Welcome to the first post in the series Living a Clutter-Free Life. In this blog post I wanted to share how having a cluttered and messy house can have a negative impact on our mental health.
A cluttered space -be it our bedroom, office, kitchen or any other room- can make someone feel unmotivated, overwhelmed and sometimes like a complete failure for not being able to keep their life together. And once a person starts living in a messy space they tend to settle in and become accustomed to it, thus leaving things in chaos and not doing anything about it. All this clutter makes them anxious and depressed and this anxiety and depression keeps them from cleaning the mess. And it goes on and on like a wheel.
Sometimes it can get so overwhelming and feel like it’s never going to get better. But remember a house is a place of living, not of storage. We all deserve to live in a nice, clean and organized environment.
Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.
-William Morris-
Have you ever heard that saying “clutter attracts clutter”? Maybe it’s not a popular one, but it really is true. The more mess and clutter you have, the longer you are willing to put up with it and see it as an okay thing for you to do.
People tend to accumulate things for different reasons. Maybe they’re impulsive buyers or get emotionally attached to things. They might even be holding onto things for sentimental reasons like holding onto memories of the past or they just can’t let go because they fear they’ll need something in the future and can’t bear to get rid of it, just in case. But whatever the reason for this mess, one thing is for sure: it’s having a negative effect on your energy, mood and outlook on life.
What clutter can do to your state of mind
Makes it more difficult for you to relax.
Makes you feel embarrassed of your house.
Causes you to feel guilty and ashamed.
Causes constant stress, thus affecting your brain health.
Puts you constantly on edge, exhibiting negative behaviors like anger, frustration or lack of focus.
Welcomes procrastination and poor decision making into your life.
Causes feelings of sadness, unfulfillment and in some cases depression.
Reduces mental focus causing difficulties in problem solving, memory retention, and concentration.
Makes you feel chronically tired.
Now that I’ve outlined the negative ramifications of clutter in mental health, it’s time for you to sit back, and with all the honesty in the world, take a careful look around your house. Do you see any rooms, closets, shelves, dressers or cabinets that are dirty, disorganized or pilled with items you don’t ever remember buying? Maybe take a look at the points mentioned in the list above and see if you feel that way about your own space. If you do, then it’s time for you to do some decluttering in your life.
At the end of this series I’ll be sharing strategies and tips on how to tackle the clutter in your life as well as a free e-book with steps, checklists and planning outlines to help and motivate you to get started and actually finish your decluttering project.
Thank you for reading this post. Stay tuned for the next post: How clutter affects your productivity. Let me know in the comments down below if you’re currently tackling clutter in your life or if you’ve successfully gotten rid of it. Like and share this post if you found it useful or think it can help someone else.
Until next time.
Gabriela Fernández
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