14 DAY TRIAL // Let's face it, it's a crazy world we live in and relaxation doesn't come easy. Well, at least it's hard to believe that we could ever be perfectly at ease while going about our daily routine. Still, according to a new study in the journal Mindfulness, we most certainly can.
The study, authored by a team of researchers at Florida State University, proposes that something as simple as doing the dishes can help reduce stress and induce a tranquil state of mind. We just have to educate ourselves to really put our heart and soul into it.
How doing the dishes can ease the mind
As part of their study, the Florida State University specialists had a total of 51 volunteers, all students, wash a stack of dishes. Before letting them anywhere near a sink, however, half of the study participants were asked to read a passage on how to tackle the task at hand mindfully.
They were taught to pay attention to the smell of the dish soap, the warmth of the water and the feel of the plates. You know, the kind of things nobody really pays attention to when cleaning up after a meal.
When compared to the other volunteers, who didn't receive any training on how to wash dishes and be aware of every sensation, this group reported feeling less stressed and more at ease with the world once done with the chore, the Florida State University research team writes in their report.
The scientists say their nervousness ratings dropped by an average 27% and their mental inspiration upped by 25%. As for the study participants who washed dirty dishes the plain old way, the researchers didn't document any noteworthy changes in their mental scores after this experiment.
“Mindful dishwashers evidenced greater state mindfulness, increases in elements of positive affect (i.e., inspiration), decreases in elements of negative affect (i.e., nervousness), and overestimations of dish washing time,” the scientists explain in their report in their journal Mindfulness.
Other chores could prove equally relaxing
The Florida State University research team theorizes that, as long as we are willing to educate ourselves to be more aware of each of our actions when tackling them, other household chores can prove equally relaxing. The trick is to focus our emotions and thoughts, and don't just get to work hating every moment of it and praying for everything to be over as soon as possible.
“Implications for these findings are diverse and suggest that mindfulness as well as positive affect could be cultivated through intentionally engaging in a broad range of activities,” the scientists say.
