By Kaitlyn DeHaven | Social Media Editor
I’ve always been a relatively messy person –– not a dirty person — just a messy person. Ever since I was a little girl, my bed was always piled high with books, clothes were scattered on the floor instead of in the hamper and my writings and drawings would fly around whenever someone walked into my room.
I learned early on that a great way to excuse my messiness was to say that creative people were just messier people. I figured that since being creative was a good thing, my room being messy couldn’t be a bad thing.
Needless to say, my parents were not too fond of the idea that it was only my creativeness making me messy. To my dismay, they would make me clean my room time and time again, despite my efforts of trying to explain that the messiness was just in my blood. Looking back on those times in my life though, I realize that even though I might have been more prone to having a messy room, they were right about the fact that I should keep it organized.
College is stressful, and it seems like life just keeps getting crazier and busier as time goes on. Recently, I’ve been stress-cleaning. While some may think this actually takes more time out of the day, there are a few things I’ve realized from my new room-cleaning habits.
First of all, I’m less stressed and much happier with a clean room. There is nothing like being able to get out of bed without having to do a little hopscotch step over clothes and bags to get to your closet in the morning. In addition, the space makes me feel like my brain has room to think and even more room to share my creativity and really get down to business when I need to.
On top of that, I also sleep better with a clean room. While having a messy room sometimes felt cozy to me in an odd way, having a clean room puts me at peace after a long day at school. This helps diminish my stress even more because, just like all college students, sleep is vital to get through my day-to-day schedule.
As I started to notice these changes in my daily life, I began to research more benefits of cleaning your room, and I learned that you can also get fit from cleaning your room. Yes, that’s right, as well as becoming happier, you can also become healthier from the cleanliness of your room.
Studies show that the people with most organized homes and rooms are more likely to exercise than people with messy rooms. As someone who honestly doesn’t have much time to go to the gym on a daily basis, this was another great addition to the already appealing idea of cleaning my room more often.
For me, the healthiness from cleaning my room came in a different way than just going to the gym. Since my floor is now clear of any books and clothes, I have room to do yoga on my floor. With this in my control, I’m able to fit exercise into my routine where it is most convenient to me instead of having to make my way to the gym.
Overall, although I was originally opposed to the idea of leaving my messy-room lifestyle, it’s turned out for the better in the long run. I feel healthier, happier and more on top of my life now, and that’s something I hope to keep with me for the rest of my life.
