The Psychological Benefits of Decluttering Your Home
At some point in your life, I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are”. As a personal organizer, I’ve come to realize that like your friends, your home is also a reflection of yourself and your overall state of mind.
Does your home feel cluttered and chaotic? Due to COVID-19, more people than ever are working from home and/or in quarantine. As such, it can be hard to stick to your schedule. And especially with cleaning, with its seeming lack of urgency, it’s quite easy to fall off or let things go. That’s unfortunately why, when we become busy and stressed, maintaining a clean and clutter-free home often takes a back-burner.
In this article, I’m going to describe 3 reasons why decluttering and organizing your home should never take a back seat. And how decluttering is psychologically beneficial, which goes hand in hand with all your daily endeavors.
1. Possessions & Memory Triggers
We’ve all experienced ups and downs in our lives. Whether it’s due to a break-up or loss of a loved one, possessions are powerful memory triggers. What are you holding onto and why are you afraid to lose it? How do these tools and trinkets positively contribute to your life? As you know, possessions trigger memories, and memories trigger emotions, which can make it hard to stay focused. If you’re working from home, or simply trying to relax/meditate, taking the time out to de-clutter your home will help keep you in the present.
2. Take Control Over Your Environment
Be the master of your domain. Your home is your environment to control and manipulate in a way that helps rather than hinders. A cluttered and messy home breeds chaos that can leave you feeling a loss of control. This also relates to possessions and memory triggers. For example, you’re in control when you stay in the present, but when items and possessions are pulling you away from the present due to memory triggers, it’s hard to feel in control of your thoughts and emotions.
What’s more? The predictability of a clean and clutter-free home can help you feel calm and mentally stable. Think of it as cleansing your mental palette!
3. A Sense Of Accomplishment
Oftentimes, in order to feel and be productive, small steps like decluttering and organizing your home can give you a feeling of accomplishment that makes you feel more in control, or in other words, gives you back your power. Have you ever cleaned or de-cluttered as a form of procrastination? Well, this is why we do it! It actually helps us feel accomplished. Just make sure you get back to the task at hand, and carry that feeling of accomplishment through to your other priorities.
In summary, the rewards of decluttering and organizing your home are not only psychological, but tangible. Small steps like deciding to de-clutter can help you feel more in control of your emotions, your environment, and breed a sense of competence and accomplishment. But just looking around at your newly organized home is a tangible reward in itself. So what are you waiting for?
If you’re hard-pressed for time, let us do the “heavy lifting” for you! Contact us today to hire our professional organizing services!
