Why having a dinner party is good for your health

We've all had the mad rush of cooking and cleaning to make everything just right for our guests. Clean towels in the powder room, polished wood floors, vacuumed carpets, sparkling windows…. I have a friend who even gets down and scrubs the baseboards before company comes over.

In this day and age, with many of us adopting side gigs for extra income we wonder how anyone has the time to host people for dinner with all the work involved. But it's important to recognize that all this effort is not a “waste” of time, it's part of our emotional health.

Leisure activities are essential to our well being. And cooking for fun as well as decorating a table, and conversing with friends is part of feeling happy. We need this down time to re energize ourselves for work.

Moreover, the benefits of all that house cleaning you're doing will also be enjoyed by you and your family after the occasion. How long has it been since you cleaned your baseboards?

The important thing though isn't to have a perfect dinner party. You don't have to be Martha Stewart to be a good host, you only need to put your guests at ease.

Ever notice that when you're hosting people you look at your home through new eyes? Suddenly that picture seems crooked, or the sideboard is cluttered. This process helps you to also treat yourself well in your home.

People often speak of self care–the way you dress and groom–being part of mental health, but so is the way you care for your immediate surroundings. Wouldn't it be nice to see your home as more than a place to work and sleep?

The way you feel in your home changes after you've had company. Not only are you invigorated for work afterwards because of the conversation, but also the way you view your space has changed for the better.