Being mindful in simple tasks - even washing your dishes - can help reduce stress and improve a person's psychological well-being.
TIME reports a study conducted by researchers at Florida State University says practicing mindfulness in doing activities as basic as washing the dishes - such as smelling the soap, feeling the water and rubbing the dish with your hands - gives you a calming after-effect.
For the research, 51 students were assigned to wash dishes. Before they went on with the task, half of the participants were asked to read a mindfulness dishwashing guide while the other half read a descriptive dishwashing passage.
The mindfulness passage talked about being mentally present while doing the task while the descriptive passage was plainly about dishwashing.
"While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes. This means that while washing the dishes one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes." an excerpt from the mindfulness passage reads.
"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 is a wondrous reality. I'm being completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions."
Results show that those who read the mindfulness guide and were mentally present while washing the dishes increased their feelings of inspiration by 25% and decreased their nervousness levels by 27%. Those who were not mindful while doing the task, on the other hand, didn't benefit from the exercise at all.
"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," said author of the study, Adam Hanley, a doctoral candidate in FSU College of Education's Counseling/School Psychology program.
Researchers also concluded that "an everyday activity approached with intentionality and awareness may enhance the state of mindfulness."
