The height of seasonal depression is upon us. The days are dark and long, and despite the fluctuating weather recently, warmer days can feel so far away. On days when the winter gets to you more than others, it is important for everyone to be prioritizing their mental health. 

There are many helpful ways to cope with mental health struggles. Some people find it helpful to get outside or meditate or talk it out with close friends. And one method that many people, including myself, find helpful is cleaning. I believe a clean space leads to a clean mind, and if I am not feeling too good, then cleaning my room helps me unwind and feel more relaxed. Sometimes if everything in life feels out of control, it is nice to know you can at least control your space. 

However, in a shocking turn of events, Marie Kondo, who is known as the queen of cleaning, has announced that she no longer prioritizes cleaning. Her Netflix show “Tidying Up with Kondo,” rose to fame for a cleaning method that she came up with. Her method consists of cleaning by category and discarding any clutter that does not spark joy in life. Her method took the world by storm, and many people found that this method helped them keep their minds as clear as their space. 

But, after the birth of her third child, Kondo found she no longer had the time to prioritize cleaning as she once did. She goes on to say that she’s okay with not tidying up every day. While some people are unhappy with this news, I actually find this to be very real and honest. No person is perfect, life gets in the way sometimes and other responsibilities take the lead over cleaning. To push an image that you must clean every day and be incessantly neat is pretty much unattainable for most people. And in no way did Kondo say she’s going to let her home turn into a pigsty, but she’s just being honest that there are things that are more important in life. 

I think what caused people to be so upset by this announcement is that they looked up to Kondo as this beacon of cleanliness and perfection. But, as I said, that’s not realistic for anyone. At the point she’s at in her life, Kondo said that she simply no longer feels the need for perfection as she perhaps once did. She says she wants to focus on tidying up other aspects of her life, not just in the literal sense, but using her method of discarding what does not spark joy, in her personal life as well as her home. 

I find this to also be an important aspect of helping with mental health. Remember to keep things in life that make us genuinely happy and not to keep things around just because we feel like we have to. Mental health is so personal and so different from person to person, so finding a method that works for you, that makes you happy, is the key. So, if cleaning is something that sparks joy for you, then you do not have to stop just because Kondo is not tidying up every day. The best way to improve your mental health is to focus on the fact that it is just yours. And for me, I find that cleaning does improve my mental health, and I don’t have to feel differently because someone else does. 

I like to keep my room pretty neat for the most part since it helps me feel on track with the rest of my day and when I feel my mental health going down, I like to clean up as sort of a reminder that I am capable of it. But like anyone else, even Marie Kondo, sometimes things get in the way. I have plans, or I have a particularly busy day and I cannot get around to it.

Cleaning is not meant to be something that people should feel burdened by, but rather something that can actually aid in relaxing when needed. Instead of being upset by Kondo’s announcement, I actually feel inspired by it. It is really okay not to have it all together all the time, it is just important to do what feels good for your mental health when you need it. And who knows, maybe in a month or in twenty years, I’ll feel different, but for now, I know that I will keep doing what makes me feel the best.

Grace Campbell, FCRH ’25, is a New Media and Digital Design major, from Northborough, Mass.