wellness trend: decluttering

If you're looking for an easy way to reduce stress, decluttering your environment may be a good place to start. Getting rid of excess stuff can benefit your mental health by making you feel calmer, happier, and more in control. A tidier space can make for a more relaxed mind.

Benefits of Decluttering

1. Reduce Stress & Anxiety: Unorganized spaces can trigger feelings of stress and anxiety. Decluttering your environment can bring peace of mind and clarity to your thoughts.

2. Better focus. Clutter makes it difficult to find what you need. It may also distract you. Getting rid of visual clutter can help you focus better on any task at hand.

3. Improves Sleep: Messy spaces can lead to sleeping problems and hoarding disorders, according to a study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. A clutter-free environment promotes better sleep

4. Higher self-esteem. When you have trouble staying organized, you may feel out of control. Improving your living space can restore feelings of competency and pride.

5. Reduce Asthma & Allergy Risks: Piles of clutter attract pests, increase dust, mold, and mildew, which can worsen asthma and allergies. Decluttering helps reduce these risks

6. Increase Productivity & Concentration: Cluttered environments drain cognitive resources and lead to reduced productivity and procrastination, according to studies. A clean and organized space promotes better focus and concentration.

7. Good for Mental & Physical Health: Giving to charity, as a result of decluttering, has been linked to reduced stress, lower blood pressure, and improved overall health, according to several studies.

Tips for Decluttering

You'll enjoy the mental health benefits of decluttering more if you make the process low-stress. Use these tips for decluttering:

Start small. If you pick one drawer or cabinet to organize, you'll be less likely to get discouraged. The pleasure of seeing and using a well-organized space will serve as positive feedback, prompting you to do more.

‌Build in structure. If you invite friends over for dinner, you'll be motivated to declutter your kitchen. If you schedule someone to take your unneeded items, you'll have a target date for completing your decluttering. Make sure you allow some extra time, as decluttering can take longer than you expect.

Don't strive for perfection. There's no need to hide items that you use a lot. Also, try not to judge your spaces against those of other people.