Different people cope with stress differently. Some exercise, watch movies, listen to music, read a book, or hang out with friends. According to science, even the most mundane of tasks can be a stress reliever, such as washing dishes.
Who knew that cleaning dirty dishes and kitchen utensils could be a big boost to the well-being? It may soon become anyone's least favorite chore according to a study conducted by researchers at Florida State University. The study attributes mindful dishwashing as a trigger for a positive state of mind. This means that a person should be washing the dishes with attention to the smell of the soap, the feel of the dishes, and the temperature of the water.
Mindful washing involves tuning out the negative thoughts or distractions and just to be completely aware of the task at hand. It means focusing all your attention to washing alone and nothing else. This method has shown to have a good effect on relieving stress and anxiety, lowers the risk of depression, and improves sleep.
For this particular study, the researchers had 51 students partake. Half of the subjects were asked to read a brief mindfulness passage about dishwashing while the remaining read a short descriptive passage. The descriptive page was straightforward while the mindfulness passage talked about how dishwashing is a wondrous reality while being done at the moment. The passage empowered the students to be in tune with their feelings as they are washing. An excerpt of the passage is read below.
"I'm being completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions. There's no way I can be tossed around mindlessly like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves."
The study yielded to surprising results. The students who washed dishes mindfully lowered their stress levels by 27 percent and increased their feeling of inspiration by 25 percent. Meanwhile, those who did not wash the dishes mindfully did not have any rewarding benefits from the task.
This result shows that any everyday activity approached with complete intention and awareness can improve a person's state of mindfulness.
Dr. Aric Sigman, a researcher, credits the feeling of achievement from completing a task to the boost in well-being. This feeling does not limit itself to dishwashing alone. It can be achieved by doing any household chores as long as you accomplish them mindfully.
