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tailoredcloset.com
article
https://www.tailoredcloset.com/near-me/central-austin-tx/local-blog/disorgani…
The Impact of Disorganization on Mental Health
Cluttered and chaotic spaces can negatively affect our ability to focus, leading to increased stress and decreased productivity. When our surroundings are in disarray, it can serve as a constant visual reminder of tasks left undone, contributing to feelings of overwhelm and helplessness. This environment can make it difficult to concentrate, leading to procrastination and a sense of being stuck. [...] Disorganization often leads to procrastination, as the sheer volume of clutter can make tasks seem insurmountable. This avoidance can result in a backlog of responsibilities, further increasing stress and anxiety. The constant presence of clutter can create a sense of being overwhelmed, making it difficult to know where to start, thus perpetuating the cycle of disorganization and mental distress.
Physical Health Implications [...] Similarly, anxiety can make organization difficult. Racing thoughts and constant worry may prevent individuals from focusing on tasks, leading to disorganization that, in turn, heightens anxiety levels. This cyclical relationship underscores the importance of addressing both the physical environment and the underlying mental health conditions.
Procrastination and Feeling Overwhelmed
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nuvancehealth.org
news
https://www.nuvancehealth.org/health-tips-and-news/how-clutter-affects-your-b…
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. [...] A disorganized environment and a cluttered mind can overwhelm your brain, impair your focus, increase anxiety and stress, disturb your sleep and even dampen your mood and memory. The good news is, there are ways to manage your environment and thoughts to help reverse these effects.
Related content: Stressed out? Discover the effect of stress on the brain and ways to manage it.
## The neuroscience of clutter: why mess affects the brain [...] When you walk into a chaotic kitchen or trip over clutter on the floor, your brain registers that disarray as a source of stress. It might not be a saber-toothed tiger, but your ancient fight-or-flight mechanisms still kick in with a mild sense of alarm: Something’s not right here. Over time, living in a state of chronic low-grade stress can contribute to anxiety, heightened cortisol, inflammation in the body and even depression.
R
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 [...] 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 [...] ## 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:
W
webmd.com
article
https://www.webmd.com/balance/ss/slideshow-clutter-affects-health
## 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 [...] 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 [...] 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
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www1.racgp.org.au
news
https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/what-does-clutter-do-to-your-brain-…
And surprisingly, it doesn’t go away when we finally get to bed. People who sleep in cluttered rooms are more likely to have sleep problems, including difficulty falling asleep and being disturbed during the night.
Clutter-hero.jpg
People have been found to produce more stress hormones when they are surrounded by clutter.
Could clutter really make us overweight?
Multiple studies have found a link between clutter and poor eating choices. [...] 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. [...] 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.
A
apa.org
news
https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/clutter
Decluttering coaches would say to you, “Don’t run out and buy a bin and start throwing stuff in the bin. Organize.” That’s where they’re called the institute for Challenging Disorganization. Organize, and look and see, “Wow, I have six spatulas. Hey, geez, 15 pairs of blue pants. Wow, look at all these things that I have.” And then you bring in a coach or a good friend, and they have them hold it. Because if they have found, if I touch it as the client, I’m more likely to keep that pair of [...] 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. [...] declutters. They’re the coaches that you would hire if you have a clutter issue. They are the experts. Now, notice their organization doesn’t say the word clutter, because for them it’s all an issue of disorganization. And I’ll explore more of that in a moment.
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pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
official
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9216699
that there were no significant time or condition effects on negative emotional state. Yet, sAA levels were higher in the chaos condition compared to the neutral condition. We found no evidence for negative emotional state or sAA mediating the relation between household chaos and caregiver sensitivity. Because household chaos affected physiological stress in a parenting situation, it should not be ignored when using interventions aimed at reducing stress in parents. More research is needed on [...] In addition to affecting subjective emotional distress in adults reflected by their emotional state, household chaos might also influence more objectively assessed physiological stress. Physiological biomarkers such as salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) serve as a quick and noninvasive indicator of physical stress levels. Increased sAA corresponds with autonomous nervous system (ANS) activity, as the sympathetic and parasympathetic components of the ANS play a role in the physiological response to [...] Second, it is possible that the videotaping elicited such a stress response in the participants already that it overshadowed the effects of chaos on stress levels. Being videotaped has been used with the goal of eliciting stress in participants, e.g., when performing the Trier Social Stress Test . Nonetheless, there is evidence that infant behavior such as crying, elicits an ANS stress response [24,35], as well as a negative emotional state . In addition, if being videotaped was the predominant
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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? [...] 1. Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren't necessary or important.
2. Clutter distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on.
3. Clutter makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.
4. Clutter constantly signals to our brains that our work is never done.