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Household Chores Could Help Fight Depression
- mentalhealthclarit
- Aug 29, 2019
- 2 min read
How many of you thought of doing household chores to fight depression? Not me!
Personally chores are my least favourite thing but we don’t do them who will. For many years researchers and mental health professionals all try to find different ways to help people suffering with depression to cope.
Studies have shown that household chores even chores around the home may help depression rather than make it worst.
Washing dishes, making your bed, dusting, and other common chores can lower stress, boost happiness.
Here are some good tips that seem very helpful in reducing depression. When you do these chores do them mindfully, when cleaning and doing the dishes use a detergent or dish washing liquid with lemon added to it research suggests that lemon or citrus fragrance has a calming effect on the brain.
How important the practice of mindfulness is if we were able to practice mindfulness more frequently, the effects would be amazing.
Look at these tips below:
Wash dishes: Reduce anxiety
People who cleaned their plates mindfully (they focused on smelling the soap, feeling the water temperature, and touching the dishes) lowered their nervousness levels by 27 percent, found a recent study of 51 people out of Florida State University’s psychology department. People who didn’t take as thoughtful approach to their dish washing did not experience a similar calming benefit.
Dust with a lemon cleaner: Be happier
A citrusy scent is a potent mood booster, according to a 2014 Japanese study. When participants spent as little as ten minutes inhaling yuzu (a super-tart and citrusy Japanese fruit), they saw a significant decrease in their overall mood disturbance, a measure of tension, anxiety, depression, confusion, fatigue and anger.
Make your bed every morning: Boost productivity
Your nagging mom was right: Starting your day with a freshly made bed is what Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, calls a “keystone habit”; one that has a ripple effect to create other good behavior. In his book, Duhigg notes that making your bed every morning is linked to better productivity, a greater sense of well-being. Bedmakers also report getting a better night’s sleep than those who leave their covers messy in the morning, per a National Sleep Foundation poll reported by WebMD.
Mow the lawn: Feel more joyful
There’s something to that grassy scent. Australian researchers discovered that a chemical released by freshly cut grass makes people feel more relaxed and more joyful.
Grow flowers and vegetables: Lower depression risk
In a study out of Norway, people diagnosed with different forms of depression spent six hours a week gardening; after a few months, they experienced a notable improvement in their depression symptoms, and their good moods continued for months after the study ended. Doing a new activity and being outside in nature can certainly help, but some experts believe that dirt itself might be a depression fighter.
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