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The Anxiety and Clutter Connection

Often times when it comes to clutter, we don’t even know where to start.

 

If you feel this way I PROMISE there is nothing wrong with you!  Most of us and myself included, lead full and busy lives.  We have well-made plans and timelines and we want to feel as if we are in control of our lives and projects.

 

But guess, what. Life happens.  Life doesn’t care about our to do lists or plans.  If you are feeling anxiety over clutter you are in the right place.  Often times just being kind to ourselves and gentle by seeking support and understanding how and why anxiety causes clutter is the best place to start.  Our goal is to move forward with kindness and loving compassion.

 

Does clutter at home make you feel overwhelmed?  Most people find it difficult to relax in environments that are full of clutter.  Sometimes, too, we can be so used to it that we don’t even realize that we are living in clutter or how even just a pile of papers on the kitchen counter we have looked repeatedly leads to anxiety. 

 

There is a strong link between clutter and you life force energy.  Items that no longer serve us can make our energy heavy and blocked leading to feelings of claustrophobia, shame and depression.  This is especially true if there are items in our home that bring up uncomfortable feelings from the past. 

 

Often times people end up feeling depressed or anxious at home and aren’t even sure why.  Do you feel this way when you are at home?  It’s normal if your living environment is cluttered.  Its almost impossible to rejuvenate when cluttered surroundings remind you of unfinished tasks or past experiences that no longer serve your highest good.

 

Sherrie Bourg from Psychology Today wrote that “clutter can play a significant role in how we feel about hour homes, our workplaces, and ourselves.  Messy homes and workspaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless and overwhelmed.  Yet it’s rare that clutter is ever seen as the root cause and a significant source of stress in our lives.”

 

Often anxiety is accompanied by the feeling of an urgent need to do something.  Do you ever feel the frantic need to start decluttering the minute you get home?  While your intensions are sincere, the biggest problem this presents is that  its very easy to get overwhelmed with this approach.  Decluttering projects often require more physical and mental bandwidth than we initially plan on. 

 

Its important to remember that it took time for a home to get to that point, so keep expectations realistic, take your time and be gentle on yourself.