How To Reduce Stress At Home By Clearing Up Clutter
How To Reduce Stress At Home
If you are wondering how to reduce stress at home then I want to tell you about one of the most overlooked causes of stress and how dealing with it will seriously reduce your stress levels.
Clutter!
Stuff lying everywhere. Dirty dishes in the sink, an overflowing laundry basket, toys not put away in their toy box, a desk covered in pens, mail, books and magazines.
I get it – none of us enjoys cleaning up, especially after others, but while ignoring it is OK for a while, it still needs to be done and it will be nagging away at your subconscious mind.
When you’re stressed, you may say that housework is the farthest thing from your mind. But hear me out here. Even the busiest workaholic can benefit from tidying up the house.
When your home is enveloped with clutter, you feel exhausted and overwhelmed. Perhaps you keep telling yourself that you need to clean the house, but you can never find time to do it.
This is an all too familiar scenario for many people, when the pressures of home and work life weigh down upon you. But surprisingly, stress relief can actually start in the home and spill into other aspects of your life. When your house is clean, you feel a lot less stressed. No longer do you have to step over toys and dirty clothes, but you can walk without worrying about tripping.
Step 1 – Clean Up
Take time to clear out clutter. While cleaning the house may at times seem like an insurmountable task, it is actually one of the most effective ways to find more energy.
Even if you’re running low on energy, taking a few minutes to pick up some clutter will give you a significant energy boost, which in turn will lower your stress levels and aid in stress relief.
Add this into your daily repertoire, and you have the recipe for a happier, less stressful life.
When clearing clutter, don’t try to do too much at once. Instead, focus on clearing a small area. Pick up whatever is on the floor and throw away whatever you don’t use anymore.
Oftentimes you are the cause of your own stress. You place unnecessary demands on yourself, and you promise to do things that may be too much. This takes time away from housework and chores in the home.
When you’re clearing clutter, don’t let people distract you. Clean when you are alone, if at all possible. This cuts down on the chances of getting frustrated. Plus, it gives you the peace of mind of knowing you can get this done alone.
Enjoy A Break
As a result of your efforts you will find that you think more clearly, and you may actually have the energy to do more. But be sure to use that energy wisely. The rest of the family will be home before long!
Tell yourself that you can do this. It’s easy to get distracted and give up on cleaning. A lot of times this happens when you try to do too much in a short period of time. Focus on small tasks. Leave the rest for later.
When you clear an open space, you will also begin to feel less stressed, which will slow down your racing thoughts, and free you to deal with other pressing issues. Not to mention you will have more time to relax and enjoy life.
Take breaks. Don’t set a time window on yourself to finish cleaning. Instead, take small breaks in between to catch your breath and figure out what you need to do next.
If you find that cleaning becomes more of a stressor than a stress management technique, set the room aside and return to it later.
Stay hydrated, and eat small snacks in between. When you haven’t had something to eat or drink for a while, it’s easy to lose steam. Eat small snacks periodically to refuel.
When you’ve finished clearing a room of clutter, take time to do something you enjoy. You will find that you feel a lot better, and your energy level increases.
When your home is clean, you feel a lot more motivated to do other things, and you take a step toward a happier, less stressful day.
Don’t worry too much about making sure every little crumb is removed from a room. Focus more on clearing out an open space. Get rid of excess stuff. Arrange furniture, if it makes you feel better. Finally, when you’re finished, take a moment to revel in the final product. Congratulate yourself on a job well done. Your heart will thank you for it.
Dump Your Junk
When your home is clean there is one more thing for you to do and that is to dump your junk. Many of us are incredible hoarders who just don’t seem to be able to part with anything.
Take time to walk around your home and look at what you have in every room. If you see something you use regularly then make sure you have put the item away somewhere for it to be stored until the next time you need it.
You are bound to see stuff that you haven’t used for ages. Ask yourself to be honest about when or even if you will ever use it again. If you think it might be useful again then make sure it is put away until needed. If it’s not going to be used again then either dump it, sell it or give it away to charity.
The same applies to your wardrobe. Look through all your clothes and if you haven’t worn it in the last year then it’s time for it to go and free up some space. You can even reward yourself for your hard work by buying something new.
Clear your clutter and de-stress your life 
Having an open space make you feel a lot freer. It makes your space seem larger. Being enclosed is a source of stress for a lot of people.
I’m not saying you need to clean the entire house in one day, or that you have to clean at super speed. All I’m saying is that clearing clutter will clear your mind and help you think more clearly. As a stress relief technique, this does wonders for an overloaded mind.
It is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce unnecessary stress. By clearing your home of clutter, you clear your mind of the tension most people know too well. And you make your home a more pleasant, livable space!
Best wishes
David
By the way – Don’t forget to download your free copy of my EBook, Simple Solutions For A Stressful Life
I completely agree! I always find that cleaning up my room and organizing all of my stuff helps me to stress less and to be able to keep all of my tasks in order. Do you by chance know why that is? I wonder why our brain gets so stressed out by some dirty dishes and laundry.
I think it’s a case of knowing that there is an unenjoyable task that needs to be done and if you put it off your subconscious keeps nagging you about it needing to be done
I have a friend that when he becomes angry he just starts tidying up his apartment. He said this is actually a way he uses to keep himself calm and I totally understand his point after reading this post. There is something about tidying up our apartment. It gives a kind of energy to me which I cannot just understand and it has happened more than ones. It is a great way to reduce stress.
I think it’s a combination of distracting yourself from whatever might have upset you and getting a sense of achievement from having done something that benefits you.
Hello, I read your post and I enjoyed reading it.
House cleaning can be a rather daunting task especially for people like me who work from dawn to dusk. Most times, my mind always get clouded on things I know I should have done that I’m not doing. Most times, I tend to look for an excuse to divert my mind from them however, I found it difficult to until I get them cleaned. But I would like to seek clarification, whenever I try to enjoy a break when cleaning, I always lose interest in the cleaning. Does it happen to you too? How many minutes is ideal for break when cleaning?
Thanks for taking the time to read the article and leave this comment. I try to take a short break when I have finished clearing a particular area and give myself a small reward such as a coffee. The break should be long enough to feel refreshed but not so long that you lose enthusiasm. 5-10 minutes usually works for me
As a person who must live every day with chronic depression and anxiety, let me just say that you are 100% correct. As each area becomes cluttered or needs attention, it builds up in your mind until it adds to the feeling of being completely overwhelmed.
I will pick a space, it may be a small space at first, and clean it. it feels so much better and it encourages me to do more – maybe not right away but maybe later in the day or the next day. As each space gets cleaned, I can then start to feel proud of my home instead of living in fear that someone might drop by and see the mess that I’m living in.
You can also, as mentioned, feel good about getting rid of that clutter. Like the old saying, if you haven’t used it in 2 years, you probably don’t need it. Have a garage sale. Give to those more needy. Give the clothes to a society that can either use them or will recycle the fabric. The sense of accomplishment from doing this is beyond words.
I truly hope that more people undergoing anxiety and stress in their lives read this article and take to heart your words. Well done!
Thanks very much for your interesting and thoughtful comment. I think you are right to start small and then build it up. I’m glad you see the value in deciding what you don’t need and donating it to somebody who might benefit from it
Ack, those clutter photos make me cringe! I think it’s great that KonMari and applying the “Kondo” method to personal possessions has become so popular. It’s helpful to look at the clutter and ask if something sparks joy or not… If not, you can thank the item for the place it had in your life and then let it go.
I recently moved into a new home and it was a great time to really evaluate my stuff and donate things that I had not used in a long while. Donating all those things that had just been occupying space without being used was a great way to clean up and get more organized!
Thanks for your interesting comment – I wasn’t familiar with the kondo method. I’m glad you were able to free up some space by sorting out stuff and getting rid of what you don’t need
Stress is a big factor in many people’s lives. Personally, I have experienced stress and I have tried so many ways to overcome this. I totally agree that cleaning definitely helps with keeping you focused on chores rather than the things that are causing you to be depressed.
I, too, often enjoy taking a break from it all. I like to just relax and watch some television or just go to the beach and sit and look at the ocean. Stress can be an overwhelming thing so I really appreciate this article with helping to manage the things that often keep us down.
Hi Stacii. Thanks very much for your input. You are so right to say about doing things to take your mind off what might be making you feel down. The sense of achievement when it is all done is a great boost too
I feel like you’ve just taken a snapshot into my mind and then shared it back with me. I’m a house husband and have been for the last ten years or so.’Clutter’ is a constant irritant and one that can cause perpetual exasperation. I totally agree that the best time to clean is when I am on my own with no distractions. I am a firm believer in ‘chunking’ and just concentrating on one area at a time. I’m not a moaner anymore because it doesn’t seem to make any difference and as a family of six it’s hard to find the main culprit for litter dropping. One thing I try to stay consistent with is, picking up ‘things’ when moving between rooms. It’s easy to just think ‘I’ll do it later’ or to not even think about it. That does tend to help the situation. Last week there was a period of three days when there were only three of us at home and for the most part, it was just me. It was bliss. I cleaned and tidied and it stayed that way for the entire time. It was like being on holiday in my own home. Of course, that all changed when the rest of them returned. I think better in a tidy house, a much clearer perspective on things that allows for greater productivity.
Thanks very much for sharing your experiences. I agree about chunking – it’s a great way to get lots of stuff done without feeling burned out. I’m glad you were able to enjoy a few hours of tidiness before the family got home!
Thanks for making me understand how to experience less stress by simply getting rid of excess stuffs, sometimes I have relaxed attitude to clutter, but reading this article i have come to understand the concept of relieving myself from stress from cluttering although it does really look stressful but I guess it’s worth trying. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for making me understand how to experience how to build self confidence and reduce stress by simply getting rid of excess stuffs, I didn’t think this through as a means of reducing stress although sometimes I have this relaxed attitude to clutter but reading this article i have come to understand the concept of relieving myself from stress from cluttering although it does really look stressful but I guess it’s worth trying. Thanks for this informative article.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. You should definitely try decluttering your place – it’ll be worth it when its all done