It’s officially spring, which means it’s time to give your home a thorough cleaning. One of the biggest benefits of cleaning up is the positive effect it has on mental health. There’s your motivation!
Anita Yokota, therapist-turned-designer and author of "Home Therapy," has five tips to cleaning with your mental health in mind.
- Use the "ski slope" method: If you feel overwhelmed by looking a particular space full-on, Yokota suggests what she refers to as the ski slope method, where you start in one spot and zig-zag through the room (as if you're skiing down a mountain) so that you have a streamlined plan of attack and develop a sort of momentum.
- Don't be afraid to declutter using boundaries: Don't underestimate the power of baskets when you declutter, Yokota says, as they can be a useful tool in creating helpful boundaries between you and your things.
- Don't be afraid to declutter using boundaries: Don't underestimate the power of baskets when you declutter, Yokota says, as they can be a useful tool in creating helpful boundaries between you and your things.
- Set up a holding box: When cleaning up or letting things go, people often react to a sense of being overwhelmed by becoming one of two things: a tosser or a saver, Yokota says.
- Be kind to yourself: When you feel overwhelmed by your home, Yokota says that's a cue to check in with your expectations of yourself and your space.
Source: CBS Mornings