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Spring Break is over. WVU students are back, rested and ready (hopefully) to finish this semester strong and prepare for finals week at the end of April. That may seem much closer than it actually is, and can cause some students to panic. Those students may throw all of their energy into studying and neglect other things -- like cleaning their apartments.
Whether you tidied up before leaving for Spring Break or your place could use a heavy-duty scrubbing, its in your best interests to do some spring cleaning. Believe it or not, cleaning is much more than a chore your parents and roommates expect you to do. It can actually have profound benefits for you. Here are a few of the most noteworthy benefits of taking your spring cleaning seriously:
No Mess, No Stress
You have enough to stress about as a college student. Why leave a dirty apartment on that list? Psychological studies show that clutter can increase stress, overwhelming your senses and making it seem like the amount of work you have to do is insurmountable. Leaving all that mess can actually increase your levels of the stress hormone cortisol and exacerbate depression and OCD.
How are you supposed to study for finals when the state of your room is actively stressing you out? By taking the time to address your mess, you make your work seem much more manageable and make it much easier to focus on whats important. So think of every room cleaned and each trip to our on-site laundry center as another step toward undistracted living.
Better Organization
Have you ever panicked while studying because you have no idea where that one handout is, and youre sure it has the one piece of information you need to make sense of everything thats on your test tomorrow? These important papers and class resources have a habit of turning up in strange places, especially when your apartment is messy. Your spring cleaning gives you an opportunity to organize your workspace and study materials, so you know where they are when you need them.
During your cleaning, dont forget to give your computer some love! Take this opportunity to declutter your desktop, delete unnecessary files, and scan your system for viruses and other issues. Few things are quite as terrifying as a computer crash just as youre nearing completion of the longest research paper of the semester. Make sure your computer is able to give its best performance during the stretch to finals.
Learn What You Dont Need
One of the biggest benefits of spring cleaning is that it gives you a chance to prioritize your belongings. Instead of packing everything away into every nook and cranny of your apartment, use this as an opportunity to figure out what you dont actually need. Take this opportunity to donate or sell things you havent used in a long while and rethink the purchases you should make in the future. This will make it easier to keep your apartment clean and help you focus on more pressing matters like your studies.
What are your spring cleaning strategies? Share your ideas in the comments below!
