Amid spring cleaning season, it can be tempting to dismiss housework as drudgery, so dreaded or anxiety-inducing that it is best delegated to others if at all possible.But experts from Zen monks to psychologists say there are mental health benefits to be found in such manual chores as sweeping, mopping and clearing away clutter. These tasks can encourage mindfulness or permit the mind to wander, all while producing a sense of achievement in accomplishing the basic tasks of daily life.As one Zen saying goes: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”What the monks knowZen apprentices, or unsui monks, spend much of their time cleaning and tidying.“We sweep dust to remove worldly desires. We scrub dirt to free ourselves of attachments,” Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk living in Kyoto, Japan, wrote in his book A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind (2018). “The time we spend carefully cleaning out every nook and cranny of the temple grounds is extremely fulfilling.”Shoukei Matsumoto is a monk and author of the 2018 book A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind. Photo: chartwellspeakers.comHolly Schiff, a clinical psychologist based in the US state of Connecticut, confirms that the process of cleaning can be calming and almost meditative.