![]() You’re probably more familiar with functional clutter. Because clearing out this kind of clutter requires confronting old goals and past versions of yourself, accepting yourself as you are, and unpacking your relationship to your possessions, it can feel pretty treacherous. Those sentimental items you struggle to part with or untouched supplies for all those pandemic hobbies you swear you’ll get around to one day, yeah, that’s all emotional mess. ![]() Emotional clutter is less about how much stuff you have or how it’s organized and more about what your stuff represents and how it makes you feel. Your emotional experience of decluttering depends on the two kinds of stuff clunking up your bedroom chair, closet, and the abyss under your bed: functional clutter and emotional clutter. “Ideally, you’ll wind up happier at the end of it, but you can't ignore the fact that addressing the clutter itself is often a very personal and emotional process,” says Mary Houston, LCSW, cofounder of The Cove, a telehealth practice that serves adults in North Carolina. While the benefits of a clear space are sorta obvious, actually achieving that ~look~ isn’t as simple as a before and after pic. Research aside, putting stuff in its place can give you a sense of control in a world where you spend a lot of time and mental energy on things that are uncertain and unpredictable, says Dr. And a survey of people with mild to severe clutter issues suggested that the negative effects of messiness can take away from the participants’ overall quality of life. More hype-affirming research: One study from the early aughts found that women who described their homes as cluttered were more likely to feel depressed and stressed than women who didn’t. If you’ve ever avoided having people over because of your closet explosion or ordered takeout instead of cooking because your oven doubles as storage, you get it. While those who were hyped up about organizing found the decluttering process easier and more enjoyable, all three groups still experienced relatively high positive emotions after they finished.Īnd maybe that’s because clutter can chip away at your sense of happiness and well-being even if it doesn’t really bother you on a daily basis. A 2022 study on emotions and motives related to decluttering found that participants had one of three attitudes about the deed: enthusiastic, disengaged, or challenged. Makes sense!īut even if the process of going through your things is really not your jam, getting it done can still have mental fitness perks. For example, those who find a clean, organized space incredibly satisfying and restorative might benefit more than those who aren’t bothered by mess, says Dr. Researchers have actually investigated whether decluttering can benefit your mental health from a lot of different angles, and the answer is a resounding…maybe! “The mental health benefits vary depending on each individual’s situation,” says clinical psychologist Dawn Potter, PsyD. But is tidying up as life-changing or magical as the hype would lead you to believe? From interrogating your closet with Marie Kondo (“Does this spark joy?!?!? Does it?!) to Pinterest organizational porn on how to declutter your home, cleaning for your mental health has long been an inescapable tip in the self-care canon. If you’ve been online in the past decade, chances are, you’ve stumbled across a lofty claim or 12 about the alleged benefits of decluttering.
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