Puttering Around Is Good For You

When we feel anxious, a sense of helplessness can heighten the physiological stress response, increasing levels of hormones such as cortisol. Over the long term, the sense of helplessness can even harm the function of the immune system. Ideally, we would deal directly with the upsetting situation itself. 

But research suggests we can gain a perception of control from activities that may have little effect on the situation that’s bothering us. “It doesn’t necessarily have to align with actual control, as long as we believe, or feel, we have control,” says Stacey Bedwell, a psychologist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London.

 Simply being able to change our environment can create a feeling of agency that is beneficial, she says – which may explain why cleaning and organising our homes can feel so therapeutic.