When some people are feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, they might try yoga, mindfulness, or even a massage, but for others giving the shelves a quick dust, wiping down the kitchen, or even organizing the closet is just as beneficial for their mental health as using a mindfulness app.
In fact, for some people the simple sight of a clean and organized home can help them unwind and de-stress even after an overwhelming day.
Here’s a closer look at the impact of cleaning on your mental health, including the benefits of cleaning and small ways to get organized when your depression has other plans.
Negative Impact of Clutter and Mess
Keeping your home clean and engaging in the cleaning process is good for you. In fact, research shows that cleaning—or the lack of cleaning—can have a direct impact on mental health.
Clutter may lead to depression. A study published in “Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,” found that women who described their living spaces as cluttered or full of unfinished projects were more likely to be fatigued and depressed than women who described their homes as restful and restorative.
Clutter may lead to decreased focus, confusion, and tension. A study by Princeton University researchers discovered that clutter can make it difficult to focus on a particular task. More specifically, they discovered that a person’s visual cortex can be overwhelmed by objects not related to a particular task, making it harder to focus and complete projects efficiently.
In some ways, clutter and mess is linked to negative emotions like confusion, tension, and irritability while an organized home tends to produce more positive emotions like calmness and a sense of well-being.
Clutter and mess can create more stress and anxiety, but by cleaning, organizing, and reducing the clutter, people are able to take control of their environment and create a more relaxing environment that helps them focus better on the more pressing issues in their lives.
Benefits of Cleaning and Decluttering
When people feel like their life is out of control or they are struggling with some uncertainties, cleaning can be a way to assert some control in their life. Cleaning gives people a sense of mastery and control over their environment.
In fact, a study by the University of Connecticut found that in times of high stress, people default to repetitive behaviors like cleaning because it gives them a sense of control during a chaotic time.
What’s more, clutter and disorganization can be really distracting and make it hard to focus or complete other projects and you can start to feel stuck in a rut. So, if you’re feeling an urge to clean and declutter when you’re stressed, your mind and body is probably looking for a way to bring some order to your environment.
Aside from the benefits of having a cleaner home, the relationship between a clean house and mental health can help you reduce your anxiety.
When your home is cluttered, messy, or exceptionally dirty, the chaos that the mess creates can impact your ability to focus. The clutter also limits your brain’s ability to process information. In fact, researchers have discovered that people are less irritable, less distracted, more productive, and better able to process information with an uncluttered and organized work area.
Small Ways to Organize for Your Mental Health
Throw perfection out the window
Even when I’ve been at my lowest, I’d often put pressure on myself to make things look “perfect.”
I’ve since learned perfection and mental health conditions tend to be in direct opposition of one another. The healthier route is to accept that my house may not look flawless during the winter months. If things are generally organized, I can accept the wayward dust bunny that may cross my path.
Organizing is not about perfection. It’s about a quality of life standard. Everyone’s standards are different. As long as the organized environment is in alignment with those standards and it is not infringing upon a quality of life that is obstructing or detrimental to that person’s life, then usually a person will find acceptance and peace from that.
Break everything down into bite-sized pieces
Since overwhelm is a big deal to those who wrestle with mental health disorders, like anxiety, Diesel recommends breaking up an organization project into palatable pieces.
Take a look at the overall project that needs to get done… then break it down into different categories. Then rate the priority of each category, and begin with the level that reduces the anxiety the most.
The goal is to see the entire project, and then see how to accomplish it in a manageable way.
I recommend taking 15 to 20 minutes per day to doing things that need to get done, such as doing a load of laundry or sorting mail.
Often, a little effort can reinvigorate the mind and build momentum toward increasing a feeling of motivation. But that’s not always the case if you’re living with a mental health issue. Be kind to yourself if you miss a day or are only able to commit to 10 minutes.
Remove distractions
Being highly sensitive means I have a sensory disorder that can become overloaded very quickly. Loud noises, an abundance of clutter, and a to-do list in plain sight can instantly break my focus and pull me away from whatever project I’m working on.
When I’m getting organized, I make my surroundings as soothing as possible with very limited noise. I try to coordinate around a time when I know I won’t be pulled away.
Ask for help!
If all else fails, remember that you can always ask for help if you need it.
People who suffer with disorganization is the body and mind on overwhelm, so having a support system and mindfulness tools to go to is extremely important for stability. Support is paramount.
OCD, Organize Create Design LLC 