National Relaxation Day: Relaxation via Organization

Written By: Tiffany Hartman, Director of Operations

Do you ever walk into your house and become anxious because your kitchen is piled with dishes and uneaten food, your kid’s toys are scattered throughout the living room (can anyone organize hot wheels?), bathroom towels on the floor, and beds unmade? Add in the feeling of a long day, knowing you still need to make dinner for your household, re-wash the laundry (for the second time because you forgot it in the washer), prep the kids for their bath and bedtime, and lastly, unwind from your long, but great, day at work. 

Combining all these components easily results in overstimulation. Overstimulation can lead to the inability to focus and concentrate, increase feelings of stress and anxiety, and reduce your overall productivity. Your mood can decline, and frustrations can arise when you are trying to spend the night with your family. 

I have found that a good, deep cleaning, can be therapeutic and calming. Not only can the smell of lavender or lemon produce calming effects on the body and mind, but both also have natural antibacterial properties to clean surfaces.

Here are some tips to try when you are feeling overwhelmed in an unorganized space:

1. Declutter. If you are finding items in your house that you never use or barely use, just get rid of them. A simple question to ask yourself is Marie Kondo’s famous line “Does this bring you joy or serve a purpose?” If the answer is no, let it go.
2. Set a time goal. Instead of spending 30 minutes scrolling through social media, spend 30 minutes cleaning what you can.
3. Have a support system with your family. We are implementing simple chores for our children every day. Such as: make your bed, place your dishes in the dishwasher, and clean up your toys at the end of the night. Doing these chores will earn them small rewards. 
4. Know your daily cleaning list – maintaining a list ensures your house stays somewhat clean on a regular basis. For our family our nightly routine begins 10 minutes before going to bed. During this ten-minute period, we start the dryer (for the clothes we ran through the wash a second time), run the dishwasher, put everything away on the countertop and wipe it down, line up shoes that everyone threw everywhere and take out the trash if needed. Just this little bit gives me peace of mind that I will start tomorrow on a somewhat clean note!
5. Listen to music. There’s something about being sidetracked and getting into the zone by blocking everything out and listening to your favorite jam. 

Thank you all for spending some time with me tonight. Appreciate you coming to my Tiff Talk!