Clutter Causes Overwhelm & Stress: The 30-Day Self Care Challenge – DAY 2 Clutter Causes Overwhelm and Stress: Day 2 of 30 Challenge

0 Shares

Clutter Causes Overwhelm & Stress:
The 30-Day Self Care Challenge
- DAY 2 -

This post is the second of our 30-day self care challenge on the topic of Creating Calm. I will be highlighting how clutter causes overwhelm and stress, and the importance of dealing with your clutter before it becomes too big a problem!

Table of Contents

Clutter Causes Overwhelm & Stress: The 30-Day Self Care Challenge - DAY 2 -

How Clutter Causes Overwhelm & Stress

Clutter & Stress

Benefits of Clutter Control

How to get started

6 awesome tips to get rid of clutter

Your awesome tips

book recommendations

printables of the day

Get Your Guide Now

the takeaway

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission with every purchase you make through my links, and of course, at no additional cost to you. I do greatly appreciate it, as it helps me run my blog and post content that will help you in your daily life.
Please read the full disclosure here.

Oh, and just in case — I am NOT a mental health professional! What I write are my experiences, tips & personal advice. If you are in need of help, please don't hesitate to contact a professional!
Please read the full disclosure here concerning that point.
Okay, that's out of the way - READ ON!!

THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT

CONTINUE READING BELOW

How Clutter Causes Overwhelm & Stress

Hey hey my lovely entrepreneurs,

One of the biggest causes of stress in our lives is actually clutter.

How many of you start getting palpitations, clammy hands and feelings of breathlessness upon seeing piles of clothes, unopened junk mail, loads of laundry, a messy desk, and other disarray?

Yes?

Well it's normal and this really causes most people to feel anxious and overwhelmed, sometimes even depressed. It's hard to achieve a sense of calm when there's chaos all around, in the form of physical eyesores or the insidious kind that attacks your mind. That's why it's important to corral the clutter in your life. Taking steps to get control of the disorder is the start of creating calm.

Read on, and I'll tell you more about that.

Clutter & Stress

Each person's definition of clutter is different. We all have our comfort level when it comes to the amount of stuff we want to have around us and to enter our lives. However, it's when you begin to have a negative reaction to all of this input that it becomes a problem. At this individualized and personal point, you're dealing with clutter. Usually, this breaking point arrives because your life is affected due to the amount of disarray you're facing. Whether you're feeling closed in and agitated or you're physically constrained by the mess, you have a problem that needs to be addressed.

Benefits of Clutter Control

There are loads of good things that come from controlling the clutter in your world. You'll likely feel an increased sense of energy because you'll spend less time looking for things you've misplaced and will no longer feel as overwhelmed emotionally by your stuff. This can lead to greater productivity and getting more done. It's even been shown that folks begin to make improvements in other areas of their lives such as diet and exercise once the "weight" of excess clutter is lifted from them. Taking action in this one aspect of your life can have tremendous impact on other areas. Finally, you'll be much closer to achieving the calm you seek once you start to pare things down.

How to get started

The hardest part of ridding your life of clutter is getting started. This is especially true if you've lived in chaos for a long time. The good news is that this problem is relatively easy to tackle once you overcome your initial resistance. The best place to start is the one that is causing you the most stress.

For example, if coming home to your messy living room makes the idea of relaxing impossible; begin to clear things out in that room. Having a place to unwind at the end of the day might just be the catalyst you need to motivate you toward clearing out other cluttered places.

It's also a good idea to enlist help in order to make the process more manageable and less overwhelming. Have your family or roommate pitch in or consider hiring a professional organizer if you live alone.

Finally, get rid of anything you honestly don't use and find a "home" for everything else. When you cut down on the amount of stuff and put things in their place, you'll find life becomes a whole lot less hectic.

6 awesome tips to get rid of clutter

Looking on the internet, you will see many blogs and businesses that offer help to those struggling with clutter. If this describes you, there is help available. And if you follow these simple habits to keeping your life clutter free, you may find you also let go of the clutter in your home.

How many times have you lost your keys, shoes or important papers because there is too much clutter in your home? Families around the country are drowning in clutter that can cost time and money as well as cause frustration. Clearing the clutter from your home, and your life, will take some time and effort but the results will be well worth it.

Your awesome tips

TIP 1

Go through your home and make note of anything in in your home that is out of place, items that are piling up or things that bother you. Start with what bothers you most and begin going through the items, getting rid of things you no longer need or want. The goal is to clear small areas, one at a time, until you have cleaned the entire room. Go through each room until you have gotten rid of as much clutter as possible.

Obviously don't try to do all at once! Not only will it just stress you even more, it will just lead to even MORE clutter!!

I'm a list-gal, so I have an awesome 12-page checklist booklet to help you declutter your home, reclaim your space & ease your mind.

You can download it in the PRINTABLES OF THE DAY section at the end of this post.

TIP 2

Create a cleaning and decluttering schedule. Include chores for each member of the family so one person does not have to do everything. If you work on cleaning a little bit each day, it will make keeping your home clean much easier.

Here is a printable that is going to help you delegate and get everyone in your household (mostly your kids) to help you out!

Download it in the PRINTABLES OF THE DAY section at the end of this post.

TIP 3

Rather than stacking mail and other papers all over the room, create a specific area to handle mail and pay bills. This could be a desk or a shelf with an inbox. Be sure to place a garbage can near your mail area so you can throw junk mail out as you go through the mail. Along with the inbox and garbage can, it would also be helpful to keep a family calendar in the area. When you see paperwork that has an appointment or important date, you can write the information directly into the calendar and toss the paper unless you need to return it.

I have a little area under our staircase where we have a tiny desk on which we have our family binder and our mail sorting area. I have placed our chequebooks there as well, so that whenever we have bills, that aren't debited directly out of our account, come in, it's easier to pop a cheque in an envelope and get it mailed the next day.

This avoids mail, bills and other paperwork backing up!

You don't have to have a fancy mail sorter, we use this one that I got off Amazon. It's cheap and super useful with its separate sections.

I want to organize

TIP 4

Place a coat rack or shelf with hooks near the door you use most often. It is important to have everyone hang jackets and book bags here when they come into the home each day. By placing these items in the same place each day, your family will be less likely to lose things.

We don't have a coat rack, but we have these original little hooks, that are perfect for our space! We have them in white and grey.

I want to reduce clutter

TIP 5

You can use similar tactics to declutter your office or workspace. A clean work area can make your day more productive, which your boss will most likely appreciate. Develop a filing system so you can find important papers when you need them.

We've all seen the gorgeous Pinterest photos that inspire us to become more organized and aim for a minimalist space, but for most of us, we may not have the budget to reorganize everything by buying new items.

My best tip is to actually go shopping, but at home! You are bound to have items already in your house to get your decluttering and organization process started!

Not only are you saving money, but you are actually recycling what you have and using it in an efficient manner.

Your goal isn't to have a Pinterest-worthy home office space! Your aim is to get your work space clutter free.

Keep that in mind when you're embarking on your decluttering journey.

TIP 6

Cut back on commitments.

Part of having a cluttered life is having too many obligations each week. Families these days are busy & everyone is going in different directions with meetings, sports, band, volunteering or religious activities.

Declutter your schedule by asking each person to give up all but one activity. This will reduce the amount of running and allow the family to eat together regularly - but mainly just be together!

This book is incredibly real and there are so many areas in which you will recognize yourself. I'm sure it's going to help guide you to getting back in touch with what it truly means to be a family & it just helps us slow the eff down to realize what is really important in our lives.

You're going to LOVE it!

I want to take my family back

Finally, if you are too overwhelmed with the amount of clutter in your life, give yourself permission to seek outside help. A professional organizer can recommend simple habits to keeping your life clutter free and will help you develop a routine that will work for your family.

I highly suggest you read these books about the importance of letting go and how this can help you start your decluttering journey.

book recommendations

Declutter like a mother

I want to declutter!

the clutter connection

I want to declutter!

decluttering at the speed of life

I want to declutter!

printables of the day

Both these printables are going to help you reclaim your space, by decluttering it first.

Having too many items in the area in which you live can seriously hinder your growth journey as well as any chance of creating calm.

download for free

the takeaway

These are just a handful of suggestions for minimizing the clutter. We'll discover more throughout this challenge. Now that you understand the impact clutter can have on your stress levels, you can start to make some changes of your own.

The next post will be about the difference between physical and mental clutter.

Until then, stay humble, grateful and remember that today may not be the best day, but you can always improve on it!

Elle Ash xo

THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT

CONTINUE READING BELOW