It's 7:00 PM on a Tuesday night. You’ve just come home from work or college after a day that can only be described as a ‘total disaster’. It's been a long, tiring day. Your teacher gave you an A- on your tests. Your boss was in a bad mood. You are worried about your rent next month. You had a fight with your parents.
You are tired. Tired and you just want to go to sleep. But instead of heading to bed, you end up with a broom and mop in your hands. Before you can give a minute to process your emotions, you are wiping the kitchen counter or scrubbing the grout off the bathroom walls with an old toothbrush.
You are reorganising your study table. You are rearranging the spice rack and labelling each container. You are vacuuming and mopping with one hand, doing all the heavy lifting with furniture. If questions like "Why do I clean when I am stressed? Why do I clean when I am angry? Why do I clean when I am upset? Why do I clean when I am sad?" come to mind, read this article to know.
You think you are just cleaning because the mess is bothering you. But psychology says...
You think you are just cleaning because the mess is bothering you. But psychology reveals that this behaviour isn't just about discipline or love for cleanliness. It signals a hidden need for 'control, predictability, emotional safety, and regulating stress'.
So why do I clean when I am upset?
Your brain panics when your internal world, which shows up in your feelings, your relationships and your career, is chaotic. Feelings are complicated. You can’t “fold” your feelings. You can't ''scrub off'' the anxiety. And this creates a terrifying feeling of powerlessness and helplessness.
Your brain tries to find a visible win to cope with the feelings of sadness, anger, or a chaotic life. Cleaning gives you a feeling of control over a situation that feels out of control, putting everything in an order you prefer. Scrubbing a stain off a counter provides you with an immediate, visual, tangible sense of accomplishment. You see a problem, and you solved it without spiralling.
Every bit of rage cleaning gives your brain a hit of dopamine that tells your nervous system, "Look, I still have everything under control. I have the power to fix things."
The takeaway? Next time when you wake up around 2 AM to clean the dishes or rearrange your wardrobe, know the psychology behind it. Your brain is just trying to find emotional calm. For many people, rage-cleaning or deep cleaning is an active form of meditation. This behaviour allows your mind to disconnect from spiralling into overthinking and rather occupy your mind with something constructive.
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