Does clutter cause you stress?
The research says that it does. Although my ultimate goal is for it not to have that effect on me, clutter and mess does cause me stress.
When I’m feeling good it barely bothers me but if I’m feeling overwhelmed or anxious, clutter affects me big time. Is this the case for you too?
After Christmas last year our dining room sideboard was cluttered with piles of stuff I hadn’t been managing. It was a disaster zone! When I was in overwhelm I was obsessed that I needed to declutter it (but I procrastinated because that’s what you do when you’re anxious).
As the days went on, I worked on my mindset and took control of my mind, and the cluttered sideboard just seemed to matter less. As I felt better it didn’t seem so hard, and then one day BAM I cleared it in 30 minutes, effortlessly.
An orderly mind and orderly environment go hand in hand. If you’re feeling stressed, start with one.
It’s all about having a system! Systems create order and freedom. An even better system would be that the stuff doesn’t accumulate in the first place… that’s still a work in progress in our house!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Decluttering and tidying advice from me, and other Mums
Choose a space and just start. Literally pick up one item at a time and ask yourself: do I keep it, donate it or ditch it? If I keep it, where is its home?
Get a heap of containers and get the kids to help you sort all their toys. It’s also a great time to remove certain things and put in a cupboard up high, or in the shed, and rotate toys. Start with one area, one draw. Or, get lots of garbage bags and walk around collecting things that no longer bring you joy. Put some funky music on and get into the spirit of it.
Look at your home differently and make the decision to choose to love your environment, whatever state it’s in. Hold the belief it’s becoming more orderly and the way you want it to be every day.
Keep a few small areas of your home clutter-free and that helps with a feeling of calmness. Focus on one room or area at a time.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite a time! A great motto when feeling overwhelmed. Be really conscious of everything you bring into your home, making sure it’s adding, not taking from your life!
With the dust and dry and lack of water for the garden, try to have one small green patch of lawn. Also putting some lovely green inside plants around the house cheers things up and they are easy to tend to.
If you can’t manage a big declutter at present, a shift of some furniture and rearrange can help create a new perspective around how you feel about your home. Even moving some kids beds to create a ‘toy room’ only for the holidays where you can shut the door at the end of the day!
Spend 5-10 minutes each morning tidying the spaces you wish to use for that day. Time block this and do it wherever you are. If the mess is overwhelming because it’s no longer in the vibration you’re in, sit in the space, visualise how you would feel when it’s tidy. This allows you to see how the space will look, and then get to work tidying.
Gets the kids involved and explain to them what it means to you. They usually then want to do something nice for Mummy to help you. To see you smile and do something nice for you makes them feel happy.
If you need some extra help with this, check out my book School Holidays MINDSHIFT eBook here.
