with responsibilities,as if they were just another job. Many times they are also governed by external motivations such as having the house presentable for visits, instead of internal motivations such as “I value living in a clean environment”, “he explains. Finally, point out that thoughts and emotions go hand in hand. “If you think badly about the concepts of cleaning and ordering, you will feel bad when you go to do it. On the contrary, if you work on generating new and positive thoughts towards these tasks, you will end up feeling better towards them and taking a liking to them or at least doing them without discomfort », he concludes.
