Are you expecting visitors for the holidays? Or perhaps you are just feeling ill from a cold or flu and want to clean the house but you feel awful? Or perhaps the guests just left and you are really too tired to clean up but you need to anyway.

Try some of the tips below to create a “healing session” while you clean! You may never look at cleaning the same way again…

Having a clean house enhances the positive Feng Shui in your space and can increase your ability to heal. So leave what is not urgent (no need to wash the windows or dust the top of the ceiling fans today) but you may want to consider doing some bare basics and here are some tips on how to do those in a healing manner:

1. Add 6 drops of essential oil of thyme, eucalyptus, rosemary, tea tree or other healing oil to dishwater and do your dishes by hand. The steam from the hot water will clear your sinuses and your lungs and the oils will help your immune system. Additionally, your dishes will be germ free and very clean!

2. Wear a face mask when dusting or using any cleansers of any kind. Even if you don’t usually have a reaction to cleansers remember that your body’s immune system is weak now and may have reactions to things it can usually tolerate.

3. Turn off the air and open the windows – even if it is winter or hot summer – this will help air out the house, clean the air in the house and help you feel better too. Having the heat on in the winter may feel comfortable, but it can often dry the air and when you are ill this warm dry heat is an ideal atmosphere for virus and bacteria to breed in.

4. Ask someone to help you do at least one thing – a friend, a spouse or a child. People feel good when they help and it feels good to be cared for. This positive energy can help you heal.

5. Do some organizing and pick up things from the floors and around the home. This can help the healing energy flow of the home and allows you to move about in a gentle manner so you can work the illness out of your system.

6. Do a load of sheets and pajamas or clothes and add some lavender or another favorite relaxing essential oil to the dryer sheets. This will help you sleep at night and even perhaps nap during the day. It will also lessen your stress and you will not be worrying about all the work you will have to catch up on when you are “well” again.

7. Cook a nice chicken soup or vegetable soup (if you don’t eat meat) with chopped vegetables. You can chop the vegetables while you are sitting. Chopping is a simple action that can induce meditation if done with mindfulness (your mind only in that moment). This and other meditative activities can speed healing in your body. And of course the soup is very healing – especially if you add healing herbs like thyme, rosemary, and sage.

8. Do some additional meditative activities like sorting your e-mail, darning socks, or filing papers instead of watching TV or staring at the walls in misery (I speak from experience here LOL). These are tasks that can create anxiety when left undone for too long, but they are also tasks that are hard to do when one is feeling energetic and “ready to work”. Finishing some menial tasks like this will give you a sense of accomplishment and will alleviate worry and guilt and this will increase your healing ability.

9. Most importantly, focus on the task at hand. As you are doing each small task focus only on that task (it is harder than you think). Focus on the smells, sites, sounds, feel and even taste of the task. Get all your senses engaged and focus! The more you focus on each task, the more relaxed you will be so your body will be more open to balancing and healing.