The Less Mess You Have, The Less Stress You Will Feel

You know that feeling. You get home at the end of the day. After putting in long hours at the office and all you want is to relax and unwind. But what do you find when you walk in? A sink full of dishes, dirty clothes covering your bedroom floor.

That feeling of throwing your hands up in defeat saying “ugh! Come ooooon!”

The only thing you want to do is to make dinner and relax on the couch. But instead you feel awful. Completely unrelaxed and stressed out.

Maybe you get an unprovoked headache, or you start to feel your heart start racing. Maybe you feel extra angry or fatigued.

All these are signs of stress in the body and the long term effects it has on us isn’t pretty.

Long term side effects of stress look like weight gain or weight loss. It can be digestive issues and even shortened life expectancies. It isn’t good any way you look at it.

Lucky for us, there are ways we can manage stress and learn to live with it. Rather than let it control us.

Think of a time you were stressed or anxious. How does your mind feel? Is it fuzzy? Can you focus on one thing at a time? Or are all your thoughts coming and going as fast as you think of them? For me, I describe it has having a “noisy head”

It’s not me thinking about anything in particular, but it is me being unable to quiet my mind. I can’t relax. Trying to sleep is the worst. I will toss and turn for hours and hours, then get up and try to make it through the day without falling asleep.

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One of the easiest and my personal favorite ways to manage stress when it shows up, is by decluttering. Cleaning up a space in my home. Anything from cleaning out my old beauty products to cleaning out expired items in my pantry.

According to VeryWellMind.com, “When people feel like their life is out of control or they are struggling with some uncertainties, cleaning can be a way to assert some control in their life. Cleaning gives people a sense of mastery and control over their environment.”

You may not have much control over certain areas in your life. What you can control is how organized your home is. Even if it is one room or one drawer or your car.

Decluttering also gives a sense of accomplishment and simplicity. The less mess you see, the less cluttered your mind feels. And there’s actually science behind this!

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Eienzelganger shares that, “...the act of cleaning can be a great meditative moment, in which you not only sort out your living space but show gratitude to your material possessions and experience the present moment if done correctly.”

Tidying up can be a form of meditation. Do you ever zone out when cleaning up? Maybe you put on some music and start cleaning and all of a sudden you realize it’s an hour later, the clothes are all folded, and a candle is lit. But you don’t remember getting here.

You just meditated. And I bet you feel great right now.

Sure, it may not be the exact same mediation as you’re used to seeing. Let me guess, yoga mats and tranquil music? Sitting cross legged and holding your hands together at namaste?

That’s not the only way meditation can show up in our lives.

It's safe to say that everyone agrees mediation is helpful in reducing stress. This is one way you can start practicing. Especially if you’re anything like me and the traditional way seems a bit slow for you.

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Of course, for some of you keeping up with this all isn’t possible. And that’s okay!

My Panda is here to help you reduce your stress and let you focus on things that matter.

You deserve to spend more time on you. You deserve to spend more time with your family. You deserve to spend more time with your friends. Watching movies, going for walks, or plain old napping.

This is why My Panda was started. A busy mom needed to get things done, but wanted more time with her family so she found a way to do both.

Our Panda’s want to help you with whatever it is you need help with.

Cleaning? Oh yah

Laundry? Oh yahh

Running to the store? Oh yahhh

Walking your dog? Oh yahhhh! Seriously, those are our favorite ones because who doesn’t love happy walking dogs?

The best part? All our panda’s take on services that are based in the community they already live in. What does this mean? It means the person whose running to the store for you might actually be your neighbor. The person helping you clean up is another mother in the same school district.

They love their community. And what better what to give back then help its members live the most stress free lives they can?