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sagetherapy.com
news
https://www.sagetherapy.com/post/clearing-the-chaos-how-clutter-affects-our-m…
## The Mental Health Clutter Cycle
Research shows a strong link between clutter and mental well-being. A study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that people who described their homes as cluttered or unfinished were more likely to experience higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. Clutter can overstimulate the brain, making it harder to focus and process information. It can also contribute to feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, and even shame. [...] At the same time, mental health challenges can make clutter harder to manage. Depression can sap motivation and energy, anxiety can turn decision-making into a minefield, and conditions like ADHD can make sustained organization feel nearly impossible. This cycle can create a feedback loop — mental health impacts clutter, and clutter impacts mental health — that feels tough to break.
## Clutter vs. Style: Embracing What Feels Good [...] Be mindful about the purpose behind decluttering. Remind yourself that creating space in your physical environment can help reduce mental clutter, which in turn can ease stress and anxiety.
8. Take Breaks and Practice Self-Care
If you start to feel mentally or physically exhausted, take breaks. Go for a walk, hydrate, or simply rest. Decluttering isn’t a race, and it’s important to pace yourself and care for your mental health throughout the process.
9. Celebrate Small Wins
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verywellmind.com
article
https://www.verywellmind.com/decluttering-our-house-to-cleanse-our-minds-5101511
Verywell / Laura Porter
### Key Takeaways
Clutter can significantly impact mental health by increasing stress and making it difficult to relax. While some may find a cluttered environment creatively inspiring, for others, excess items contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed and unfocused. By recognizing these effects, it becomes possible to manage clutter and improve overall well-being.
## What Is the Impact of Clutter on Mental Health? [...] You might tell yourself, I'll declutter eventually. But time keeps passing, and your home, office, or car is still filled to the brim with stuff. If any of this resonates with you, you're not alone. But many people don't realize the connection between clutter and mental health.
Accumulating a few extra possessions may not seem like a big deal, but clutter can negatively impact your mental health. It can increase stress levels, make it hard to focus, strain relationships, and more. [...] The clutter in your environment can even cause you to develop negative feelings about your home. In a 2016 study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, researchers suggest that this is because 'home' is more than just where we live.
Instead, they suggest that home is a constellation of situations, experiences, and meanings. The individual shapes these experiences, but they are also shaped by them.
For this reason, excessive clutter was found to harm subjective well-being.
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nuvancehealth.org
news
https://www.nuvancehealth.org/health-tips-and-news/how-clutter-affects-your-b…
The bottom line: Clutter isn’t just a visual nuisance — it affects your brain health. Research shows clutter can overwhelm your mind, drain your focus, heighten stress and disrupt sleep. But don’t let clutter clutter your thoughts: By clearing your space and calming your thoughts, you can boost your attention, lower anxiety and have better cognitive and emotional well-being.
### Work with us [...] Studies have found people living in cluttered homes are more likely to experience insomnia and poor sleep quality. Stress and mental stimulation from clutter can keep the brain alert and uneasy, even at night. It’s hard for your mind to power down when it’s bombarded by signs of chaos or by racing thoughts about things you haven't done yet. [...] Research confirms people think more clearly, and even become less irritable and more productive, in an organized setting than in a cluttered one. By decluttering, you free up mental bandwidth. Decisions — even simple ones like what to have for dinner or which task to do first — come a bit easier when your brain isn’t constantly managing the excess stimuli and mental load that clutter creates.
Related content: How to achieve physical, mental and emotional wellness for better overall health
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apa.org
news
https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/clutter
It’s tiring. It’s exhausting. As we said, it could be an emotional trigger, but we know that the more clutter leads to more depression, more mood disorders. As I said earlier, lower psychological wellbeing, life satisfaction, negative emotions about the self. People with lots of clutter do lots of self devaluing the data shows. We didn’t do this study, but a study had been done that found it’s related to over consumption of unhealthy foods. So people with lots of clutter tend to eat a lot maybe [...] years, psychologist research has begun to find that living and working in cluttered spaces causes stress and anxiety and can harm both our mental health and our productivity. [...] My guest today is Dr. Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology and distinguished professor at DePaul University in Chicago. Dr. Ferrari studies the psychology of clutter, including why we accumulate it, how it affects our mental health, and the link between clutter and procrastination. He’s also well known for his research on the causes and consequences of procrastination, and is the author of several books on that subject for researchers, clinicians, and the general public. He has published
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rmcad.edu
research
https://www.rmcad.edu/blog/psychology-of-clutter-designing-organized-and-stre…
Clutter isn’t just a physical problem; it’s also a psychological one. The spaces we keep often mirror the state of our minds, and disorganization can fuel stress, distraction and fatigue. Home organization strategies designed to help people streamline their lives with organized interiors supported by functional and aesthetic design can be used to nurture calm, focus and emotional balance. As designers better understand the connection between mental well-being and our environments, spaces [...] ## Understanding Clutter Psychology
Designers who understand the connection between clutter and mental health also understand the importance of designing functional spaces that smartly and comfortably accommodate the stuff of everyday life.
### How Clutter Impacts Cognition, Mood and Stress
Clutter has several impacts on and correlations with cognition, mood, stress and mental health, including: [...] Physical clutter not only fills our spaces but also our minds, leading to mental fatigue, stress, irritability and heightened anxiety.
### Decision Fatigue, Attachment and the Zeigarnik Effect
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stilwellmemorial.com
article
https://stilwellmemorial.com/healthy-living/the-impact-of-clutter-on-physical…
Increased cortisol levels, especially in women. Cortisol is a hormone associated with chronic stress.
Feeling less satisfaction with life overall.
Inability to focus, which is especially significant if you have ADHD.
Being embarrassed by the clutter, causing you to feel an increased sense of isolation and fear, especially of inviting anyone over. This is one way hoarding contributes to depression and anxiety.
Sensory overload, triggered by a messy space, which may result in memory issues. [...] Our emotions and mental health can be impacted by clutter in various ways, including: [...] Fall risks, if items or piles of papers or books are lying about.
Allergies may be exacerbated due to a buildup of dust minutes, dander, mold, etc.
Furniture or objects are more likely to fall if overloaded with items. This can cause damage to property as well as to your person.
Paper, books, and magazines in excess can increase the risk of fire both by providing fuel for flames as well as by blocking exit pathways.
## How Clutter Affects Our Emotional Health
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www1.racgp.org.au
news
https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/what-does-clutter-do-to-your-brain-…
Bursting cupboards and piles of paper stacked around the house may seem harmless enough. But research shows disorganisation and clutter have a cumulative effect on our brains.
Our brains like order, and constant visual reminders of disorganisation drain our cognitive resources, reducing our ability to focus.
The visual distraction of clutter increases cognitive overload and can reduce our working memory. [...] Clutter can make us feel stressed, anxious and depressed. Research from the United States in 2009, for instance, found the levels of the stress hormone cortisol were higher in mothers whose home environment was cluttered.
A chronically cluttered home environment can lead to a constant low-grade fight or flight response, taxing our resources designed for survival. [...] Charity groups such as St Vincent de Paul are reporting a 38% increase in donations, year on year, as we get rid of the clothes, books and household items that don’t ‘spark joy’ or have a place in our future.
And there is good reason to get on board, whether it’s via the KonMari method, or just having a good clear-out. Clutter can affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus.
W
webmd.com
article
https://www.webmd.com/balance/ss/slideshow-clutter-affects-health
## Memory Issues
Some people who live in cluttered homes have a poorer "working memory," according to research. Your brain is wired to be able to keep track of only a few details at once for a short period, so it can get overloaded when there’s too much going on.
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## Safety First [...] ## Too Much Stuff
If your closets are bursting or your desk is topped with piles of disorganized papers, you may want to take some steps toward a neater home or workspace. While a bit of chaos might have some upsides -- at least one study suggests that a messy room spurs creativity -- it has many more downsides. It can even be damaging for your physical and mental health.
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## Mess Equals Stress [...] A neat, tidy house feels inviting, both for the people who live there as well as guests. A cluttered home may feel the opposite. But shutting people out can take a toll on relationships and make you feel sad and lonely. That could be one reason a hoarding disorder tends to overlap with depression and anxiety disorders.
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## Slips and Falls