Mental Health
MENTAL HEALTH BREAK.
Be still, look around your room right now, and take a deep breath. Do you feel calm and clear in your space, or is it more like…overwhelm, panic, irritability, hopelessness? YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Clutter creates increased cortisol levels (stress). Cortisol can literally cause structural changes to our brain, creating long-term sensitivity to stress. So over time, we become aggressively more sensitive to stress.
Tidy homes are typically socially viewed as an indication of “having it together” (especially for women —which is total BS because it’s a neutral care task [more on that later]). Cluttered environments can result in feelings of low self-worth and disorganized homes are linked to depression.
The shame and inadequacy associated with a cluttered environment often leads to isolation and lowered confidence.
Clutter causes our brains to shift into multitasking mode–which thwarts focus. Juggling your thoughts significantly increases the amount of time taken to complete tasks and decreases productivity and efficiency.
Visual clutter is distracting; it competes for your brain resources, prevents focus, and limits processing power. People with ADD or ADHD often find clutter mentally debilitating.
According to the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, noisy, crowded homes lacking routines decrease children’s ability to regulate emotions and behavior and provide children with opportunities to act out.
Our environment affects our energy and vice versa. The psychological effects of clutter can cause apathy in response to the overwhelm which can lead to feelings of defeat presenting as numbing behaviors (overeating, binge watching TV or video games, excessive spending, etc).
Cluttered environments increase the rate of insomnia, which leads to poor hormone regulation. Clutter itself is often the catalyst to anxiety or depression. Having items or collections of things in your home that evoke stress, anger, and sadness can perpetuate the depression or anxiety.
Learn how a professional organizer like me can help you release the emotional heaviness of clutter (by literally hauling away) AND claim your deserved peace of mind for an organized home. Don’t let the depression hold you back, depression is a liar and you can do this, I can help!
Source: https://miadanielle.com/psychological-effects-of-clutter/ (a *great* read!)