Clutter and Your Health

Do you look around your house and see clutter? Is there mail sitting on the counter? Is your closet overflowing? Do you have stacks of magazines sitting around? Does all this make you feel energized and healthy, or does it make you feel tired and overwhelmed? If your feel tired and overwhelmed or just dragged down by it all, there are steps you can take to rid yourself of it.

​Clutter can cause physical hazards. It can be a tripping hazard. It can impede your life and make it hard to get out the door in the morning. The clutter can gather dust, dander, and pollen and cause asthma and allergies.

Clutter can also cause you to become depressed, especially if you are letting memory clutter keep you living in the past. It can even cause you to gain weight. A correlation between weight and the amount of clutter a person hangs on to has been discovered. Many people, once they decide to let go of their things, also end up letting go of their extra weight.

Clutter can even cause allergies

​How to get rid of the clutter

Step 1: you have to decide for yourself what clutter is to you. What one person may see as junk, another person may see as memories. Clutter can be separated into two general categories – memory clutter (things that remind us of a person or event) and someday clutter (things that people feel they may need “someday”). If you have so much clutter that it pulls you into the past or into the future, you can’t enjoy your life in the present. Clearing clutter isn’t just organizing what you have, it is getting rid of those things that are weighing you down.

Step 2: Create a vision of what you want. Ask yourself, “What do I want out of this space?” Don’t think about what you may need in the future. For example, if you want a calming bedroom environment, you may need to get rid of the TV or computer that is in it.
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Step 3: Make decision quickly and right away. For example, don’t let mail pile up. Open it as soon as you get in the house and deal with it in a timely manner. 

Tackle clutter one shelf, drawer, or room at a time

If clearing out the clutter seems as overwhelming as the clutter itself, deal with a small area at a time. Tackle one room or category at a time. You may need to break it down into even smaller pieces, and tackle just a cupboard, bookshelf, drawer, or box at a time. Make piles of things to donate and things to throw away, and then take care of it promptly.
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Once things are cleared out, set a reminder on your calendar to remind you to do clutter control maintenance. Clearing up clutter often allows people to have the energy to tackle other health or emotional issues.

Try tackling one drawer, one shelf, or one room today. See how good it makes you feel to clear even a little clutter!

If you would like some help, contact me for a FREE Clutter Clearing Discovery Session today!

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