Do you find you are stressed because there is never enough time in the day and it feels impossible to keep the house tidy? Does your home have clutter?
Clutter can:
-increase stress, anxiety, overwhelm
-decrease quality of sleep, ability to focus, productivity
-cause tension in the home and affect relationships
- even cause respiratory illnesses due to dust
By getting rid of clutter you save time and money by:
-having less items to move, cleanup and tidy
-ease of finding the things in your house
-shopping less
-maintaining, organizing and cleaning less items
-easy to clean because there is less stuff to move and put away to clean
How to pick the items to get rid of without the guilt:
-notice how the item makes you feel. Are there are negative feelings associated with it? (do you put on a shirt, even though it doesn’t feel that comfortable or doesn’t fit quite right you save it in case you might wear it one day?)
-“I might use it one day, but haven’t used it in half a decade”
-expired items (cosmetics, food seasonings, fridge)
-many of the same item (ie.kitchen items, blankets, scarves)
-everything needs to have a home or it will likely be left out and cause clutter
-it doesn’t serve a purpose anymore and will not in the future (ie. baby toys)
How to feel good about getting rid of your clutter:
-sell your items (It's always nice making a little cash by selling your items. Platforms like Kijiji and Facebook marketplace make it super easy to sell items)
-consignment stores (you get to make a bit of money when they sell and you are supporting your local store and economy and your clothes get to live on)
-donate your items, it always feels so good knowing someone else in need can have your items (donation bins and places like the Salvation Army take everything from bras, to blankets, to pictures, to books, etc. Your local recycling or landfill might even have a donation section for items that are still functional but no longer needed. So you don’t need to throw things in the landfill)
-get your kids involved (they will like going through stuff and giving items to other kids in need)
-give your belongings to friends and family (I.e., baby stuff )
-recycle items (metals, electronics, appliances)
Once you start making progress and you can see less clutter, it will feel really good. Buying things can increase levels of dopamine which is your feel good hormone, but when you keep buying things and your home gets cluttered you have increased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Get more time back and reduce stress by getting rid of clutter.