Written by: Amanda Levison, M.S., LMHC, LPC, CCBT
Clutter can significantly affect our mental and emotional well-being. Clutter and mess are linked to negative emotions like confusion, tension, and irritability. At the same time, an organized home produces more positive emotions like calmness and a sense of well-being. We all have those catch-all drawers or closets in our homes, the ones where we typically throw in spare batteries, old remotes, and even leftover hardware pieces from the Ikea furniture we recently built.
There are usually a few holiday cookie tins filled with change, buttons, or even pens we keep at the bottom of the pantry. Everything we believe may become useful at some point or are important enough to hold onto.
The more we keep, the more clutter accumulates, often without realizing it. Clutter consists of items we no longer need but cannot seem to part with, such as trash, papers, bills we throw on the floor, and many other items. It often consumes our homes without our noticing at first, making them unrecognizable. Yes, even the six pairs of jeans we have tucked away in a box in the corner of our closet that we believe we’ll fit into again are clutter.
While holding onto a few things here and there might not seem like a big deal, the impact on your mental health can be significant. Clutter can create a sense of overwhelm, distraction, and anxiety. It’s important to be mindful of how it’s affecting you and recognize the signs that it may be time to declutter- not just your home, but perhaps your life.
Signs to look for…
You feel stressed about having too many things
You lose regularly used items (like keys)
Your fridge and pantry have expired food
You cannot decide where to start decluttering
You tell yourself that if you get rid of something today, you'll need it later
You buy things to keep you organized but don’t use them
Many of your drawers no longer close properly
Your closet has clothing you no longer wear
You keep unwanted gifts because you don’t want to hurt the givers’ feelings
Your kids don’t know what to do because they have so many toys
Your car no longer fits into the garage
You feel overwhelmed when you walk into certain rooms
You avoid inviting people over
You find yourself constantly organizing instead of truly decluttering
Why is clutter a danger?
Clutter is more than just a minor inconvenience- it can seriously affect your overall well-being. From mental health struggles to physical health risks, the presence of clutter in your home can significantly lower your quality of life. Here is why:
Clutter decreases your quality of life. A cluttered space can drain your energy and diminish your sense of peace. When your home feels chaotic, it’s hard to relax, focus, or feel a sense of accomplishment.
Clutter raises stress levels and decreases productivity. It’s no surprise that a messy environment can make you feel stressed, making it harder to focus on important tasks or feel motivated.
Clutter is often a mental health problem. For many, clutter is not simply about being disorganized- it’s a reflection of deeper mental health struggles, like anxiety, depression, or ADHD.
Clutter collects and attracts dust, which can harm your health. Dust and dirt naturally collect in cluttered areas, triggering allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems.
Clutter can increase fire hazards. Piles of paper, clothes, and random items are not only visually distracting but can also pose a fire risk.
Those who struggle with cluttering issues often have relationship problems. They become isolated from their homes and usually have difficulty maintaining a romantic relationship. Cluttering also makes it difficult to keep one's home clean, attracting rodents, pests, mold, and other unsanitary things.
Often, these things can make you sick and happen continuously. No one sets out to live in clutter or the extreme, becoming a hoarder; it happens over time when things are mismanaged. Once it starts to build up, it can be too overwhelming to start getting rid of it, which leads a person to feel overwhelmed.
That feeling doesn’t go away so the clutter continues to happen as you avoid it. It can also make us less productive, triggering coping and avoidance strategies that make us more likely to snack on junk food.
How does clutter affect your brain and your body?
Clutter can affect your anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus. Our brains thrive on order, and constant disorder reduces focus and memory formation. Many studies have proven that clearing clutter from the home and work environment results in better focus, improved information processing, and increased productivity. Taking steps to declutter is a powerful way to protect your inner peace. Remember that our bodies operate as our brains tell them to.
Physically removing clutter will ultimately clear the mental clutter as well. Clutter can make us feel stressed, anxious, and depressed, affecting both our minds and bodies. Incorporating decluttering into your routine can be a valuable tool for stress management, helping you create a more peaceful and balanced environment. When our bodies are feeling less than energetic, we aren’t likely to be present or productive. It is important to note that this can affect both adults and children, so think of how the clutter may be affecting those in your home.
What ways can you manage your clutter?
Seeking out people
Look to people in your support system for help; often, they can help you get the ball rolling and declutter your space. Some professionals specialize in decluttering, organizing, and helping you reclaim your space; look into it. This has become a more common issue, and there is now a container store that is solely designed to aid in organizing and decluttering your home. There are even television shows about it.
Live within your means
Don’t go out buying unnecessary things or things that you want to put in a future home or will use in a few years. Stay within reason where you are now. If you have a one-bedroom apartment with no patio, don’t buy patio furniture for the home you’re looking to have next year, that will just make more of a mess.
Purge often
Make it a habit to sort through your clothes and your kids’ clothing each season and eliminate things you never wore. Donate toys the kids no longer play with or throw away the broken ones. Donate books that they have aged out of. Before birthdays or Christmas, assess the clutter and pare down what you will add to the home. Maybe give “experience” gifts instead of new toys this year. Little tasks like this help you to keep only the things you need now.
Have a place for everything
Get organized, don’t let the shoes land wherever someone takes them off, and put them on a designated rack when entering the front door. Give everything a home or a resting place in your house. That way, it can always be put in that specific place.
Become habitual at putting things away when you’re done. We should do the same thing as we make the kids put their toys away when they are done. After using the sewing kit, put it back in its basket and return the cereal box to the pantry after breakfast. Continuously doing these little things will make them a habit.
Go paperless on all bills
Go green and save the trees. Marking yourself paperless with any company is possible. Go online and request paperless billing so you don’t have to keep up with tons of paper bills each month.
If you are struggling with clutter
it’s important to consider that it could stem from underlying issues such as depression, attention deficit disorder (ADD), low self-esteem, or lack of personal boundaries. In such cases, simply tidying up won’t resolve the root problem.
Is clutter a trauma response?
Many experts believe that excessive clutter often signals deeper health challenges. For example, individuals who experience emotional trauma or a brain injury may find even basic housecleaning overwhelming.
If you’re living in clutter
Remember, you have the power to change your environment—and you don’t have to do it alone. If you are surrounded by clutter, take proactive steps to declutter and create a space supporting your well-being. There is no need to panic, and it’s important to know that clutter differs from hoarding. Hoarding disorders are more severe and often associated with OCD.
Those with hoarding disorder go far past being unable to throw away the trash; they take it outside their homes, and it may be present in their workspace or any place outside their home. They also tend to be in denial and unable to recognize their issues. They become emotionally upset with the idea of throwing anything away and may lash out or isolate themselves from family members, encouraging them to clean up.
If you recognize hoarding behavior in yourself or a loved one, seeking help from a mental health professional is a good idea. Seeking individual therapy can provide personalized strategies and support to address the underlying causes of hoarding.
At Neurofeedback & Counseling Center in Harrisburg, PA, we understand how a cluttered environment can impact your mental health and well-being. By recognizing the effects of clutter, organizing your space, and seeking help through resources like online counseling (available in Pennsylvania and Florida) or a support group, you can create a more peaceful and productive environment. Decluttering isn’t just about tidying up your space, it’s about fostering mental clarity, emotional balance, and a sense of control.
Let us support you on your journey to a healthier, more fulfilling life.
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