It can be difficult to keep your living space tidy and organised. With busy work schedules and family life taking up most of our energy, it’s easy to let things slip. But while it might not seem like it, having a tidy and organised home can significantly impact your mental health.
Overwhelming the brain
Living in a cluttered and disorganised environment can make you feel overwhelmed and anxious. Too much visual stimulus can overload the brain, leading to feelings of stress and anxiety. By optimising your space with smart storage solutions such as fitted wardrobes or hanging shelves, you can make sure that everything has its place, making it easier to find what you need quickly when needed. This can help keep your living space tidy and organised without spending too much time tidying up.
Increased stress levels
Having an untidy living space can also contribute to increased levels of stress. Not being able to find what you need when you need it causes frustration and leads to even more clutter accumulating in the home. This makes the entire space feel chaotic, which in turn increases stress levels. Whereas a tidy living space gives off an air of calmness, helping reduce stress levels associated with chaos.
Tidying gives a sense of control
Having control over our environment is essential for good mental health – especially when we feel overwhelmed by our circumstances or external factors outside of our control. Tidying up your home provides a sense of control over one area, which helps us gain better overall control over our lives. It also helps us feel calmer in situations where we may not have total control over everything around us – focusing on something that we do have control over (i.e., tidying up) helps create a sense of balance in our lives during difficult times.
Staying organised
Once you’ve achieved a tidy living space, staying organised is key for maintaining good mental health long-term. Setting aside some time each day (or week) for tidying up is important for keeping your home clean and clutter-free, which will help reduce feelings of anxiety or overwhelm throughout the day/week/month.
Additionally, setting up routines is another great way to stay organised – such as setting aside time each evening before bed to clean the kitchen or do laundry, so things don’t pile up during the week.
Allowing yourself time each day/week devoted solely towards maintaining order and organisation in your home will help promote positive mental health long-term. By understanding how our physical environment affects our mental health, we are better able to take action steps towards creating an optimal environment for our well-being.
Your physical environment directly affects your emotional well-being. Ensuring that you have a tidy and organised living space is key for maintaining good mental health long-term.
Dennis Relojo-Howell is the managing director of Psychreg.
