Clutter & Mental Health
“Clutter signals to our brain that our work is never done and creates guilt, anxiety, and the feeling of being overwhelmed.” - Psychology Today
Let’s talk about the connection between clutter and mental health.
It may not be a surprise to anyone who has any clutter in their home or in their mind, but recent psychology studies confirmed that:
Clutter can be linked to increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
People who are embarrassed of their clutter will stop inviting others over to their house which can lead to isolation and depression.
A cluttered environment can make it harder for your brain to focus. It can be especially tough for people with ADHD.
Living in a disorganized home environment is linked with lower academic performance and behavioral problems in teens and adolescents.
So, why can’t we just tackle the mess and move on? Well, once a space becomes too cluttered, the idea of fixing it may become too daunting.
A gentle way to make this more manageable is to break the process into smaller tasks so it is not overwhelming.
So, what do I mean by a “smaller” task? Well, it depends on what someone can handle. For one person, that could mean organizing just the closet instead of their whole bedroom. For another, it could mean just tackling the hanging clothes in the closet. For another, just the dresses.
Please, please, please don’t get caught up in those picture-perfect spaces you see on social media - just make a plan that will work for you and your space that is made up of achievable goals.
If you are looking for some more inspiration, here are some of my favorite books:
The Real Simple Method to Organizing
Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff by Matt Paxton
Outer Order Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin
“There are hundreds of paths up the mountain, all leading to the same place, so it doesn’t matter which part you take. The only person wasting time is the one who runs around the mountain, telling everyone that his or her path is wrong.” - Hindu Proverb
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