Stress Cleaning

It’s often late at night when my mind is racing between the items on my to do list and the upcoming day that I find myself on a mission to clean.

Scrubbing the stove, wiping the inside of my microwave, sweeping the floors. The kitchen is perhaps my favorite room to clean as I love a clean slate for when I cook a meal the next day. Once I start cleaning, it’s almost hard to stop. I know it’s not always the most productive use of my time and sometimes it’s procrastination, but I always feel so much better afterward. It’s great for my stress to see a noticeable difference in cleanliness. I feel as if my kitchen is together, my life also feels more together. The satisfaction of crossing off items on my to do list right before bed is a strategy I use to relax, even if it means I stay up a little later than I should.

When I’m cleaning, I often find myself thinking of my old Sims computer game. The Sims had an environmental score that contributed to their overall happiness, and whenever a room was altered/cleaned, the environment score would increase. I feel a similar feeling after stress cleaning my own apartment. This is perhaps the same reason I find watching HGTV so satisfying too.

What are productive ways you deal with your stress? How does cleaning make you feel?