How does making your bed affect your mental health?

It may be surprising, or even humorous to some, but in reality, the habit of making your bed can have a great impact on your outlook for the day ahead.

Although a seemingly insignificant task, studies have shown a psychological benefit to living and operating in a tidy space. An orderly bedroom could be viewed as an indicator of quality of life – the assumption being that the more calm and clutter-free the bedroom, the better the person’s well-being.

This enhanced well-being, in turn, affects your ability to focus, be productive, handle stress, and regulate other emotions in a healthy way.

5 Good Reasons For Making Your Bed

1. Making your bed each morning allows you start your day with a sense of accomplishment. It takes no more than a couple of minutes to complete, and you can carry that feeling of having done something beneficial for yourself throughout the rest of your day. A standard bed will typically take up a large space in a bedroom, requiring you to walk around it several times. Because the unconscious mind thrives on rituals, structure, and safety, it will get a boost energetically when it is repeatedly exposed to a stimulant that embodies all three – the act of making your bed.

2. A crisp, clean bed reduces anxiety and stress. Once the bed is made and tidy, it sets the tone for the rest of the day. That task is complete, it is something good that supports your well-being, and it’s one less loose end for the mind to remember and potentially worry over. The sense of completion enhances the sense of satisfaction. In fact, those who study feng shui energy patterns will tell you that the energy in and around a made bed is completely anxiety free.

3. By getting rid of bunches and wrinkles, making the bed sets you up for greater comfort. There are few things more luxurious than sinking into fresh sheets at the end of the day, on both a mental and physical level. Making the bed each morning enhances relaxation when you need it most each night.

4. Believe it or not, making the bed can help you build better relationships. Making your bed is an act of self-care that reinforces your own sense of worth. This, in turn, improves self-respect, and subsequently respect for others. By treating yourself better, you are increasing your capacity to treat others better, thus building better relationships. Often, as an additional bonus, those with whom we share a bed regularly will also experience these benefits.

5. Making your bed has the ability to increase your happiness. A Harvard University study, which lasted more than 75 years, found that healthy relationships are the key to happiness. We’ve already explored how making the bed can improve relationships. But, in a fascinating survey of more than 65,000 people published by Psychology Today, it was found that there is a positive link between those who made their bed and levels of happiness reported.

“Get to” versus “Have to”

Given all the reasons why making the bed is good for well-being, it is ultimately up to you to decide whether or not you want to tap into the benefits.

You have a choice – you can see making the bed as something you “have to” do, or you can view it as something you “get to” do. The ritual of making the bed can serve as a reminder of how good you have it. You have a bed. You have a comfortable bed. You are able to do something good for yourself by tending to your sleeping space, which sets you up to want to do more good for yourself throughout the day.

Making the bed can be akin to a “gateway” good action that opens the door to other good habits. And the building of good habits, no matter how small, is exactly how you create an optimal way of living.

If you’d like to learn how you can support your personal growth through our methodology, we are here to help. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation today.

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