Our home should leave us feeling relaxed, at peace, and comfortable. But frequently when we arrive home, we feel just the opposite. There’s no denying that clutter can be a real problem. It seems to creep up on us without warning. One day we’re feeling organized and on top of things, and then BAM! The next thing we know, our home is overrun with toys, clothes, shoes and more. And it doesn’t just affect our home — it affects our minds too! I know it’s hard to believe, but clutter can impact your mental health. That’s why I created the free 30-Day Declutter Challenge which you can download here.
A messy space means having a messy mind. When you’re stressed out about something like clutter, it’s hard to think clearly or focus on anything else in your life. That’s because there’s so much going on in your head that it’s hard to concentrate on anything else. Clutter makes you feel like you don’t have control over your environment, which can make you feel powerless.
Clutter can also make it difficult to focus on what matters most because it creates a lot of visual noise in our homes and offices. When we live with too much stuff, we feel like we don’t have enough space for ourselves or other people in our lives — including family members, friends or even pets!
The physical clutter in your home can have a negative impact on your mental health. Clutter can cause feelings of stress, anxiety, and irritability.
Clutter can make you feel overwhelmed. If you’re constantly trying to keep up with your stuff, then it’s easy for that clutter to build up into a huge mess. That mess can make you feel like there’s no end in sight until you finally get everything under control. The more stuff that piles up, the more overwhelming it becomes and that feeling of overwhelm can have negative effects on both your physical and mental health.
When your home is cluttered, it can also be stressful, especially if you have trouble finding things when they’re needed or you come home to a mess after a long, stressful day at work. When your environment is chaotic because there are too many things lying around, it can affect how you feel on an emotional level as well as physically.
Clutter can affect your mental health by heightening your anxiety, making it difficult to relax and unwind after a long day at work or school. Instead of being able to sit back and relax, you may feel like there are piles of clutter that need to be dealt with before you can relax. The anxiety can cause you to feel short of breath, irritable, and unable to focus on other things which is why it’s so important to declutter your home. Download your free 30-day declutter challenge to declutter your home and your mind.
The Benefits of Decluttering:
Decluttering can help reduce stress by helping to remove this feeling of “stuff” weighing down on you and allows you to focus on the things that really matter. When you start to clear out clutter, you’ll feel more relaxed and less overwhelmed. Decluttering helps us reclaim some of that lost space so we can use it more effectively.
When your home is decluttered and organized, you ultimately feel more peaceful, calm, and in control. You will also decrease or even eliminate that never ending to-do list. To get started with decluttering your home get your free declutter challenge or if you need some extra support, you can join my 1:1 Decluttering Mentorship.
Decluttering Mindset Blocks:
There are some common reasons you may be resisting decluttering. These mindset blocks can get in the way of having an organized and comfortable home. Some common mindset blocks when it comes to decluttering include:
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- The item was a gift
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- The item was given to you by someone that has since passed away
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- It’s too nice to use
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- The item holds sentimental value
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- Memories
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- I don’t want to lose or break it
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- What if I need it some day?
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- Keeping items “just in case”
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- The item was expensive
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- Guilt
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- Lack of time
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- Lack of energy
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- Feeling of comfort with lots of stuff
Decluttering Mindset Shifts:
Objects do not equal memories. So often we keep things for sentimental reasons but your love and memories are not tied to physical objects. Keep what is special but it’s ok to let go of items and not feel guilt over it.
You don’t need to keep every gift ever given to you. We tend to hang onto things that were gifted to us longer than we want due to guilt. Giving an item away does not mean you didn’t appreciate the gift or the thought and it doesn’t mean you don’t love the person that gave you the gift.
Less is more. The less we have, the more you are able to appreciate the items in your home.
You might need this one day- but you might not: Let go of items you have kept for years “just in case” you may need it one day. If you haven’t used it in the last 6 months, you likely won’t need it for some time.
Once you shift your mindset about decluttering your space, you can practice decluttering little by little. The good news is that there are ways to declutter your life without the stress. You can declutter your home easily and efficiently with the 30-day declutter challenge or join my Decluttering Mentorship.
Tips to Declutter:
If you’re looking to declutter your home and improve your mental health, here are some tips to get you started:
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- Start with the easy, least time and energy consuming sections of your home. Something easy such as a cabinet or the bathroom. Leave more difficult areas last like sentimental items or your garage.
- Break it down by section
- Begin in one small room and section.
- Don’t move on until one section is complete.
- Get rid of anything that doesn’t bring you joy or makes you feel good when you look at it – whether that’s clothing, knick-knacks, or even furniture items like lamps or bookshelves. If they aren’t serving their true purpose or they’re just taking up space, get rid of them.
- Ask yourself if you really need something before buying it and if it will truly add value in your life
- Make sure every item in your home has a place – whether it’s hanging up clothes right after they come out of the dryer or creating a space for those hard to put away items that always end up on your counter.
- For every item that enters your home, let go of one item.
- Once you are done decluttering go through everything one more time.
If you are ready to embark on your decluttering journey but don’t know where to start, check out the links below for more support. You can download your free printable 30-Day Declutter Challenge. This PDF has an actionable activity you can work on each day. If you are feeling overwhelmed and need even more support, sign up for my Decluttering Mentorship. In this mentorship, I will help you to declutter your home by taking you through my proven decluttering process. This process gets results but more importantly, I will take you through this process with ease to prevent overwhelm.