For as long as I could remember I didn’t make my bed - not as a teen (much to my mums despair!), not as a student at college, not as young women in the world, not even as a wife and mother. I just couldn’t be bother. I also think part of it was because I still had that defiant streak in me rebelling against my mother!
Anyway, I can’t remember when but at some point in the last few years I decided to make a change and made making my bed a daily habit. But why though?
It’s actually quite simple, making my bed made my room — the space where I could relax and escape from the world — feel special. You see my bedroom or more specifically my bed, is the place I feel the most comfort, it’s the place where I go to cry, read, listen to meditations and snuggle with my loved ones. It’s also the place I get dressed and get ready, it symbolises my privacy as well as a space to explore who I am what I want to wear and how I want to express myself. Obviously it’s a place that I share with my husband too and our room and our bed as a couple equals intimacy, laughter and memories of newborn babies and late night films tucked up with a cup of tea.
My bed has soothed me when I felt down, its held me when I’ve felt so depressed I couldn’t get out of it. It’s also cradled me through the flu, sickness bugs and recovery of 3 c-sections. It’s where all my children, my dog and 2 cats like to sneak on to when I’m asleep or not watching and it’s been bounced on, spilt coffee on, puked on and had many a mothers day breakfast in bed on.
I love my bed, it’s my sanctuary.
So, does making your bed cultivate better wellbeing?
Well, for me the answer is yes, it definitely does. Making my bed creates a little bit of peace and calm in slither of my rather busy and chaotic home. It reminds me that there is a haven ready and waiting for me whenever I need it and gives me a sense of accomplishment whenever I pass by my bedroom door. But rather than just projecting my own experiences and basing this post solely on what makes me feel good I turned to my Instagram friends to see if they felt the same way, here’s what they told me:
Out of the followers who responded to the poll “Do you make your bed in the morning?” 75% of them responded yes, with the other 25% equally split between no and sometimes. To be honest the percentage of people making their bed regularly was much higher than I expected.
My next question was “If you answered yes, does it give you a greater sense of wellbeing?” and over 50% answered yes, 25% responded that they just like to be tidy and the rest answered with a not sure.
Now I’m not a maths whizz and I’m certainly not great with percentages but I feel like the results here are pointing towards the idea that making your bed is definitely a positive thing for better wellbeing.
To back this up even further some of my lovely Instagram follow sent me messages on exactly how it helped. One follower told me:
“It feels more satisfying getting into a made bed at night”
Another said:
“I think when things are neat and tidy it creates a space of calm.”
Finally one of them shared:
“It’s my first achievement of the day because usually I can’t be arsed but I always push myself to.”
It certainly seems then that making your bed, a small micro task that takes only a few minutes, can actually have a big impact on our wellbeing. From boosting our peace and comfort to delivering a positive sense of accomplishment making your bed could be a key habit to toping up your daily wellbeing levels. If you don’t already make your bed why not try it for a few days and see how you feel — does it make a difference to your day?
And if you already make your bed, let me know in the comments below what it does for your wellbeing!
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