Tag Archives: mental-health

How Cleaning Can Clear Your Mind

Here’s an interesting practice that also helps me rest my mind for a while. It wasn’t always like this.

Not at all.

But let me explain why I changed my mind—and how it changed my perception of this practice.

To start with, I am a messy person. I always hated tidying the house. Now, it’s funny to think back because, in my childhood, there were days when we would clean the house until it sparkled and shone. Can you guess when?

Before birthday parties, of course!

New Year, Christmas, and any other gathering. We had a big apartment and a lot of stuff at home. But I don’t think we ever managed to keep it clean for longer than two or three days.

Having kids makes everything even more complicated when you are a parent yourself. Sometimes, I envy the photos people post on social media of sparkling apartments, living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms.

But let’s be realistic—you never know how long that tidiness lasts. I also post photos of not-so-messy rooms because otherwise, I’d feel embarrassed. And that’s normal.

Being a photographer means I need to clean my space more often. If I want to use my home as a background, I have to get rid of unnecessary red or yellow socks and T-shirts lying around. Before taking any photos, I always look around to see what shouldn’t be in the background.

And yes, we don’t have any helpers or maids—even though we live in Dubai, where almost everyone I know has some help.

We don’t. It’s our decision, and it’s okay. My husband helps a lot; he’s the one who is consistent with tidying the house.

But let me tell you something. I started noticing that I prefer to work and rest in a clean space. When I put things back in their places and make the room look fresh, I feel so much better. It’s like I’m not just cleaning my home—I’m also decluttering my mind, making it less messy and busy with annoying thoughts.

I can’t sit at my desk and edit photos if there’s a mess around me. My mind won’t rest, even if I used to deny it before.

A few months ago, I listened to a podcast where a psychologist said she felt sorry for people who had helpers at home—and that the helpers were actually the lucky ones. My first reaction was, “WHAT? That makes no sense.” But then she explained.

By putting things back in their places, wiping surfaces, and making your space look neat and tidy, you’re unconsciously doing the same for your thoughts. Your mind gets a chance to rest because your hands are doing the work, and not much brain power is needed. That was the moment I started looking at tidying up differently!

Once I understood how beneficial it could be for my mind and well-being, I decided to give it another try. And now, it works for me. I see this process from a new perspective. I clean my house while listening to music or simply letting my mind wander. Seeing my space tidy makes me feel happy, and knowing I was the one who did it gives it even more value.

What are your thoughts about it? Do you agree or not?

Do you enjoy tidying? I would like to know!

How Spending Time Outdoors Reduces Stress.

I believe that if you have access to a garden, a green space, or even just a balcony, it’s incredibly beneficial to spend at least some time outdoors every day. I’m not talking about walking—we all know that staying healthy and fit requires regular walks, ideally reaching at least 10,000 steps a day.

Well, I must confess that in Dubai, sometimes it’s physically impossible to do that during the summer months… But in my defense, when we travel in the summer for a month or two, I make up for it by walking a lot.

Living in such a busy city brings me a lot of stress and anxiety often. I won’t lie. Especially, traffic in Dubai, in my case.

But I’ve started using my garden as a space for reflection and rest. It’s a chance to step away from the noisy world and listen to my inner self.

Some of my happiest memories come from spending summer months in a yellow summer cottage, far from the rush of city life.

Now, I bring a cozy blanket, wrap myself in it, and close my eyes. Being outdoors helps quiet my bustling mind for a while.

I’ve made it a habit to spend time in the garden with a book or simply sit in an armchair, wrapped in a blanket (when it’s winter in Dubai), and take a nap.

I pour herbal or matcha tea into my favorite cup and take it with me.

I don’t listen to music or podcasts. Sometimes, I do. But I mostly turn everything off.

Instead, I let my mind rest and tune in to the sounds around me—the chirping birds, the rustling palm leaves in the neighbor’s garden, children playing in the nearby park, or just the wind passing through my garden on its way to somewhere else.

Life is full of sounds, yet our minds are often overwhelmed by both inner and outer noise. Sometimes, we just need to let it all go and rest.

It’s such a wonderful practice—I only wish I had started doing it earlier and more often.

What about you? What helps you to keep your mind in peace and let it have a rest?

Overcoming Life’s Challenges: Rediscovering Happiness

When My Life Felt and Was Reborn

Last year was a bit turbulent for me, to be honest. And I can say the same about 2023.

Sometimes, I worry that I might sound too negative. I usually feel bad about it, but what if I was simply born this way? What if, no matter what I do, I will always carry this sadness in my heart? I went through different rough emotional experiences as a child, so maybe it’s time to just accept it as it is. I wish I could be a more smiling, optimistic person—but, well, I’m not really that one. And that’s okay. I’m learning, and I hope I still have time to get better at it.

What did I mean when I said that 2023 and 2024 were rough for me?

“The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.” — C.C. Scott

In 2023, I got an infection in my right thumb—so severe that the tip of my finger had to be removed. A surgeon did it right in front of my eyes. Well, not exactly—I turned my face away and looked at my husband instead, tears rolling down my face.

For a moment, I thought the surgeon would take my whole finger. It was March 1st, a Wednesday. That day, I had gone with my husband to see a doctor about my swollen finger. The first doctor I had been recommended made silly jokes, saying I must have found a poisonous insect in my garden and that they would find it and kill it. At that moment, it wasn’t funny to me. The attitude was far from empathetic.

Finding new little happy things to enjoy. Like listening to classical music on vinyl.

That night, alone with my two kids in Dubai, I couldn’t sleep. The pain was unbearable, and my finger swelled before my eyes, hour by hour. In the middle of the night, I booked a taxi, leaving my kids asleep in my bed. I remember that night so clearly—the blurred city lights flashing past the car window, my mind consumed by the pain in my finger and arm, which had also begun to swell.

Secretly, I was saying goodbye to this world. My husband was away on a business trip, and I was completely alone.

From my very first days in Dubai, I realized something: nobody really cares about you. It’s up to you to build your own reality in a new place.

“The key to life when it gets tough is to keep moving. Just keep moving.”―Tyler Perry

But still, I will always be grateful to the doctor who saved my life.

That February taught me that everything can change in an instant. The pain came out of nowhere, and no one could have foreseen the consequences.

I didn’t pick up my camera for three months after that. I had to postpone many photoshoots, and I felt terrible about it.

But at that moment, I decided to surrender and give myself time. When life closes one door, it opens another. A new life was unfolding for me, but I am still in the process of rediscovering it.


Amid the struggles, it’s up to us to start finding joy again

In 2024, I faced two severe illnesses that also made me reflect on the value of life. I had never had serious problems with my lungs or nose before, but in June, I caught mycoplasma and thought I wouldn’t recover. I was wrong.

Then, in November, I experienced severe sinusitis for the first time in my life, caused by some unknown bacteria. For five days, I could barely breathe. Waking up at night, struggling to get air through my nose—I truly thought it was the end of the world.

To make things worse, the first antibiotic the doctor prescribed had too low a dosage, so I had to undergo another round of treatment. Just when I started feeling better after a week, I got a sore throat. I couldn’t believe it—something else was starting again. This time, sinusitis hit only one nostril. I decided not to go back to the doctor since I had no fever and tried to heal myself without medication. It worked, but very slowly. Only after two months of being sick did I finally start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.” — Tori Amos

I don’t know if you’ve read this far, but going through these life-threatening experiences has made me rethink my values. I started looking for slow and joyful moments I could truly enjoy—just for myself. In a fast-paced city like Dubai, where everything and everyone moves at lightning speed, that has been quite a challenge.

But I must say, I am rediscovering myself—finding minutes, even hours, each day to nourish my body and mind.

Life teaches you. Sometimes, not in a good way. But this is why it`s so important to start living to the fullest. You never know what might happen to you tomorrow…

“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” — Oprah Winfrey

I would like to finish this blog with a phrase from the Japanese movie by Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days”. The movie that will stay in my heart for a long time.

Kondo wa kondo. Ima wa ima. – Next time is next time. Now is now.

– 今度は今度。今は今

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