No matter how hard we try, clutter is often something that is unavoidable. Due to a lack of time, that little corner as you walk in the house can sometimes become the dumping ground for all your little trinkets you put down as you enter the house. However, just like that dumping ground in your corner, your mind, too, can become clogged if not de-cluttered. Clutter is bad for our health and can often have a profound negative effect on our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus.

Clutter has been linked to chronic stress, weight gain and even depression. If you’re asking “why is clutter bad for me, and how can I fix this?” you’ve come to the right place.

How Clutter affects our mind

When we allow our cupboards to burst, clothing to pile, or papers to stack around the house, we instantly drain our brains by the constant visual reminders of what has to be sorted or done. It may seem relatively harmless at first, but without even realising it you are draining your cognitive resources in the mind. Our brains enjoy order and structure, and when you allow the space around you to become disorganised you essentially reduce the working memory, essential to everyday living. By clearing just one area of clutter, you could substantially improve your ability to focus and process information, as well as increase productivity both at work and at home.

Besides this, the mounds around your home could be impacting the relationships of those around you. Clutter can inhibit the ability to interpret the emotional expressions on people’s faces. Coupled with the inability to focus and process information that is discussed with you, your conversations could become a struggle, leaving you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. And don’t think for a second that it’ll all disappear when you lay your head down to rest. It’s been proven that sleeping in a cluttered room makes you more likely to have sleeping problems, including difficulties in falling asleep and being disturbed during the night.

Clutter eventually begins to chip away at your mental health. The lack of energy thanks to the sleepless nights, and difficulty concentrating can further lead to depression, making it even more difficult to start cleaning up.

The dangers of clutter on your health

In cases where houses are extremely packed up with clutter, the response of our body and brains is that of a fight or flight response, constantly taxing our physical resources designed for survival. These in turn can trigger psychological changes that affect how our bodies digest our food and ward off infections and illnesses. Research found that people who lived in cluttered homes had higher levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone, in their bodies.

 These psychological triggers can also lead to poor eating habits, and thus weight gain. People in cluttered environments were found to be more likely to eat unhealthy snacks and junk food, than those who were in a less busy surroundings.

Speaking of risks to your health, living in an extremely messy environment also increases your risk of physical injury. Tripping over items that are left lying around as well as the potential fire risk, especially when these items block your escape route, should be a good enough reason to start clearing up the spaces around you.

So what can you do about it?

Sometimes clutter in the home could be a sign of an underlying mental health issue, and in these cases it’s important that you consult a qualified councillor or therapist. However, by starting small and setting manageable goals for yourself, you’ll see how quickly the spaces around you (and your mind) improve. In fact, clutter is one of the easiest life stressors to fix.

When beginning to declutter, remember the following; if you don’t use it, don’t need it, and don’t want it – then toss it, recycle it or donate it.

Here are FIVE KEY STEPS to a less cluttered home

1. Start with small areas, such as a drawer in the kitchen, or your cupboard. Try to complete at least one small task per day. Even making your bed or doing the dishes is a good start. By finishing one small area at a time, it gives you a sense of accomplishment as you see your successes and begin benefitting from them.

2. Create designated places for items. Frequently used items should have a spot that is easily accessible in order to find it quickly and easily when needed. However, try to make those spots in drawers or cupboards – in other words, out of sight. If items are left stored on open shelves or countertops, your mind still “sees” these items and the visual stimuli will continue to stress you out.

3. Everything has a place and everything in its place. When something is taken out to be used, ensure that it is returned once you are finished using it. It sounds extremely simple, but it actually takes a lot of practice and commitment.

4. Papers are the worst! Random papers piled up everywhere are one of the greatest stressors when it comes to clutter. Mail, menus, newspapers, etc. are constantly filing our homes, but the key here is to be conscious of what you bring into the house. Also try to throw away any unnecessary paperwork, as soon as possible.

5. Keep at it. It is important to never give up on the process of decluttering. Although you went through a major deep clean in January, the couple of months passed means more paperwork, another Birthday, another occasion where items have come into the house and are sitting uninvited in that drawer, that corner or on the desktop. Start your process all over again to ensure your house is kept clutter-free at all times.

Top Tips

• If you use it, but only rarely, store it in a box in the garage and put a date on the box. If you haven't opened the box in a year, whatever is inside is probably not something you need. Get rid of it. One person’s trash is another’s treasure.

• At work, it’s absolutely normal for things to get a bit crazy when you’re working but try to make sure you declutter your workspace before you leave every day. Put everything back in its place and you will find that you have more of a sense of closure when you leave. You’ll also return to a clean desk in the morning!

•  Mental decluttering is extremely important too. Try to focus on one project at a time without distractions such as cell phones, emails, and other electronic gadgets. You'll be amazed at how much more you can accomplish when you focus on a project without allowing anything else to distract you.

One last note here. Clutter isn’t always bad. One study showed that a messy desk can actually make us more creative. By having a neat, ordered environment, it tends to make us more likely to play it safe, not allowing us to break with the norm and look at things in a new, creative way.