Easy ways to improve your whole life

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Housework is the one thing none of us can get away form. As long as you own or rent a home or apartment, you will have to keep it clean and maintain it properly. Sure, if you are privileged enough to afford a domestic worker and or gardener, these chores can be taken off or your plate. However, if you read on in this article, you might want to think twice about delegating some of these household responsibilities.

Various studies have found that simple everyday tasks can assist us greatly in managing our health and promoting our overall wellbeing. You might have always have thought of washing the dishes or mowing the lawn as tasks to that take up your time and only cause you effort. We are here today to show you that these ‘burdens’ are actually your allies in a better life.

So, join us in this journey of discovering the benefits of housework. If it does not directly improve your life, it will at the very least ensure a more positive outlook on your everyday chores!

Washing dishes to reduce anxiety

Anxiety disorder is a mental illness that affects about 1 in 13 people worldwide. It is characterised by worry about the future (anxiety) as well as the present (fear). This can include physical reactions to this anxiety and fear, such as panic attacks and heart palpitations. Anxiety is experienced by everyone to some extent, but it is essential to manage it in order for it not take over your life.

One of the best tools for managing anxiety is mindfulness. This therapeutic technique involves a focused awareness of the present moment, calmly acknowledging your thoughts and feelings, accepting it and letting it go.

Now, it may seem strange, but washing the dishes may be one of your best mindfulness exercises. A recent study at Florida State University found that 27 percent of participants were able to lower their nervousness by cleaning their plates mindfully, that is, focusing on smelling the soap, appreciating the water temperature and thinking about the sensation of touching the dishes. Why not give it a try?

Making your bed boosts productivity

Turns out your mother wasn’t just trying to make your life difficult by telling you to make up your bed every morning. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, calls making your bed every morning a “keystone habit”, a practice that will have a ripple effect throughout your day, leading to other positive behaviours. He states that this action is linked to better productivity, diligence and a general greater sense of well-being.

Another expert on productivity and author of The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferris, also notes that if you start your day by making up your bed, that’s one successful task you have completed for the day, and sets you up to be more efficient throughout the rest of it.

An American National Sleep Foundation poll also reveals that dedicated daily bedmakers also report that they get a better night’s sleep each evening than those who leave their covers messy in the morning.

Gardening can help prevent heart attacks

Now, gardening has many valuable rewards in itself, such as beautifying your property and providing you with the joy of growing healthy plants and flowers. Not to mention edible plants and vegetables to use in cooking.

Well, here’s another benefit of this necessary activity, and it’s a big one. A study in Sweden with 3800 older adults revealed that people who did the most yard work, housecleaning and DIY projects had about 30% lower risk of suffering heart attacks, strokes, and other first-time cardiovascular events. As a preventative measure, there are far worse things you can occupy yourself with than growing lovely plants and flowers!

Clean out the kitchen clutter to lose weight

Researcher had recently found that people who live in very cluttered homes are 77% more likely to be overweight or obese. Now, it is difficult to draw cause-and-effect conclusion from correlated data, but it is safe to note that cleaning out your kitchen clutter, may assist you in promoting a healthy lifestyle. A likely reason for this correlation is that it’s harder to make healthy meal choices in a chaotic kitchen.

Peter Walsh, the author of Cut the Clutter, Drop the Pounds, has tested his methods inside hundreds of people’s homes and say that when they finally get organised, they experience a number of unexpected perks, like weight loss in the absence of strict dieting.

If you follow this advice and catch the decluttering-bug, take a look at some storage solutions for your home to beat clutter at every corner. 

Mow the lawn and feel more joyful

Our senses are inextricably involved with our emotions, and one of the most powerful influences relates to scent. Our olfactory receptors are extremely powerful, and scent is the sensory stimulus most likely to trigger feelings of nostalgia.

One scent in particular has been found by Australian researchers to bring about a chemical reaction that makes people feel more relaxed and happy – none other than freshly cut grass. If that’s not incentive enough to bring out the lawnmower and give your gardener a break, then we don't know what is!

Lower risk of depression by growing plants and veggies

So gardening makes another appearance, but this time the focus is particularly on growing plants and vegetables. Now, it is important to really get your hands dirty, and you’ll soon see why. A Norwegian study involved participants diagnosed with various forms of depression. The study found that participants who spent six hours a week gardening, experienced a significant improvement in their depression symptoms after a few months, and this positive effect continued for months after the study had ended.

Like we mentioned before, housework activities like gardening and doing a new activity may be helpful, but many experts believe that dirt in itself may have strong anti-depression effects. Christopher Lowry, PhD, a professor at the University of Colorado injected mice with harmless bacteria found in common soil. These test subjects experienced an increase in serotonin production in the parts of the brain which control mood and cognitive function.

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