Clutter Takes an Unconscious Toll on Our Mental Health
Clutter in the home can have significant impacts on mental health across various dimensions. It often leads to increased stress and anxiety, creating a chaotic visual environment that makes it difficult to relax or concentrate. The overwhelming presence of clutter can contribute to feelings of helplessness and frustration, impairing cognitive function and reducing productivity. Addressing the clutter inside of homes and maintaining an organized living environment can thus be crucial for promoting mental health and enhancing your well-being in everyday life.
Image from Pinterest by Home Edit
Below are some possible issues related to clutter that have been studied by David Tolin in his article on Sciencedirect.com
Impairment of Living Spaces: Clutter resulting from compulsive hoarding can prevent normal activities within living spaces, suggesting a disruption of daily life and functionality. This can have a negative impact within households of however many members. Without being able to complete tasks as a result of clutter can be extremely harmful.
Distress and Impairment: Individuals affected by compulsive hoarding experience significant distress and impairment in functioning. This impairment extends beyond just physical spaces to mental and emotional well-being, affecting their ability to live a normal life. The accumulation of possessions can overwhelm living spaces, making them unusable for their intended purposes. This physical manifestation is just one aspect; hoarding also deeply affects mental and emotional well-being. The constant presence of clutter can lead to anxiety and stress, stemming from the inability to control or manage their surroundings effectively.
Lack of Awareness: There's a notable lack of awareness or insight into the severity of hoarding behaviors among those affected. These individuals may fail to recognize or acknowledge the extent to which their accumulating and saving behaviors disrupt their lives and those around them. This lack of insight can lead to resistance towards interventions and rationalization of their hoarding behavior, potentially exacerbating the mental health impact. It perpetuates the cycle of clutter and dysfunction, as individuals continue to accumulate possessions without understanding the implications for their living conditions, relationships, and overall well-being.
Picture from JAM Organizing in Wilmington NC
Here are some ways to help organize and decrease the amount of clutter in your home
Taking everything out of your closet(s) and reorganizing the items in a color coordinated way. This way you will have to go through each item while deciding on what you want to keep and which ones you want to discard.
Create one area in your home that will be known as a “clutter free zone” whether it be your kitchen, bedroom, or living room, it doesn’t matter. This can help you and your mental health by seeing at least one room in the house as a sanctuary from the clutter.
Setting specific goals and starting small can help decrease the feeling of being overwhelmed. Taking it one room at a time, with a clear goal in mind can help you feel confident in completing the task at hand. Rather than taking on the whole house and things getting even more messy!
Image from The Home Edit
I hope this can help declutter your own spaces and create better living environments for the future!