Do you become disappointed when your house is a mess and looks like an atom bomb blew up? Your pet had an accident, your kids didn’t clean their bedrooms, and your spouse left dirty dishes in the sink.
It’s enough to drive one mad.
And there’s really an explanation for it and it’s not that you’re crazy. Studies show that clutter and mess in fact causes us stress and anxiety.
” Clutter can play a considerable role in how we feel about our houses, our work environments, and ourselves. Messy houses and offices leave us feeling distressed, defenseless, and overwhelmed. Yet, seldom is clutter acknowledged as a substantial source of stress in our lives,” Psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter composed in an article for Psychology Today.
There are 7 major reasons that Carter thinks this:
1. Mess overwhelms us since it triggers extreme stimuli so our senses enter into overdrive
2. It distracts us from other things we want to concentrate on
3. It makes it more difficult to mentally and physically relax
4. It signals to our minds that our work is never ever done
5. It also causes anxiety since we have to think of how we are going to tidy whatever up
6. It can hinder performance and imagination
7. It makes it harder for us to find what we need and takes up area for doing other needed things on our list
According to UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives and Families, women react more to mess in their homes than males do. They found that women in chaotic homes have higher levels of cortisol, which is a tension hormone.
Men who reside in chaotic homes, nevertheless, do not have the same levels of cortisol as females do.
The good news is that stress and anxiety brought on by mess can be eliminated. Carter offers several pointers to assist prevent mess from frustrating your family and creating unnecessary stress and anxiety.
Here are some of those tips:
Get your household involved in cleaning. If you’re on your own, start in one space at a time prior to you proceed to another so that you do not get overloaded and can feel accomplished as you advance.
Develop a specific area for your products so you’re more likely to keep the product in its designated area. It’s best to keep items in closed areas so you don’t need to take a look at it.
Throw away things that you don’t utilize or that you don’t require. If you have not opened it or used it in a year, toss it!
Tidy up your mess after you make it. It will provide you a good sense of closure and will be clean when you return to it.
Have you experianced this in your own life? Do you feel more distressed when your house is a mess? I know even when my desktop has too many things on it while I am working it makes me feel very overwhelmed and I don’t get work done also.
Tell us your story about clutter in the remarks and how it effects you!
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