Monday, October 15, 2012
Mom Was Right...Again
I read recently that making your bed can make you happier. While I generally like a clean and tidy house, I have not been in the habit of making my bed. Like others have observed, why make it up when I’m just going to sleep in it again tonight? And besides, since my room is upstairs, no one sees it except me.
However, this article’s promise intrigued me, so I thought I would try it. The quilt I’ve used on my bed for years didn’t make it through the last wash cycle in one piece, so the occasion of getting a new quilt seemed like an auspicious time to experiment with making my bed.
Wow. What a difference! The one minute it takes me to smooth the sheets and blankets and straighten the quilt just when I get out of bed makes my heart smile. Everything seems right with the world. There is a noticeable lift in my mood and peace in my spirit.
And here’s the bonus. I feel happier when I go to bed, too. I like approaching my bed and pulling the covers down and slipping between the sheets. My bed is a more welcoming place, inviting me to enter a calm and orderly refuge and settle into restful slumber.
Those of you who practice this habit regularly might not appreciate the dramatic difference this simple act makes at the start of your day. I’m now a believer, and with the fanaticism characteristic of the newly converted, I want to spread the word!
Do you make your bed? If not, would you try it for a week? Let me know what happens!
related post: Are You Belly Breathing?
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This is so funny -no, I usually do NOT make my bed in the morning. You know when I make it? Before I get in it! That's when I straighten and fluff everything. Sometimes I listen to Mary Occhino who once said everyone should make certain all their dishes were washed and put away at night No Matter What and that you should make your bed every morning, without fail. On the rare ocassions when I have managed all of the above, I have felt great :)
ReplyDeleteJulie, Making your bed before you get in it?! I had not thought of that. I have long been a believer in the clean kitchen at bedtime, but making the bed is a new discovery. It really does change my morning (and evening). Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI make my bed almost every single day, and on the off chance that I don't, I'm a little irritable because of it! :)
ReplyDeleteChrissy, I believe you. Since starting this new habit, I got up late one morning and left the bed in a mess. I could tell the difference in my day. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI have been making my bed every morning since I stoped working my day job. I love walking into a neat and well organized bedroom. When I worked first shift I did not bother with making my bed. I just shut the door and went on my way. It sure does make a big difference now that I think about it.
ReplyDeleteBonnie, Somehow shutting the door (or going downstairs in my case) just isn't the same as making the bed. Seeing this difference was a big surprise to me. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteMust confess I never thought of this much, but I can sense its truth. My room looks nicer when I make the bed and the visual makes me feel better. I do make my bed almost every day, but hubby sleeps in sometimes, then you know it doesn't get done. I'll share this with him though. Maybe he'll make it from now on.
ReplyDeleteMyrna, Great idea to make it a collaborative effort! Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI can tell a difference in how I feel when I make the bed. I feel more prepared to start the day when I make it. And nothing beats how good a smoothly made bed feels at night.
ReplyDeleteTina, I now believe the wisdom in your comment!
DeleteOh, yes, Galen, I make the bed up every day unless I'm stripping it to wash the sheets and hang them on the line. As soon as they are dry, it's back to the neat and orderly. :)
ReplyDeleteThere is something about a neat bed that lends itself to making it, as you said, a more welcoming place. Every time I enter the bedroom and the bed is neatly made, it is as if a wave of peace and security washes over me. I can identify completely with the sentiment you have expressed here, my friend.
Blessings!
Martha, I like that description--a wave of peace and security. That is just the way I feel. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteOh yes Galen!
ReplyDeleteI make my bed every single day and am glad I do :)
I guess my Mom instilled these qualities into us, though my sister is just the opposite and prefers to leave things as they are. However, when I have deadlines to meet, my hubby does the needful as both of us believe in having a clean and tidy room.
More so, we have a dog and he just loves our bed!! So, all the more reason to have the bed-covers put up - if nothing else - just for him. :)
I still need to make my girls into making theirs. My elder one is like her aunt, while the younger one is on me. Things take time with kids, but with time and patience it all works out. :)
Harleena, True--of all my kids, the boys make their beds and the girls don't. Go figure. I miss my dog on my bed (she died last June). Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI pull it up when I get out. Trouble is there is a big man lump in mine and I have to wait til he gets up. By then I am off to something else.
ReplyDeleteIf not in the mornings, I do it early evenings after I came in from work. It does give me pleasure to see a made bed.
Gail, You and another commenter mentioned making the bed later in the day. I'll have to remember that if I don't get to it right when I get up. Thanks for commenting (and for following!).
DeleteWell from day one as a child yep the bed was to be made and I had about a million stuffed animals that all had their places. It did grow on me later in life...no more stuffed animals to deal with every morning and night, but to pull back the covers and feel the nice almost crisp feeling all ready for the night-rainbow-workers ready to send you off in dream land....yes I do like that touch!
ReplyDeleteKaren, Ah, yes, all those stuffed animals! My son has one of the ones that I had as a child. Love your description of night rainbow workers. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI make my bed every morning, but not immediately after getting up. I open my window for a few minutes first, to clean the air and "freshen up" the bed. It doesn't feel right to me to go to sleep in a bed that is not made :)
ReplyDeleteBeliza, Great idea to let the bed air out. I always sleep with a window open, even in the winter. Fresh air! Thanks for commenting.
DeleteThx for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLook out for my "After Hajj" post coming soon! Your wise words welcomed..
Take Care
Glad you stopped by--thanks! I'm overdue for a visit to your blog. Will stop by soon. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI love this! I always make my bed, no matter how late I am, and this does give me a little sense of control and order in my day. I believe it is sacred geometry to calm the mind seeing something neat and orderly. That is how they build places of sacredness around the world.
ReplyDeleteJodi, Sacred geometry--you do have a lovely way with words. Thanks for commenting.
Delete:-) You know, Galen, we have only been using cots to sleep on since the last 20 years. Which leaves 29 before that. Every night, we had the rotating duty of sweeping the floor, laying the mats (cane mats) and thin mattresses on them. Kids and elders slept in the vast living room which was pretty utilitarian with barely any furniture. Everyone did not have a bedroom. :-) Then in the morning, we'd be up early, with the last person at 6 (lazy, lazy :D) and those on duty for that week would neatly fold everything and stack it in another room. Every Sunday, we'd spread everything on the terrace in the sun.
ReplyDeleteNow, I do make my bed as soon as I wake up. We each of us fold our bed covers and even have a little race about who's first.
I love the feel and fragrance of fresh sheets. :-)
Love, Vidya
Vidya, I'm so glad you commented. Of course, I'm always glad you comment, but your comment on this post adds a cross cultural flavor that certainly adds some spice to the discussion! Funny, I thought just as I hit send for this post that the article I read, and my post as well, are very culture limited to those that typically use a bed for sleeping and sheets/blankets that make the concept of "making a bed" meaningful. Thank you for another glimpse into your life--always a delight.
DeleteMaking my bed was an absolute must-do growing up, Galen. When I had a home of my own, I tried sloppiness for a while, but it just didn't seem right! Perhaps, it's just habit, but the day is certainly better when our bed is made immediately. When we spent our holidays at my grandparent's home years ago, we slept in the open air during summer. There were special summer beds that lay around the yard for that. We'd take the bedding out every night, complete with mosquito nets. There was nothing like waking up with the sunrise early in the morning. We'd quickly fold our sheets and rush the bedding in before the birds got 'active'. ;)
ReplyDeleteCorinne, I love the image of all of you sleeping outside at your grandparents' home. I have done that a few times--it is wonderful. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteGalen,
ReplyDeleteI used to make my bed every day, while I brushed my teeth and got ready for work because I had a bathroom right in my room. I recently moved, my bedroom is now bigger and nicer but the bathroom is down the hall and I have noticed I no longer take the time to make my bed. I actually miss it! I need to make an effort to wake up just a few minutes earlier and just do it...it really does make a difference!
How convenient to have everything in one room! It takes me less than a minute to make the bed, and it is time well spent. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI TOTALLY make the bed every morning, although my boyfriend never does, and he gives me the same line about getting back into bed at the end of the day, so what does it matter?
ReplyDeleteI say, why wash your dishes then, if you're just going to use them again tomorrow?
I no more want to get into a rumpled, messy bed than to eat off of dirty dishes. Making the bed just seems like a mark of mindfulness and self-respect to me. I really can't NOT do it. :)
Jennifer, I had not thought about it in terms of self-respect, but it does seem like that--a way of respecting ourselves and our homes. Thanks for that perspective.
DeleteI've always hated the practice of making my bed, but recently picked it up. I make my kids do it, so I figured I'd better get with it too. And your right, I don't know what it is, but the room just feels neater and it's nice to pull down the covers at night when going to bed. Crazy.
ReplyDeleteAlecia, It is crazy! Why does that little thing make so much difference? I was really surprised. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI am smiling on this one. My husband approaches the bed the same way you used too. Why make it! I on the other hand am more OCD on making the bed and doing the dishes. I don't feel complete for the day until my bed is made. It makes a difference in my day. If I don't get a moment to do that before leaving the home. I worry about it not being made. I hope this isn't mentally unhealthy.
ReplyDeleteBlessing!
LeAnn, Now that I'm a believer in bed making, it seems very mentally healthy! Thanks for commenting.
DeleteHi, I've seen you commenting on a bunch of blogs; came over from Bob Lowry's Satisfying Retirement. I make the bed in our house. Doesn't make me feel any younger, but I agree it is nicer when you climb into bed at night. When my dear B is away, I do not make the bed -- I'm just a sloppy bachelor. That tells you where my motivation comes from!
ReplyDeleteI like your blog. That sensation you got when you closed your eyes on the path? I get that when I travel to NYC, take a subway ride, then come back up onto the street. Don't know where the heck I am, or which direction I'm facing. In that, and in many other ways, I admit I have to become more aware.
I'm over 60, but still have some work to do.
Tom, Welcome and thanks for stopping by! I know exactly what you mean about coming up out of the subway--it's very disorienting. Thanks for the kind words about my blog. Hope you'll be back!
DeleteMaking my bed is essential, even when I will be back in bed and stay there all day. I need it to be done so that i can sleep in it. However you clean your room, if the bed isn't done, it feels like the whole house is a mess!! i make my bed since I was a little child.
ReplyDeleteNikky, I love my house to be clean and tidy, and others would say I'm a bit picky about it. Not sure why that didn't include making the bed, but now it does. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteGalen this post is a gem. Yesterday when walking up the stairs to my abode, it dawned on me that I didn't make my bed. All I could think about was how awful I was going to feel when I got to my bedroom and opened the door and see stuff strewned about on my unmade bed. I quickly cleaned it off and made it - 8pm last night. Only to get in it 2 hours later. Mamma was right. I hate not having my bed made. Great post. Cheers!!
ReplyDeletebobby, Another commenter mentioned making the bed before she got in it! Better late than never, I've learned. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI have always made my bed right away unless I am airing it out, because otherwise - I will crawl right back in...I love the cozy feel and safe feelings I feel there.
ReplyDeleteI have stopped reading in bed and have a lovely supportive chair and lamp for that activity - and I also do my meditation and journal writing there.
I know the feeling you are describing but I can not find a way to match it right now. I used to feel that way after I got the garden all put away for winter and the veggies and apples all in the freezer for the year...and oh how the house smelled good...as a matter of fact I think I will go make some ginger bread and saute' some apples for supper yum