7 Ways To De-Stress While You Wash The Dishes
We all know that dishes aren’t necessarily “fun” to do. However, when they pile up in your sink or on the counter, it only leads to more stress! We’re always looking for ways to make it easier (& fun) for you to clean. So, we rounded up our best tips to help you de-stress while you wash the dishes!
First, pick a delightful scent like Valencia Orange or Green Apple to lather your sponge with. Next, incorporate a few of our recommendations below to your daily routine throughout the week. Finally, enjoy staring at the bottom of an empty sink. We have a feeling you two will be seeing each other a lot more often.
1. Light A Candle
Kick things off with an already-clean-house mood by lighting a candle before you put your hands in the sink. It should bring a little cheer and hopefully overpower any bottom-of-the-sink smells that may be lingering from last night.
2. Pop Your Headphones In
Get your favorite playlist that makes you want to dance ready! No one says you can’t blow off some steam dancing while you hand-wash your pans, or load the dishwasher. Just watch out for slinging water when your favorite chorus comes up.
3. Take The Time To Zone-Out
If you’re not into dancing the dishes clean, use the opportunity to “zone-out” with some much needed silence. There’s a lot of hidden benefits to sitting in silence, including lower blood pressure, a higher immune system and better concentration. If you’d prefer to get your zen on with an audiobook or podcast, those have also been linked to improving memory and focus!
4. Schedule A Phone Chat
Who really has the time to sit around and catch up with friends during the week? If you have a weekly standing phone call with a friend, take the call with your headphones and keep your hands busy! Prefer to text? Enable dictation (voice to text) on your phone so it can type for you! Your cups will be clean, and full, from what we call a cleaning-catch-up.
5. Make It A Game
Have a partner who’s helping? Turn the most basic of cleaning chores into a competition! Try cleaning a stack of dishes faster than your partner can clear the table and kitchen counters. Or, if you have a massive amount of dirty silverware, see who can clean the most the quickest. We’re not saying you have to keep score, but it does sound more fun than a chore chart.
6. Set A Timer
If your pile of dishes is particularly overwhelming, simply set a timer. It could be for only 5 minutes, or a full 20 minute session. Focusing on cleaning a large quantity of dishes in smaller batches will help you manage your cleaning chores on top of everything else you have to get done in a day. Pro Move: set the timer and then try to get all of your dishes finished before it goes off!
7. Give Yourself A Reward
After you put away that last dish, give yourself a reward—and a break! Joy can be found in something as simple as a piece of chocolate, a cup of tea, or a favorite hand cream. Do anything that helps you feel calm, relaxed and ready to tackle it all again tomorrow!