As we come out of the shortest month of the year those of us in the Northern Hemisphere start to notice that the days are – finally – getting longer and the mornings lighter. These winter months are the ones where we spend more time in our homes and we are entering a period traditionally dedicated to “spring cleaning.” Perhaps in the past, as people had spent so long at home during the winter, a thorough- going clean was needed and energy levels had risen enough to take on more major housework. This fascinating article from the archive of Johnson and Johnson explains the more significant health benefits of the annual cleaning campaign.
I am not sure that spring cleaning is quite what it used to be before so many easy-care materials and more minimalist interiors, but the urge to shake off the winter and get things fresh and bright for spring remains a healthy impulse.
The topic of housework or the care of the home can too easily be side-lined as superficial and yet it can have a significant impact of individual and family well-being. In our work with the International Center for Work and Family we found that positive shared attitudes to housework had a direct link to positive parent/child relationships, in terms of the time parents spent engaging with their children. Recent research conducted by the Institute for Family Studies shows how division of labour in household tasks can help prevent division of marriage partners. Rosemary L. Hopcraft explains, “Studies suggest that in the U.S., when husbands and wives divide household labor more evenly, marriages tend to be more stable.”
These impacts are often over-looked and yet there is increasing evidence that mutual caring for a shared environment improves relationships and levels of personal and emotional care-giving. In their paper Housework, Health, and Well-Being in Older Adults , authors Jacqueline Rodriguez- Stanley et al look at the ways in which attitudes to the shared work of the home have life-long consequences.
All this, and not to mention the mental health benefits of these activities and their results. “Though it’s mostly a physical act, most people don’t realize that they are actually refreshing and renewing their mental spaces, too,” claims Bridget DeFiccio LPC, Senior Vice President of Integrated Health at Acenda.
Lots of motivation to get ready for spring!
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