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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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reachlink.com
article
https://www.reachlink.com/advice/anxiety/clutter-and-anxiety
For some people, the relationship between clutter and anxiety points to something more complex. When organizing efforts consistently fail to bring relief, or when shame spirals accompany every glance at a cluttered space, these patterns may signal that deeper issues are at play. Warning signs include persistent anxiety that remains even after decluttering, avoiding having people over due to embarrassment, difficulty completing daily tasks because of environmental overwhelm, or feeling [...] Research shows that clutter creates visual chaos that overwhelms the brain's processing capacity. When we're surrounded by disorganized items, our cortisol levels can increase, and our ability to focus diminishes. The brain interprets clutter as unfinished business, creating a persistent low-level stress response. This constant stimulation can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed, difficulty concentrating, and increased anxiety symptoms. [...] People with anxiety disorders often experience heightened sensitivity to their surroundings. Research on anxiety disorders and environmental factors supports the connection between environmental conditions and anxiety symptoms. A cluttered space can trigger overwhelm responses, making it difficult to relax or focus.
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neurosciencenews.com
news
https://neurosciencenews.com/anxiety-stress-messy-home-23874
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This shows a very messy room.
# Why Household Mess Triggers Stress and Anxiety
Summary: The presence of clutter can often lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. The brain tends to favor order, reducing the competition for attention and mental load.
While clutter affects many, women may experience heightened stress levels due to societal expectations and roles. [...] ## 3 Comments
The correlation between anxiety and a messy home is a topic that hits close to home for many of us. This article does a great job of shedding light on the link between our mental well-being and our living environment.
It’s fascinating to see how our external surroundings can have such a profound impact on our internal state of mind. As someone who has experienced the stress of a cluttered living space, I can attest to the truth of these findings. [...] We will all live with clutter and disorganisation to some degree in our lives. Sometimes, however, significant clutter problems can be linked to underlying mental health conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, hoarding disorder, major depressive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety disorders.
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www1.racgp.org.au
news
https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/what-does-clutter-do-to-your-brain-…
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. [...] 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. [...] Buying more and more things we think we need, and then not getting rid of them, is an actual disorder in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM–V). According to DSM–V, those with hoarding disorder compulsively acquire possessions on an ongoing basis and experience anxiety and mental anguish when they are thrown away.
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nuvancehealth.org
news
https://www.nuvancehealth.org/health-tips-and-news/how-clutter-affects-your-b…
If a messy room has ever made you feel anxious or stressed out, you’re not alone — and there’s a biological reason for it. Clutter can trigger a stress response in the body. For example, a study found women who described their homes as “cluttered” had significantly higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day. Your brain releases cortisol when you’re under pressure; consistently elevated levels suggest the untidy environment genuinely taxed these women’s brains and bodies. [...] Related content: How inflammation in the body affects your health
Clutter-induced stress can often become a difficult cycle to break. Disorganization can cause anxiety because you feel pressured by the constant visual reminder of things left undone or disorganized. This in turn makes it harder to muster the energy and focus to clean up the clutter. [...] Meanwhile, the clutter remains, or grows, adding to your stress and anxiety the next time you confront it. You can see how quickly this feedback loop spirals: Clutter creates stress, and stress prevents us from clearing the clutter. But you can break out of this loop — keep reading for tips.
Related content: The neuroscience and health benefits of experiencing awe and wonder
## How clutter effects information processing in the brain
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apa.org
news
https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/clutter
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. [...] and clutter. So the more clutter you have, the lower people report life satisfaction. Greater the stress. So here we are living in this consumer culture, but more and more, more. Buy, buy, buy. Well, you’re actually not living a good complete life because you’ll be less satisfied. [...] So it’s an interesting link between procrastination and clutter, and we’ve published a few studies on that. One form of procrastination is decisional procrastination. That’s the cognitive form. Indecision is an interesting strategy that people use because they did some publications, experimental studies looking at is it a cognitive deficit? Is it that people who are indecisive just can’t make the decision? Or is it motivational? And of course, a variety of tasks, it came up motivational. So
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webmd.com
article
https://www.webmd.com/balance/ss/slideshow-clutter-affects-health
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 [...] When everything is in order, you know exactly where you put your glasses and keys so you can grab them and go on with your day. That saves time and a whole lot of hassle. In one study, women who saw their homes as cluttered had high levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day, while those who described their abode as a well-organized, restful space had lower levels.
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## It Doesn’t Get Easier
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psychologytoday.com
article
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/high-octane-women/201203/why-mess-cau…
5. Clutter makes us anxious because we're never sure what it's going to take to get through to the bottom of the pile.
6. Clutter creates feelings of guilt ("I should be more organized") and embarrassment, especially when others unexpectedly drop by our homes or workspaces.
7. Clutter inhibits creativity and productivity by invading the open spaces that allow most people to think, brainstorm, and problem-solve. [...] Clutter can play a significant role in how we feel about our homes, our workplaces, and ourselves. Messy homes and workspaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed. Yet, rarely is clutter recognized as a significant source of stress in our lives.
Why does mess lead to so much stress? [...] ### Key points
Clutter in one's workspace constantly signals to the brain that one's work is never done.
Making a habit of cleaning one's workspace before leaving for the day can stop clutter from becoming a source of stress.
Mental clutter can be just as stressful, if not more stressful, than physical clutter.