History Main / CatharticChores

When angered, the characters receive energy boost and they might finish their chores quite soon. Sometimes however if they are absolutely furious, they might be so vigorous in their effort that they happen to smash the things they are supposed to clean or organize. For example, if they start putting stuff in the dishwasher, they must be careful not to slam cups, glasses or plates too hard because these might break easily. If they are stressed and suffer from anxiety, routine and repetitive movements can offer some relief and help a great deal.

In best circumstances, cleaning, organising and finishing their chores help the stressed characters. Their anger or stress level gradually diminishes or disappears entirely. Best case scenario: they're so satisfied with the clean kitchen or yard work done that they don't remember what angered or stressed them in the first place. The fact that their chores are done might help to calm them down and make them actually feel better. However, if the cause of their problems is still on, they might get angry or anxious again pretty soon.

Related to CopeByCreating and PercussiveTherapy. Closely related to DistressedWoodchopping. It can overlap with LookingBusy if they choose to do chores that are not actually needed -- things like washing clean things or scrubbing things senselessly over and over.

* Anakin Skywalker from the ''Franchise/StarWars'' franchise finds comfort in mechanics and repair work. In ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'', Senator Padme offers some lunch to padawan Anakin in the Lars's garage, where he's repairing a broken shifter. "Life seems so much simpler when I'm fixing things," he notes. Once he sets the wrench down, it begins an exposition on how tormented and wracked his spirit is.

%% The list of examples hase been alphabetised. Please put any new examples accordingly.

A good thing to do when characters in fiction need to vent their frustration or relieve stress is to actually do something useful. Their home -- be it a house or flat -- and their yard, garage or garden offer countless possibilities. They can beat carpets, vacuum, polish windows or mirrors in angry rapid movements, chop vegetables, wash up, clean the bathroom or scrub the floors spotless. They can weed or hoe their flower beds, prune their plants or sweep the yard.

* Jim Hawkins from ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' finds himself assigned as "cabin boy" aboard the ''[=RLS Legacy=]'', a position no better than busser at his mother's Benbow Inn. One job that the bullish Mister Silver dumps on Jim is cleaning the galley's huge backlog of uncleaned cookware and tableware. With a dour pout, Jim sets to work on a stewpot. Hours later, Silver comes to check on Jim, and finds him dozing over a stewpot. Silver then sees all his cookware gleaming and organized, which elicits a fatherly smile from the galley chief. Jim might be a malcontent firebrand, but he's definitely no slacker.

* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'': In "Home is where the Heart Attack is", Carlton, after hearing that his father had a heart attack and is now in the hospital, obsessively cleans the kitchen to avoid having to see him in such a vulnerable state.

* ''Series/YoungSheldon'': Sheldon cleans and arranges stuff whenever he gets upset, for example he's cleaning the house when his parents won't let him go to Huston with his friends. This seems to explain why he's so obsessed with cleaning in the [[Series/TheBigBangTheory parent series]].

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Gideon's mother uses this technique to not draw attention to herself. She's anxious, stressed out and terrified of the kid because her son literally wants to take over the world. Just keep vacuumin' is her MadnessMantra.

* In the first chapter of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', Kaede, waiting in a classroom to see if her plan to capture the BigBad has worked or not, becomes so anxious that she grabs a broom and starts sweeping the whole room.

* British series ''Next of Kin'', when Maggie Prentice is attempting to quell her bitter granddaughter Georgia's depression, she suggests a tactic her grandfather offered up in her youth..."have a good wash and polish your shoes". She mentions its works; she had the shiniest shoes in the whole family. The episode is unique in that its the first occasion Georgia embraces Maggie.

** When Bakugo and Midoriya are assigned to clean the dorms, Bakugo screams at everyone to give him their trash and is incensed when he discovers that they all have huge bags of it to throw out. Mineta then teases Bakugo for leaving a windowsill dusty, prompting him to scream at Midoriya for not cleaning properly. Bakugo he is also pissed because Midoriya went around one day before asking for the others to give him the trash and nobody gave him anything.

A good thing to do when characters in fiction need to vent their frustration or relieve stress is to actually do something useful. Their home -- be it a house or flat --- and their yard, garage or garden offer countless possibilities. They can beat carpets, vacuum, polish windows or mirrors in angry rapid movements, chop vegetables, wash up, clean the bathroom or scrub the floors spotless. They can weed or hoe their flower beds, prune their plants or sweep the yard.

->''"You know what I did when Pete died? Polished silver. Three nights straight, till daybreak - over and over and over."''
-->-- '''Vivian Dimitri''', ''Series/{{Columbo}}'', [[Recap/ColumboS09E04 "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo"]]

A good thing to do when characters in fiction need to vent their frustration or relieve stress is to actually do something useful. Their home - be it a house or flat - and their yard, garage or garden offer countless possibilities. They can beat carpets, vacuum, polish windows or mirrors in angry rapid movements, chop vegetables, wash up, clean the bathroom or scrub the floors spotless. They can weed or hoe their flower beds, prune their plants or sweep the yard.

* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'', [[Recap/ColumboS09E04 "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo"]]: After Mrs. Columbo's funeral, Columbo says he spent five hours cleaning their place, even though it hadn't been needed as his wife was a very tidy person. He was going crazy and started washing even the walls. Vivian, the woman he investigates who's visiting his house, is sympathetic and claims she kept polishing silver over and over when her husband Pete died. It's not clear if she was honest because she's the murderess and she's trying to play Columbo. (She killed Charlie because he had ratted Pete which had put him (Pete) in jail, but Pete did in fact die.) Columbo is definitely bullshitting her though: Mrs. Columbo is alive.

--> '''Gideon's mother:''' Just keep vacuumin', just keep vacuumin'...

* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'', [[Recap/ColumboS09E04 "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo"]]: After Mrs. Columbo's funeral, Columbo says he spent five hours cleaning their place, even though it hadn't been needed as his wife wad a very tidy person. He was going crazy and started washing their house, even the walls. Vivian, the woman he investigates who's visiting his house, is sympathetic and claims she kept polishing silver over and over when her husband Pete died. It's not clear if she was honest because she's the murderess and she's trying to play Columbo. (She killed Charlie because he had ratted Pete which had put him (Pete) in jail, but Pete did in fact die.) Columbo is definitely bullshitting her though: Mrs. Columbo is alive.

* ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'': Pacha's wife, Chica, is so furious at hearing about how Emperor Kuzco brushed her husband's concerns aside that she descends into {{Angrish}} before saying "I gotta go wash something."
* Jim Hawkins from ''Disney/TreasurePlanet'' finds himself assigned as "cabin boy" aboard the ''[=RLS Legacy=]'', a position no better than busser at his mother's Benbow Inn. One job that the bullish Mister Silver dumps on Jim is cleaning the galley's huge backlog of uncleaned cookware and tableware. With a dour pout, Jim sets to work on a stewpot. Hours later, Silver comes to check on Jim, and finds him dozing over a stewpot. Silver then sees all his cookware gleaming and organized, which elicits a fatherly smile from the galley chief. Jim might be a malcontent firebrand, but he's definitely no slacker.

** ''Discworld/WyrdSisters'': When Granny Weatherwax is stressed about the danger the kingdom is in. "It is at times like this that the mind finds the oddest jobs to do in order to avoid its primary purpose, i.e. thinking about things. If anyone had been watching they would have been amazed at the sheer dedication with which Granny tackled such tasks as cleaning the teapot stand, rooting ancient nuts out of the fruit bowl on the dresser, and levering fossilised bread crusts out of the cracks in the flagstones with the back of a teaspoon."
** ''Discworld/TheShepherdsCrown'' has two principal characters doing cleaning as displacement activity.

* One episode of ''Series/Letterkenny'' has Wayne doing non-stop farm work (and running everyone else ragged in the process) to distract himself from a breakup.

* One episode of ''{{Letterkenny}}'' has Wayne doing non-stop farm work (and running everyone else ragged in the process) to distract himself from a breakup.

Related to CopeByCreating and PercussiveTherapy. It can overlap with LookingBusy if they choose to do chores that are not actually needed -- things like washing clean things or scrubbing things senselessly over and over.

** ''Discworld/WyrdSisters'': "It is at times like this that the mind finds the oddest jobs to do in order to avoid its primary purpose, i.e. thinking about things. If anyone had been watching they would have been amazed at the sheer dedication with which Granny tackled such tasks as cleaning the teapot stand, rooting ancient nuts out of the fruit bowl on the dresser, and levering fossilised bread crusts out of the cracks in the flagstones with the back of a teaspoon."

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

-->'''Will:''' Carlton, what's the matter with you, man? Y-Your father just had a heart attack...
-->'''Carlton:''' You don't know that! It could be acute indigestion! Even doctors have made that mistake! Does that window look smudged to you?
-->'''Will:''' Carlton, you're going down to that hospital if I have to knock you out and call an ambulance!
-->'''Carlton:''' ''(holds up a trigger bottle)'' You come near me, I'll spray!

-->'''Gretchen''': ''(happily)'' You know vhat your Tante Gretchen does vhen she feels bad? She vorks. She vorks herself to ze point where her body screams in pain and her soul begs for mercy!
-->'''Dewey''': Why?
-->'''Gretchen''': It's ze best form of penance. Vhen my fingers are raw and my back is racked vith crippling pain, I feel all better!

[[folder:Web Video]]

--> '''Gideon's mother''': Just keep vacuumin', just keep vacuumin'...