Cleanliness and mental health have a clear connection- it can even feel like a self-perpetuating cycle. Although basic hygiene means grooming and cleaning your body, including nails, hair, skin, and teeth; however, it also extends to wearing clean clothes. And trust us, this one creates a lot of toll on your mental health.
How Wearing Clean Clothes Affect Your Mental Health
Cleanliness stirs many positive emotions in the human brain. It calms the nerves, relaxes a person, and gives them a soothing and comfortable feeling, reviving consciousness.
Release of Endorphins
Cleanliness is no less than meditation. It releases endorphins in brain receptors that help shift mood and make the mind and body feel more relaxed and refreshed. It enhances the feeling of joy, goodwill, trust and confidence.
Improves Focus
A person’s constant uneasiness when wearing unclean clothes creates stress that triggers distraction. It weakens attention and focus. Your brain cannot function to its full capacity because a major part of it gets irritated and annoyed by the discomfort your body feels.
You would have noticed yourself being more energetic to work when you are aware that your overall personality looks presentable and charming. If we talk about kids, by wearing softer, fresh smelling and clean clothes, they feel more energized and enthusiastic.
Ensures Greater Personal Satisfaction
A survey by OfferUp revealed that 70% of American adults had found a unique sense of accomplishment after cleaning. A Purdue University Study reveals that cleaning your body and clothes leads to a healthier life. It influences positive change in a person, making them indulge in more physical activities.
Builds Better Relationships
People with good hygiene practices tend to be more confident and self-aware. They feel joy in socializing, meeting new people, and creating deeper bonds. They tend to attend social gatherings and are enthusiastic about bringing their opinions to the table without any hesitation. They have a successful professional life as they tend to meet and greet colleagues and never stay behind in indulging in different physical activities.
If Wearing Clean Clothes Was A Choice To Many
Nobody wants to roam around the city wearing unwashed clothes every day. Perhaps, in the US, due to the rising cost of living and inflation, hundreds of families are there who can’t afford to do laundry. The big households barely survive on little earnings, and affording laundry seems like a dream.
Unclean laundry creates constant fatigue and stresses one out without that person even realizing it. Apart from causing emotional distress, it shapes the perspective of a person as to how they see the world.
Such people begin questioning whether they fit in or not. They slowly drift away from people around them with the fear of being judged. This attitude leads to loneliness and anxiety, which triggers chronic depression. A withdrawal from social gatherings seizes the opportunity for growth, betterment, and a happier life.
The entire outlook on life is gradually altered. Moreover, if you go deeper into exploring other mental illnesses – you will find a low level of attention and a higher level of self-doubt and confusion among such people. They feel like they are losing their self-worth. With poor attention to focus and decision-making abilities, no matter how hard they try, they fall behind, eventually fading away in the chaos of this world.
How Unclean Clothes Lead To Increased Health Risks
Dirty laundry can harbor microorganisms. When such clothes come in contact with the skin, it leads to many skin infections. Unclean clothes also create bad body odor due to fungi and bacteria in them. According to The American Health Service, every human body has bacteria inside and outside of it, and the clothes we wear catch these bacteria, which becomes necessary to wash them.
By wearing unclean clothes, you tend to expose your body to harmful germs. Upon your dirty undergarments, there are traces of bacteria from body fluids which leads to internal infections, even worse to, causing STDs. Dermatitis, scabies, and fungal diseases are some common skin allergies and illnesses that are transmitted through unclean laundry.
How You Can Help
Wearing clean clothes is a privilege to many families and individuals in America. You must have seen people educating each other about taking care of those who are in need of food and shelter, but a few are aware of the everyday struggles low-income families experience with managing their basic hygiene needs- especially laundry.
So, if you find anybody in need, step up to help them. Treat them nicely; they are fighting many unheard battles all on their own. Show empathy and be concerned for their betterment. Laundry Love is an initiative where we welcome low-income families and individuals to wash their laundry for free.
We invite many hospitable and kind community members to volunteer. At our laundromat, we not only clean clothes but build relationships and bonds that bring us closer to those unheard.
If you are willing to work for the betterment of your community members, either find someplace like ours or join us. We would love to have a helping hand and a loving heart.
