The Alchemy of Everyday Life: Finding Order by Cleaning Your Bathroom
When life feels overwhelming, the first thing you might want to do is clean your bathroom. The act of bringing order to a small space can quiet the chaos within and build a solid foundation for a new beginning. Cleaning isn’t just labor; it’s a practical meditation to reclaim control over your life.
The Signals of Disorder
Neglected items, a cloudy mirror, dust bunnies in the corner—these aren’t just signs of untidiness. They are a physical manifestation of the complex thoughts, postponed decisions, and unresolved emotions in your mind. In fact, a neuroscience study from Princeton University found that a cluttered environment decreases focus and increases stress levels. Visual chaos overwhelms the brain’s ability to process information, leading to mental fatigue.
This is in the same vein as Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson’s advice: “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.” It means that before tackling the world’s great problems, the beginning of change is to first establish order in the smallest domain you can control: your immediate surroundings. Cleaning is the first step in translating the abstract will to live into the most concrete, physical action.
The Power of the Smallest Accomplishment
Every beginning starts from the smallest place. I recommend the bathroom as that starting point. The bathroom is the most private space where you begin and end your day, and it’s a barometer of your health and hygiene. Stubborn water stains and mold can seem like a condensed representation of life’s laziness and lethargy.
The sense of accomplishment from removing these stubborn stains is greater than you might think. The product I’ve settled on recently is the Frosch Raspberry Bathroom Cleaner. I feel a small thrill watching the old grime melt away without strenuous scrubbing. More importantly, the subtle raspberry scent that fills the air while cleaning shatters the formula of “cleaning = chore.” The experience of tidying up a space while smelling a fresh scent, instead of an unpleasant bleach odor, transforms cleaning from labor into a self-care ritual.
When you look at the shiny faucet and the spotless, clear mirror, you’re not just facing a clean space. You gain a sense of efficacy from having improved something with your own effort, and the confidence that you are in control of a small part of your life.
Cleaning, the Alchemy of Life
In his book Status Anxiety, philosopher Alain de Botton says that our attraction to luxury goods or grand houses stems from a craving for the ‘stability’ and ‘order’ they provide. However, we can achieve similar psychological satisfaction through small, everyday actions without expensive items.
Today, if your world feels too complex and overwhelming, take a moment to start by caring for the smallest space. In front of a shiny faucet and a clean mirror, you might find that you are already an alchemist, setting your own life right.