Take a moment to look around your home, your office, or your workspace. Can you see piles of documents overwhelming your desk? Countless supplies you aren't using? A trash can that's overflowing with food wrappers? A little messiness might not seem like a big deal, but recent studies on cognition, health, and stress show that the "clutter effect" could negatively affect your mental and physical health. Read on to understand how clutter could be affecting you, and what you can do to avoid these issues.
What Clutter Does to Your Brain and Body
Clutter is more than just a housekeeping issue — it's an issue of wellbeing. Physical clutter creates emotional clutter. Whether it's your bedroom, your office desk, or your entire home, clutter in your surroundings can have a negative impact on your ability to process information. According to neuroscientists at Princeton University, physical clutter in your surroundings distracts you and restricts your performance. On top of that, a team of UCLA researchers analyzed 32 L.A. families and discovered that the stress hormone cortisol spiked in mothers faced with clutter. The study showed that clutter has a similar impact to multi-tasking on our brains, causing us to feel overwhelmed, stressed, and unable to think creatively. Clutter can even impact your weight. According to an Australian and American study, people eat more snacks in environments that are chaotic. When the experimental kitchen for the test subjects was messy and disorganized, the participants ate twice as many cookies as those in a clean space. So how can you avoid unhealthy clutter?
Embracing the Minimalist Cure
Perhaps the simplest cure to clutter is to embrace a more streamlined approach to décor and design. Movements like Scandinavian Minimalism embrace an uncomplicated "less is more" approach to interiors that removes clutter in favor of function and purpose. Replacing key pieces of furniture with items that are multi-functional can give you more space to store necessary items and ensure that fewer pieces take up the floorspace of your home. But, of course, you don't have to jump headfirst into a minimalist lifestyle to enjoy a less cluttered home. Start by taking simple approaches to more streamlined living. After all, it's easy to get attached to things that you've had for a long time or that mean something to you. To begin your journey into minimalism, try asking yourself:
What does this item do for me that I absolutely need? Can I transform a single-task item into a multi-task piece?
Do I have something that can do the same thing better, or at least just as well? This will help to avoid collections of the same or similar items.
Does this item have sentimental value to me? Sentimental value can be important, but try to choose the items you keep for their sentimentality carefully.
Finding Balance With Your Belongings
Chances are you're not going to clear your entire home of clutter within a day. It takes time to accumulate a huge pile of belongings, and it will take time to let those things go, too. Try setting yourself up for success by making a plan and targeting specific areas you can declutter one at a time. Some simple ways to get started include:
Test if you'll miss it. Organize some of the items that you don't currently use into a box and seal them away. If you don't open that box within a year, donate the items inside to charity or give them away.
Digitize. The world of technology has delivered a range of new opportunities for streamlining your home and office space. Store photos and documents on your computer along with music, movies, and other files.
Keep flat surfaces and floors clear. A room can instantly look much clearer if all the flat surfaces within it are clear. Remove all the knickknacks and extras that might accumulate over the days, and you'll start to feel much better.
Everyone's tolerance for clutter is different. In fact, some researchers indicate that certain people will need a small amount of mess in their surroundings to feel inspired. However, it's important to find the line between organized chaos and dangerous clutter for the sake of your health and wellbeing. Visit The Back Store today to discover our minimalist-style furniture, combining both sophisticated style and multi-purpose practicality for a more clutter-free home.
Take a moment to look around your home, your office, or your workspace.
Can you see piles of documents overwhelming your desk? Countless supplies you aren't using? A trash can that's overflowing with food wrappers?
A little messiness might not seem like a big deal, but recent studies on cognition, health, and stress show that the "clutter effect" could negatively affect your mental and physical health. Read on to understand how clutter could be affecting you, and what you can do to avoid these issues.