Our health is always important, particularly our mental health. There is a lot that can harm our mental health like work, bad relationships, poor physical health, and even the news. A cluttered and disorganized home can also contribute to the harm done to our mental health. Researchers suggest that a chaotic home can increase your stress, anxiety, or depression. Check out these four ways that an organized home can improve your mental health.
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
If you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious when you enter your home, the clutter might be causing it. One study found that people who described their homes as cluttered or disorganized experienced more depression compared to those who described their homes as clean and organized. The increased clutter in your home can make you feel cramped and less confident in yourself. Researchers think that by organizing and decluttering your home, you create a physically and mentally safe space that will bring you comfort and reduce your stress or anxiety.
Better Sleep
When we were younger, making the bed just seemed like another chore. However, researchers suggest that by making your bed and keeping your bedroom organized and clutter-free, you will get better sleep. An organized bedroom will create a sense of comfort and relaxation and will reduce stress caused by the clutter and last-minute projects you see the need to be done before you get to bed. Another study found that people who made their beds in the morning experienced less stress and anxiety and received a better night’s sleep.
Increases Focus and Productivity
When your home is disorganized, it is easy to get distracted from your projects and makes it difficult to find things that you need. One study found that people with disorganized homes easily get distracted by the clutter, which reduces their productivity throughout the day and makes them less focused when working on individual tasks. This can lead to stress, anxiety, and long nights to finish tasks or reach deadlines. By organizing your home, you will stay more focused on your tasks and will increase your productivity during the day.
Improve Your Relationship
Our relationships are essential, especially to our mental health. A cluttered home, however, can hurt these relationships. As many people take pride in knowing that they have a clean house, a cluttered one can increase your sense of shame and discomfort when you have guests in your home. This can significantly impact your mental health by improving your depression and anxiety. If you feel that your home is cluttered, disorganized, or dirty, the chances of you inviting your family or friends into your home goes down. This works to isolate you from your friends and family, which can increase your sense of loneliness and damages your relationships through a lack of connection. If you are living with a partner, your disorganized home can also cause them stress, which puts a strain on your relationship—keeping your home organized and clutter-free works to keep the stress caused by the clutter out of your relationships.
While there are a lot of other benefits to having an organized home, these are just some of the ways it can help improve your mental health. If you are working on decluttering and organizing your home, do a little at a time so that you don’t get overwhelmed or overworked, as this can contribute to your stress and anxiety. Be sure to consult your doctor if you feel like other underlining issues are causing or contributing to your stress, anxiety, or depression.
