Passover: Laugh While Cleaning
If you're anything like me, you're feeling a little anxious about the clean-up process associated with Passover. There's nothing less satisfying than spending hours scrubbing pots and pans only to find that your work was in vain. Luckily, I've come up with a winning strategy for this year: laughing while cleaning!
Now, I know what you're thinking—laughter is the last thing on your mind when it comes to housekeeping. But it turns out that laughter is actually good for your stress levels and mood as well as reducing pain (which might make this chore more bearable). It also reduces aggressive thoughts and feelings of envy (passive-aggressive feelings are no fun!), increases happiness, improves memory and creativity...in short, it's good for your whole body and mind.
A few things will help you get the most out of your cleaning-and-laughing experience:
-Listen to a podcast or watch an amusing YouTube video while you work (my favorite podcasts are WTF with Marc Maron, Stuff You Should Know and Comedy Bang Bang). This will distract you from the task at hand without taking you out of the moment. Trust me, it's not easy to laugh while scrubbing.
-Put on your favorite music or take a walk outside listening to music that makes you happy. As with the podcasts, this will help distract you so that working doesn't feel like such a drag. Also, it will help you resist the urge to put the radio on or crank up the music (you can't work and listen to music at the same time).
-Catch your breath every now and then. Try to pause for a few seconds, close your eyes and take a deep breath. This will help you maintain a sense of physical and emotional stillness, which is important when cleaning.
-Distract yourself with something fun. If cleaning up isn't your thing, you can perform some other fun activity. If you've got a few minutes to spare, read a funny book, do some Sudoku puzzles, play Candy Crush or find a suitable substitute for your chore on YouTube.
-Don't be afraid to have an impromptu party at the sink. Invite some guests over for a snack-and-laugher seder (or just watch something funny on YouTube with your friends). You'll all be glad that you did it!
-Be dedicated to the task at hand but don't get too caught up in it. Slow down and try not to overthink it. It's okay if your cleaning tools get splattered with water, and it's fine if some of it gets caked on your hands or in the pot. Laugh while you clean!
- Focus on cleaning up a small area—a space that will take 10 minutes or less—and then go ahead and do the next small area of your kitchen. If you're being efficient, you'll probably get a lot done in one session.
-You don't have to be perfect: just focus on doing the best you can and being honest about any shortcomings that come up in any given task. Maybe you scrubbed too hard and now you've got an angry blister on your hand. Maybe you ran out of glass cleaner after two glasses. It's okay to be imperfect, because perfection is boring.
-Don't let these tips make it seem like cleanliness is all about the laughs. There are clearly some serious benefits associated with getting organized, so take them into account as well. Make a list of what cleaning things you have to do this Passover, then tackle things that need to get done in order to reduce stress for next year (build a better storage system for pots and pans, buy some new storage containers, organize the oven...whatever is on your list). You may even want to do something a little different with your cleaning routine, so you'll have a higher chance of enjoying it.
-If the task at hand is particularly annoying or boring—say, scrubbing down the counters or the refrigerator—rework your list so you tackle these tasks first. You'll be able to get past them quickly and continue on with other things that are more enjoyable.
As always, remember to laugh while cleaning! (And don't forget to clean while laughing.) Happy Passover!
Aviva Richman, LCSW-C is a psychotherapist in private practice in Brooklyn, NY and the author of The Breakup Bible , A Practical Guide for Ending Your Relationship . Read more at breakupbible.com .
This post is shared on The Recovery Library's "The Better Blog" series.
Sharing personal stories, experiences, and insights to support each other in recovery from any kind of addiction or destructive pattern of living. To read more visit therecoverylibrary.org/the-better-blog/ .
www.therecoverylibrary.org/the-better-blog/
Please subscribe to this blog by email using the box on the right. You will get an automatic notification when a new post is added.
Sharing personal stories, experiences, and insights to support each other in recovery from any kind of addiction or destructive pattern of living. To read more visit therecoverylibrary.org/the-better-blog/ .
www.therecoverylibrary.org/the-better-blog/
Please subscribe to this blog by email using the box on the right. You will get an automatic notification when a new post is added.
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This post originally appeared on The Recovery Library's "The Better Blog" series on March 24th 2014 and is reprinted here with their permission. Image credit: kathrynkramer via Compfight cc License: CC BY NC ND 2.0 -0-
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This is a blog about the experiences of a real-life OCD sufferer. It is an attempt to demystify the disorder and reduce stigma by sharing stories. All names used are fictitious and any resemblance to a real person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The content of this blog represents the opinions of its author and does not reflect the views or opinions of any other person, organization or entity.
You can find more writing by Robert Faires on his Blogger profile . Robert has written many recovery articles including "Recovery From Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" which chronicles his own struggle with OCD as well as an informational piece entitled "OCD Recovery: Effective Treatment Options.
Conclusion:
That's great, Robert. Could you tell us about your personal experience with OCD?
I started having obsessive thoughts and fears when I was young, but they did not manifest themselves in a big way until I was around the age of 11 or 12. It started out with the fear that I would get lost in a mall. The thought that triggered it was "I won't be able to find my way out." There were many other scary thoughts that soon came, but none of them were as frightening as this one. What made it even worse is that I had some very good opportunities to prove myself wrong.