How Home Organising Can Improve Your Mental Health

Mental Health Awareness Month is the perfect time to consider how an organised home can support your wellbeing

You might not realise it, but the piles of paper, overflowing wardrobes and cluttered surfaces don’t just frustrate you and waste your time —they can affect your mental health. Research shows that our physical environment can have a direct impact on our emotional wellbeing.

But the good news is; creating a more organised home doesn’t have to be overwhelming—and the benefits are worth it.

The Science Behind Clutter and Stress

Clutter doesn’t just make it harder to find things – it changes how we feel. Studies show that a cluttered environment can lead to increased levels of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress.

Researchers at UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families found that women who described their homes as “cluttered” experienced elevated cortisol levels. Interestingly, men in the same study made no mention of and were not affected by the state of the spaces.

A Princeton University study discovered that physical clutter competes for our attention, reducing performance and increasing stress. In essence, our brain is not good at blocking out clutter as objects compete for our attention. The mess around us makes it harder for our brains to filter out the distractions, causes fatigue over time and makes it difficult to function effectively.

So when we create order in our environment, our brain no longer needs to work overtime just to function. Less clutter means greater calm, clarity, and mental energy.

Why Decluttering Feels Emotionally Lighter

Many of my clients tell me that they feel a sense of emotional release after decluttering – ‘like a weight has been lifted’. That’s because our belongings often carry emotional weight. They may remind us of unfinished tasks, unresolved decisions, or even personal loss.

Decluttering is more than just throwing things away—it’s about making peace with what we no longer serves us and giving ourselves permission to let go. That emotional shift creates real relief.

The physical act of organising and making decisions about what to keep often sparks a sense of accomplishment. these actions help build build confidence and lift your mood. Clearing space in your home clears space in your mind too.

“Laura helped me to think straight as we tackled my kitchen together. Her clear mind stopped me getting caught up in the indecisions about what to do with the dreaded ‘stuff’.” — Harriet Hanmer

The Power of Organising and Creating Order

Decluttering is just the beginning. Once you clear the excess, home organising brings lasting results by creating systems that make it easier to find, use, and put away your belongings.

When you assign a home for every item and develop clear routines, you reduce daily decision fatigue. Fewer choices mean less visual clutter and less mental effort, freeing up brainpower for more important things.

An organised home promotes calm. You stop wasting energy looking for things or battling chaos. Instead, your environment supports you. It helps your day flow more smoothly and brings a sense of structure and stability.

Organising gives you back control. It reduces stress, sharpens your focus, and fosters a calmer, more positive mindset. That’s why it’s such a powerful support for your mental wellbeing.

The Benefits of Home Organising:

Efficiency – you can find what you need when you need it
Save time – you don’t have to waste time looking for things or moving things out of the way to get things done. You also have less stuff to tidy up, clean, maintain…
Save money – no need to buy duplicates of the things you can’t find!
Reduce decision fatigue as you don’t have to make as many decisions
Reduce stress and guilt caused by your stuff
Improved focus – you have less visual distraction and less unfinished business
Calmer, positive environment – has a positive effect on your mood and mindset
More confidence – in your ability to cope with your priorities

A Calmer Home for a Calmer Mind

Home organising isn’t just about having a tidy house—it’s a form of self-care that can have a significant impact on your mental health. When you clear clutter and set up systems to make life easier, you create a space that helps you feel calmer, more in control, and supported by your surroundings. When your home works for you, your mind can rest.

If you’re looking to take the next step, here are some other blog posts you might enjoy:

Each one offers practical tips and gentle encouragement to help you move forward—at your own pace.

Are You Ready to Feel Calmer at Home?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your space or unsure where to start, I’d love to help. Whether you’re tackling a single room or your whole home, we can work together to create order and calm that lasts.

Book your free Enquiry Call today and take the first step toward a more peaceful home and mind.

Five Clever Ways to Let go of Unwanted Possessions with Ease

Many of my clients find it challenging to release the possessions that they no longer use or love, so this guest blog by Anna, from Anna Finn Wellbeing, introduces us to 5 strategies that can help us let go of possessions with ease.

We often consider letting go of items we no longer use only when we become acutely aware of the negative effects of owning too many items.

We may feel:

Overwhelmed
Unable to make even simple decisions
Being cross and over-critical with ourselves

And more.

It may even be the case that we do not recognise those symptoms, but those around us do, and their remarks about our negativity may add to the stress as well.

We may be told to ‘Just get rid of this!’, but even thinking about it can seem stressful to us, no matter how much we try and figure out how to be at peace with letting go. It may even result in shedding some tears as we struggle to control our emotional state.

But it really does not have to be this way.

Our brains can be clever at prioritising when there is a beneficial perspective presented to us, and so we can take advantage of that.

Let’s take a look at 5 different ways to release items with ease

1. Picture the space easy to navigate through

Visualise the space as you wish to have it. Imagine yourself there, using the space with ease.

You may be pleasantly surprised to realise that you have wished to have that kind of space for a long time and achieving it could mean a lot to you and others

2. Imagine the area oozing with the ambience of ease

This could be a true winner, as getting in touch with positive feelings about an action can also result in you feeling good about yourself.

3. Daydream about being proud of yourself for achieving what you hadn’t achieved in a while

Our brains do not recognise the difference between actual and imagined reality. We daydream a lot when we are kids and reconnecting with this fun and relaxing activity could bring you a sense of enjoyment back into your life

4. Utilise your aspiration to help others

We often automatically wish to be kind to others, sometimes even without thinking.

Utilising this learnt responsibility in order to help ourselves at times when we are struggling to do something can free us from feeling too uncomfortable to take action.

So, if it is easier to think that giving away pieces of clothes or furniture, or anything else you have not used for a long time, this may help you let go of those items with greater ease.

5. Give yourself permission to invite newness into your life

Living with a sense of wanting to maintain sameness in our lives can be stifling.

It has been proven that our brains benefit from a balance of both familiarity and variety, as it can contribute to keeping our outlook fresh in our everyday life.

So, if you give yourself permission to feel good about owning something new that could replace several old items, this could not only override the negative feeling of letting go but actually bring joy of the newness that you would invite into your world.

Taking many big actions towards letting go of things we have owned for a long time can feel overwhelming. But if you utilise the above clever ways to take small steps in the direction of inviting more ease into your life this could help you on many levels. It could not only help you start to feel proud of yourself, but also potentially find yourself be complimented for your fresh attitude by others.

Anna Finn is a coach and therapist who helps people struggling with stress and overwhelm.

She teaches practical tools and empowers people to find calm and move forward with confidence. Anna is available for online and in-person sessions at her clinics in Beeston, Nottingham and Ashby De La Zouch, Leicestershire.

If you’d like to hear more from Anna she is currently offering a complimentary relaxation recording when you sign-up here to receive her regular emails.

You might also be interested in reading Can Decluttering be Good for Your Mental Health?

Your Self-Care Roadmap out of Lockdown

As we approach the end of the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown measures, support your wellbeing with these self care ideas.

We don’t need to be told that it has been over a year since the pandemic changed all our lives. As we approach the end of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown measures, many people are finding this final hurdle the most difficult. Have we lost our social skills? Will people ever shake hands again? Will we feel ever comfortable in a crowd again?

Are you exhausted and overwhelmed every day, struggling to be motivated or experience enthusiasm about anything? Do you find it hard to get in touch with friends and family because you feel you have nothing to say? You are not alone.

These months of anxiety, stress, and big changes to our lives and to our routines have had a big impact on our mental health. As we emerge into a new normality we need to be kind to ourselves. Here are some scientifically proven tips, that can help you navigate the gradual steps back to normality and improve your mood and wellbeing.

We need to allow moments that “spark joy” as Marie Kondo would say. This doesn’t need to be expensive or elaborate. For instance, it can just be rushing outside when the sun is shining and having a mindful cuppa without looking at your phone. Do more of what you love. If you love reading read a chapter of a book instead of just scrolling. Listen to a short podcast. Have a game of snap or scrabble with the children. Give yourself a healthy treat.

Start Some Healthy Self Care Habits

Make new routines for your wellbeing – if you think you don’t have time for it, you will soon have to make time for being ill. Little bits of time every day go a long way to make you feel a lot better.

Sleep

1. Avoid Stimulation Before Bedtime

Create a ritual at night to help get you into a relaxed state: what can you do to wind down for the last hour?
Avoid screens for at least 2 hours prior to going to bed (the blue light emitted from screens can disturb your sleep patterns)

2. Enjoy a Hot and Cold Shower or a Bath

A bath or shower before bed is a great way to relax your body. Try to rinse with alternating hot and cold water, which is especially beneficial.
This is a pump for your lymphatic system and expands and contracts your blood vessels which brings your awareness, consciousness and all your energy into your body and out of your mind.

3. Stretch Your Body

Perform a mild stretch before bed. Try getting into child’s pose: Kneel on the floor with your toes together and your knees hip-width apart. Rest your palms on top of your thighs. On an exhale, lower your torso between your knees. Extend your arms alongside your torso with your palms facing down. Relax your shoulders toward the surface you’re kneeling on. Stay in this pose for about 20 seconds to a minute and just focus on your breathing.

Your Self Care Roadmap out of Lockdown Blog. Start some health self care habits - Sleep

4. Listen to Sam’s “Help with insomnia” mp3

“Help with Insomnia” uses progressive relaxation and powerful hypnotic suggestions to focus the mind on the body instead of that spiral of thoughts.

A bedtime routine of listening to the MP3 can be started and our mind soon recognises and enjoys this and then falling asleep is expected.
The recording can also be used on waking in the middle of the night to aid the quick return to peaceful sleep.

Lie down on your bed and listen to this evening visualisation because it’s specifically designed to put you into the state of deep sleep. You don’t have to listen to what it’s saying, you can tune out and let your subconscious listen.

Do a kind thing

Doing something nice for someone else can help reduce anxiety and make you feel happier. Of course it’s also simply the right thing to do. A small compliment can make someone’s day, start a new friendship, or just make the world a better, kinder place.

It’s easy to underestimate the impact kind words or the effect kind actions can have on people and yourself. Some ideas here are random acts of kindness, volunteering (you can do this online, if you are shielding) or checking in on your neighbours.

Meditate

Find a style that suits you and do at least 10 minutes a day. You could try mindfulness as it brings you into the present without any wish to change anything (ideal at the moment). An easy way to start is to download Sam’s 3-minute breathing space.

Exercise

Find something you love doing or you won’t keep it up! You might enjoy running, dancing, walking the dog or just walking around town. Maybe yoga is your cup of tea?

Communicate

Talk to friends, colleagues, family or get help from a professional. Do NOT keep your feelings bottled up, we all need to release them, and the best way is to talk to someone you trust.

How the Live Well Practice can help

Nine Quick Declutter Tasks to Improve Your Wellbeing

Have you ever noticed how a quick declutter feels so good?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Donna Alos on BBC Radio Derby yesterday morning. I shared some ideas to help you get started with some feel-good decluttering activities.

I was only on for a few minutes, so you may not have heard it, but I didn’t want you to miss out.

Whether you refer to it as clutter or not, most of us have a collection of things lying about in an untidy state somewhere in our home. We have an overabundance of possessions, that can create disorder and a chaotic environment.

Have you ever been bothered by clutter?

If you’ve been frustrated at not being able to find the things you need; distracted or unable to relax because the things around you; you’ll know how it can niggle and even cause you stress. It can affect your mood, and how you feel about yourself and your home.

Recent research by my follow APDO colleague, Caroline Rogers, has found that there is an association between clutter and wellbeing. Caroline says that clutter is subjective; how much we have isn’t important, it’s how we feel about it that is.

Declutter to improve your wellbeing Cutlery Drawer example, Before and After

Taking steps to address your clutter can feel great.

You don’t have to have a huge declutter to feel the benefits. Creating order, even a little, can make you feel fantastic and like a weight has been lifted.

Here are some examples of the small tasks to help you feel fabulous.

sort out your cutlery drawer
review your cook books
tidy your underwear drawer
sort the odd cables box
review your DVD collection
sort out your make-up
look through the bathroom cabinet
tidy up your bedside table
sort through desk drawer

And if you have larger tasks to do but they feel a bit overwhelming; break them down into smaller activities; race the boiling kettle; work in 25 minute chunks; sort a drawer, box or shelf at a time; or make a list of the tasks that need to be done and complete the first one.

Do a little each day and it will soon add up, I promise!

What is your surface clutter trying to tell you?

Routine - it could be that the household needs to become a little more disciplined and get into the habit of removing things to their 'homes' on a regular basis
New home - Or it may be that these items are attracted to that spot because it is the most appropriate place for them, so assign a new more convenient 'home' for each item in this room
Suitable storage - hang whatever you can and use pots, drawers or appropriately sized containers for anything else
1. You may store items together (i.e. all the things I want to take out with me regularly - ear phones, glasses, keys, lip balm, purse)
2. or in categories (all sunglasses in one spot)
3. you may store by family member e.g. child's shoes in one box
4. you might store according to season if needed- e.g. store summer hats, sunglasses in one box and winter gloves and hats in another. (If there is not enough space in the location, you could assign an out of the way location and swap these out periodically)
5. label containers if you can't see the contents

Category: Mental Health