'We Sweep Dust to Remove Worldly Desires'

Amid spring cleaning season, it can be tempting to dismiss housework as drudgery, so dreaded or anxiety-inducing that it's best delegated to others if at all possible. But experts from Zen monks to psychologists say there are mental health benefits to be found in such manual chores as sweeping, mopping, and clearing away clutter, per the AP. 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. 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, wrote 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." Clinical psychologist Holly Schiff confirms that the process of cleaning can be calming and almost meditative. "Repetitive, physical activities like cleaning can be regulating for the nervous system because they're predictable, structured, and give a clear sense of completion," she says. 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."

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:

• Don't rush: Pay attention to the physical movement of the task at hand 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," Schiff 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," says Matsumoto.
• Let go of perfection: Rather than needing a perfect result, says Matsumoto, try to embrace incompletion without being anxious. "Peace is found not in the final 'tidy' state, but in the humble, ongoing act of emptying the space and our minds," he says.
• Narrow the 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, for instance, says Schiff. "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."

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