The stress of stuff

There are lots of things in life that cause us stress. It might be our jobs, being a parent, dealing with illness or the fear of the unknown. Some of the stresses that we experience in these areas are unpredictible and for the most part, uncontrollable.

But what about the stress that builds from our possessions as we live day to day in our homes? How do we navigate that? Why, for a lot of people, does the presence of too many things or a sense of disorganisation lead to anxiety, frustration and stress?

Science would tell us it’s because our brains are wired for order. We tend to lean towards it as order reduces the competition in our brains for attention and mental load. We can see clearly what needs to be done, where the things are that we need, a physical space that is inviting and maybe more importantly, we have a mental space that gives us chance to breathe.

The opposite of this can create anxiety. Clutter signals to our brains that our work is never done. It makes us question at what point might we get to the bottom of the ‘to-do’ list? This can be manifested in different ways; a pile of things to sort and put away, paperwork, too many clothes, busy drawers and cupboards.

I’ve mentioned this before in previous blogs, but clutter provides an over stimulus to the brain on things that aren’t necessarily important. It makes it hard to be present. It can, for some people, create a sense of embarrassment if a spontaneous visit happens and people see their home or workspace.

Clutter can also inhibit creativity and productivity as it distracts us from the head space needed to imagine, think, create, settle. We are quickly brought back to reality when we see piles of clothes, washing up, toys, paperwork and this can stop us from feeling that there’s permission to just spend time on a hobby or interest and rest our minds.

Have you ever considered that clutter is stopping you from doing things? You might think ‘well it’s just objects that can’t cause any issues,’ but actually I believe clutter provides a barrier to experiencing certain freedoms in our days.

And, just on a practical note, clutter prevents us from finding what we need! It can add to stress as we try to leave the house on time, but can’t find the item required for work for school. This can build a sense of frustration and conflict before we’ve even left the house and fully entered into our day.

BUT…….

There is an answer. This is a stress that we can manage. If you are serious about changing your home habits, you can!

AND, you can start small.

Right in the room you are in.

Maybe you could tackle an area of your home right now…..

If you are able, go right now and find an empty laundry basket or a box.

Look around you at the surfaces in the room and clear any excess stuff on sides and tables and put it in this box. How does that make the area feel? How does that make you feel as you look at the areas you’ve cleared? Can you give these items another home? Do you even need them?

If you get in the habit of clearing sides and tables regularly, the clutter doesn’t have time or permission to mount up and this remains a manageable few minutes a day job, rather than a massive task.

You could invest in a pin board or message board or magazine rack to intercept papers and collect them for sorting. This provides a go to place for the rest of the family as well, when they need to find something important.

Move laundry to a spare room or another area that is not where you spend most of your time. This can just help you visually to rest when you do stop and sit in your home.

Toys can be an area of issue for a lot of families. We can triumph over them though! They don’t need to take over, it’s in our hands!

Declutter toys so that only a few can be out at one time and then easily tidied away at the end of the day. Rotate them. After all, there’s only so much your child can play with at once and you could be over stimulating your children with too much choice!

Just a concerted effort and prioritising can see results in a few minutes and for bigger projects, a few hours.

Is there a time you can ‘book in’ to tackle the stuff in your home?

It will totally be worth it. Houses get messy, that’s normal and healthy as a result of multiple people living in one space, but a goal of decluttering is to help people to be able to tidy them easily. Decluttering spaces helps them to not feel out of control or so disorganised that you don’t want to spend time there.

Don’t put off some changes today that will really help how your house feels in the future.

I really hope that by taking little steps to reduce what you have in different areas of your home, you can start to enjoy your spaces and have time for more of what gives you energy and calm, whether that be a hobby, interest, or simply just ‘being’ on your own or with others.

And if you want someone to help you along the way….I absolutely LOVE a good sort out!