Читать книгу Mind Over Clutter. Cleaning Your Way to a Calm and Happy Home онлайн

17 страница из 42

Clutter and Mental Health

Your surroundings can have a dramatic effect on your mood, negatively impacting on your mental health – especially if you’re stressed, under pressure or just struggling with the daily grind. Having unnecessary clutter lying around can act like a visual noise, each item potentially triggering an alarm bell in your head. The truth is that most of us have so much stuff either lying around in full view or shoved inside cupboards that it’s sometimes impossible to find what we are looking for when we want it. With so much to do – laundry to wash, meals to prepare and paperwork to organise – it’s no wonder that sometimes we feel overwhelmed when we’re faced with the endless ‘to-do’ lists of life.

Studies in the United Statesssss1 have looked at the causes of clutter and how it impacts people’s emotional wellbeing. The researchers found that cluttered homes can be stressful to live in. Yet many people avoid reorganising their things and throwing out even unused or unwanted belongings, especially if it’s time-consuming or unpleasant. Consequently, they sometimes end up living in a chaotic state, surrounded by mess, which can trigger a physiological response, usually in the form of stress and raised cortisol levels. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone and when it increases it can lead to a variety of health problems, such as anxiety, headaches, fatigue, insomnia, memory lapses, concentration problems and even depression. When they declutter, however, even with small steps over a period of time, people can start to feel less anxious and better about themselves.