Cleaning can have meditative and other mental health benefits
It's spring cleaning season, and for some people that means drudgery or anxiety. But experts from Zen monks to psychologists say there can be mental health benefits found in such everyday manual chores as sweeping, mopping and clearing away clutter. Repetitive tasks like these offer a chance to slow down and be mindful, or let the mind wander. Plus, there's a sense of accomplishment in seeing your results. One tip for mindful cleaning is to focus on the process rather than the end result. Break the task down into steps, and focus only on the one you're doing. And let go of perfection. A famous Zen saying goes: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
Accept Difficulty - Rick Hanson, PhD
When things are difficult, we often add a lot of unnecessary frustration, anxiety, and self-criticism by resisting the difficulty of them – often with an underlying attitude of “it shouldn’t be this way." Find more peace by accepting difficulty instead of getting aggravated by it.
The Medicine of the Dharma Meditation — Jack Kornfield
Meaningful Music Listening: Rediscovering The Album
This Mental Health Awareness Week (11–17 May 2026), Dr Claire Renfrew encourages us to listen to albums in full to support our mental wellbeing.
Engaging with arts and culture can slow biological aging as much as exercise, study suggests
When it comes to slowing down our biological aging, engaging with arts and culture is as beneficial as physical activity, a new study suggests.
Accept Dependence - Rick Hanson, PhD
We are hungry for love and need others. Let this truth in. Accepting your inherent dependence brings you into harmony with the way life is.
Love the World - Rick Hanson, PhD
Humanity has great power for good and ill. As the earth heats up, as species go extinct and resources decline, it is critically important that a fourth major motivation guide our thoughts, words, and above all, deeds: Love the world.
The Imperfectionist: Calm in the storm
As I forge ahead with a new book, I hope you enjoy (or otherwise benefit from!) these three lightly edited excerpts from previous Imperfectionist newsletters which strike me as ...
Dr Danny Penman