Parenting Tips: This Chore Can Help You De-Stress, Study Finds

Washing the dishes is a routine chore that, when done mindfully, may help people relax and lower their stress levels, according to researchers from the Florida State University.

The study, published in the journal Mindfulness, examined whether washing dishes could be used as a contemplative practice that would promote a positive state of mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined by the researchers as a meditative method of focusing attention on the emotions and thoughts of the present moment.

“I’ve had an interest in mindfulness for many years, both as a contemplative practitioner and a researcher,” said Adam Hanley, a doctoral candidate in FSU College of Education’s Counseling/School Psychology program and one of the study’s authors, via a press release. “I was particularly interested in how the mundane activities in life could be used to promote a mindful state and, thus, increase overall sense of well-being.”

The study enlisted the help of 51 students, who were tasked to wash dishes. Prior to washing, they were all given a passage to read. Half of the group read a short descriptive dishwashing passage which was straightforward, while the other half read a mindful dishwashing passage, which was quoted from Thich Nhat Hanh. Here is the quoted passage:

"While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes. At first glance, that might seem a little silly. Why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that’s precisely the point. The fact that I am standing there and washing these bowls is a wondrous reality. I am completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions. There’s no way I can be tossed around mindlessly like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves."

After the students washed the dishes, the researchers found that those who washed mindfully had heightened feelings of inspiration and lowered levels of nervousness, at 25% and 27% respectively. The control group that read the straightforward descriptive passage did not gain any benefits from the task.

“It appears that an everyday activity approached with intentionality and awareness may enhance the state of mindfulness,” the study authors concluded.

According to Time, although the study has to be replicated due to its relatively small size of only 51 participants, it suggests that mindfulness can be achieved even while doing simple and common activities, possibly helping to reduce stress while doing routine chores at home.