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I am undergoing a rigorous "spring cleaning" exercise, where I am either donating to charity, selling on eBay or simply throwing away old possessions.

Having cleared out an entire room that was filled with boxes it felt "good" / satisfying or perhaps gave me a sense of well-being that wasn't present before.

Is there a word or phrase that describes this? other than "feels good" ?

Thanks!

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    "Exhaustion" is the word I use.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 14:07
  • If you want to emphasize the merit aspect, you may say "I look with pride at what I accomplished on that occasion".
    – Graffito
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 14:23
  • Some people would say you're feeling a sense of catharsis.
    – TimR
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 15:31
  • Hilgara, HotLicks is being amusing.
    – deadrat
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 20:36
  • @TimRomano A catharsis is a release of emotion. That might feel "good" or give a sense of "well-being," but not necessarily.
    – deadrat
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 20:38

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Someone might derive gratification from a rigorous spring cleaning exercise.

"a state of being satisfied"

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I will go with, sense of accomplishment. Ngram

Doing yard work or going on a spring-cleaning binge around the house gives you a sense of accomplishment. GPRX to Depression and Anxiety

FEEL A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

To "feel a sense of accomplishment" means to feel like you've achieved something great. Here are some events that might make you feel a sense of accomplishment:

winning a sports tournament

getting a really good job

doing your taxes two months early

In order to "have a sense of accomplishment", you need to do some work first. If you won a lottery, you would feel great, but you probably wouldn't feel a sense of accomplishment. PhraseMix

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I've heard catharsis used to indicate the psychological benefit of venting repressed emotions, such as anger and frustration, through some physical exertion, particularly cleaning. The idea is to purge the psychological trash with the physical.

the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.

Dictionary.com: catharsis

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  • Cathersis (purgation / purification) is a Greek word used since the time of Aristotle to mean the effect of a tragedy on the audience. From the sufferings of a tragic hero the audience feel all along a kind of progression and regression which ends in cathersis: CALM OF MIND ALL PASSIONS SPENT. Cathersis seems to me inappropriate in the present scenario.
    – Barid Baran Acharya
    Commented Dec 1, 2015 at 5:11
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fulfilment? That does suggest a finality, either because you were expecting a result or because it's been an ambition.

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It's an achievement, so I might feel that I achieved something or that I have a sense of achievement.

Achievement:

something accomplished, as through great effort, skill, perseverance, or courage. (Random House)

Achieve:

We have achieved what we set out to do. (MacMillan)

Sense of achievement:

It was hard work, but the sense of achievement is huge. (MacMillan)

Even a small success gives you a sense of achievement (= a feeling of pride). (Oxford Learner's Dictionary)

Note that this last example calls out the "feeling of pride" that is communicated by this phrase.

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We may use the term, "CONTENTED" or its noun form,"CONTENTMENT". This single word request reminds us the well known story of a house owner who put up a notice board that the house would be given to one who was contented.In reality, he had no intention of giving the house,rather to drive home the underlying truth of his notice: who in the world would turn up if "CONTENTED"!

To mean this'fulness' or 'wholeness' of heart, words like " complacence", "gratification", "satiety" or even "accomplishment" could be tried.

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