I believe that removing clutter from your home is good for your mental health, even if you don’t have that much.
Google says clutter is ‘a collection of things lying about in an untidy state’. Interestingly we’ve used this term increasingly over the last fifty years.
If you’ve ever found yourself getting frustrated at the possessions lying around your home, been unable to concentrate on a task when surrounded by stuff piled on surfaces, or if you’ve tried to read a book, mediate or have a quiet cup of tea but couldn’t relax until you’d zipped round and tidied up everything first, then you’ve been affected by clutter.
Research published in 2011 in the Journal of Neuroscience found that clutter means we have too many stimuli in our environment, which can make it hard to focus.
Humans are innately organised but we all have different styles that determine how we feel about clutter. Clutter can cause stress and lower self-image. It can cause anxiety about how and when we will be able to regain control or how others will perceive us. It can also take us longer to finish simple tasks making us feel incompetent.
According to a Lovespace survey:
a whopping 80% of people in the UK admit their mood is influenced by the state of their house with a less cluttered living space making people much happier!
The good news is, we can maintain a less cluttered home by sorting our things regularly and being more conscious of what we bring into our home.
A good decluttering session can feel quite therapeutic because it:
- Creates a sense of confidence as we use our decision-making and problem-solving skills
- Creates order and control – we only keep the things we need and have the space to organise them
- Gives you feelings of gratitude and abundance – you might find lost things, forgotten treasures, things you can sell or give away. All of which makes you feel that you’ve gained or can benefit others
- It can lift the weight of guilt, the feeling that things are left incomplete, makes us feel lighter, freer, calmer and leaves us with a renewed sense of ‘home’
Here are five ideas for maintaining a less cluttered home:
- Keep a bag in the boot of your car for charity donations. As you come across something that is no longer needed, pop it in the bag. When it’s full, drop it off at your nearest charity shop
- Practice the 1 in 1 out rule – anything new coming into the home has to be exchanged from something that you no longer need or love
- Treat pending school holidays, birthdays and Christmas as good opportunities to sort out possessions that can be passed on for others to enjoy
- Engage the rest of the household in the benefits of decluttering their own things (they will know where to find what they want and they may even make some money selling old things)
- Focus on tackling one room and rotate rooms over the year
So what are waiting for… rally your household, pick a room, put some music on and go for it!
About OrganisedWell
Would you like help getting organised?
If you need guidance, ideas and practical support to make more of your home, organise your possessions in a way that supports your best life or to get started with your decluttering project, then give me a call.
I provide tailored advice and practical support to clients looking to make changes, to create calm, ordered space and free up time and money to focus on the important things in life. I specialise in organising rooms, garages, wardrobes, paperwork and much more; see my services or get in touch.
