It has been scientifically proven that Clutter can lead to Anxiety.

I won’t bore you with scientific talk, mainly because if I talk about the different parts of your brain and how they interact, you’ll switch off. Plus i’m not a scientist and don’t understand all of the jargon myself.

What I will do, is explain why clutter makes you feel anxious.

Have you ever opened your inbox at work after a holiday to be greeted with 2000 unread emails, and you’d do anything you could to highlight the lot, and DELETE? I know that I have.

It’s the same when it comes to walking into a room full up with clothes that you haven’t put away because you’ll ‘get to it later’, opening the airing cupboard to towels tumbling out all over the floor, going to the boot of your car on your weekly food shop day, to be greeted with the 4 black bin bags of clothes and toys you were meant to drop off at the charity shop last week and forgot.

Clutter comes in all forms…Unanswered emails, bursting at the seams wardrobes and cupboards, paperwork all over the dining table, toys all over the living room and so much more.

It also comes in the form of digital, mental and emotional.

  • Do have 500 ‘Friends’ on Facebook, who if you see 75% of them on the high street, you’d put your head down or pretend to be on the phone?
  • A certain friend or family member who takes too much of your head space up and the thought of spending time with them at an event makes you feel like you’re on the verge of an anxiety attack?

Now, just for a moment, compare the 2 above examples to the room full of toys, or the wardrobe in your bedroom that you can’t bare to open. It’s the same part of the brain bringing on that anxiety. Overwhelm at dealing with too much ‘stuff’ or too many ’emotions’

  • Physical Clutter ‘Stuff’
  • Do you love it? – Keep it
  • Do you need it? Keep it
  • Do you use it? Keep it

Otherwise, It’s clutter, so let’s use the The Four Box Method

  • Keep – The things you love and use and make you feel happy and calm
  • Sell/Donate – The things that are no longer useful in your day to day life
  • Store away – Things that don’t use that regularly, but can’t be parted with – Try to make the best use of the storage space you have.
  • Throw – Broken, unwanted and unused

Digital Clutter

This will be your Friend’s list on social media. If you find that they don’t offer you any kind of value to your online experience, you’re not emotionally connected to them or they bore/offend you, Delete or Hide. Might sound harsh, but why not? In this day and age, we’re spending so much time on social media, so it’s the equivalent of ignoring a phone call from them (who uses the phone to talk to people these days?)

Digital clutter also includes your text messages, inbox, recent calls log, too many internet tabs open at any one time, too many apps on your phone – Anything that makes you feel anxious when you think about it… minimise it, delete it, downsize. The less you have to look at, the less overwhelmed you feel.

Emotional and Mental.

Now I can’t tell you to just cut someone out of your life, that is something you need to decide yourself. But if there is a person in your life who is cluttering up your Mind, then something needs to be done right? Whether it’s spending less time with them, ‘hiding’ them on social media to give yourself a break from them, or just not letting them have space in your head. This is a tough one, as it might be a close relative. But just take this advice. If they don’t add value to your life and they make you feel anxious do they really deserve to be in your life.

Surround yourself with people who add value, share similar beliefs and morals and people who teach you, respect you and you enjoy being with. This will de-clutter your mind immensely.

The Struggle is real

We struggle to get rid of clutter because we are emotionally connected to it, we’ve let it build up to the point that it feels too overwhelming to begin, or we just don’t have time to do it.

Start small and get bigger

Write a list of all of the things in your home/office that are cluttered and effect your state of mind. It might sound like a tiresome job to do, but even with the list in front of you, it’ll help you to visualise your home/office without that clutter. And a list is amazing for ticking off to make you feel like you’re being proactive!
Start with the dining table, the laundry filling the spare room bed, the sock drawer, your inbox.

Once you have started to see the wood for the trees, you’ll start to feel less overwhelmed and your mind will start to clear. Then you can start to tackle the bigger things. Book a Saturday or Sunday in your diary next month when you can get the whole family involved with clearing out the garage or the loft. You’ll need help with the big things – otherwise you’ll end up surrounded by ‘stuff’ and not knowing where to start!

Going forward

  • Try to keep your clutter from building up by not procrastinating.
  • Put the laundry away as soon as it’s dry – Do not leave in the spare room, on the dining table, on the airer.
  • File read and actioned emails rather than leaving them in your inbox – Only things that need to be done should be in your inbox.
  • Group similar items into one place (all nail varnishes together, tools in the tool box rather than a random hammer in your utensil drawer, stationery, take away menus etc. This will make finding things so much easier.
  • Delete duplicate photos in your phone – Do you really need 4 of the same pictures of your cat sleeping?
  • Spend 40 minutes a week de-cluttering an area to stay on top of your tidy and calm home!

Now, the list is endless, which is why it can feel overwhelming, but as soon as it’s done, you’ll feel a weight physically lift from your mind!!!
If the above article has left you feeling overwhelmed, hiring someone to do it for you might be the best option. After all, there are people out there who actually enjoy tidying and de-cluttering.

With a completely friendly, supportive and non-judgement approach, I help clients like you to make important decisions about your belongings. I introduce infallible systems that you and your family can follow, and open up space you didn’t know you had by using my extensive knowledge and passion for ORGANISATION. Click here for more information.