We live in a heavily materialistic world, where every company, shop and business is trying to get you to buy their wares. This consumerism leads to a material build up in our homes of items we may never use. Clothes, ornaments, old technology and just everyday general items can accumulate in your living areas, making them cluttered and more difficult to use.
Cluttered environments are well known to cause stress in those people who use them regularly. The more cluttered a room, the more cluttered the person’s head becomes, causing them to feel more stressed in that environment. Being constantly aware (and stressed) of clutter and untidiness takes up precious brain power that could be used for more productive things.
Importance Of Your Environment
Your environment plays a big part in how you feel in your everyday life. Pollution, noise, harsh lighting and many other modern day stressors are known to impact the body negatively.
But your mind is also affected by what goes on around you. It is your most important asset, and therefore you should look after it just as much as you would your body by clean eating or through skin care. This can be done through improving your living environment.
It is well known that working in your bedroom can interfere with your sleep patterns as through doing this there is no distance between working and sleeping. It is also well known that working with the television on or otherwise distracted negatively impacts the quality of your work. These are some examples of environment affecting state of mind. Clutter has a similar effect.
A messy and cluttered desk will make it more difficult to work. An unorganised kitchen will make you not want to spend time there and thus negatively impact your eating habits. A bedroom full of random items littering all the surfaces will interfere with your sleep, contributing to your elevated stress levels with tiredness.
It’s fairly easy to understand, the more clutter and mess you have in your life, the more cluttered and messy your mind is and therefore the more stressed you become.
Where To Start
A few years ago the world was introduced to Marie Kondo. Her ‘Konmari’ method of tidying and decluttering your life was made popular by the Netflix series and many people adopted her techniques and experienced the benefits. Although drastic, the method of removing all material objects that do not bring joy did work for those who adopted it.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you get rid of everything you own all at once in an attempt to clear your mind of stress. Small steps are the answer to gradually tidying your home and reducing your stress levels. Focus on one aspect of your home that is cluttered and sort that out. This will bring a sense of achievement that will make decluttering your life addictive.
Donate clothes you no longer wear, sell or recycle the old technology you have and think about any future purchases you make and whether they will help or hinder your environment.
Prioritise the things you know you use on a daily or frequent basis, such as your journal or favourite mug. Keep the necessary items that have important functions and try to minimise the number of items that just take up space unnecessarily.
Ladies, Listen Up
Us busy, working women know that we need to keep our minds clear and focused in order to achieve our goals. If our living environments are holding us back then we are never going to reach our full potential.
So clear your desks of the rubbish that has been piling up, make your bed, put away those dishes in the kitchen and make your home calm and welcoming.
