Unclutter To Destress – Hoarding And Cluttering Undone

It's been said that clearing the home will clear the mind. If you've been feeling anxious lately or struggling to get out of the slump that you've fallen into, one problem that could be contributing to your symptoms is that you have too much stuff in your home.

The Study

Studies have shown that those who live in a cluttered home are more likely to suffer from the symptoms of depression and anxiety — with the worst cases being tied to those with hoarding tendencies. You should know that there's a difference between hoarding and cluttering a home. When a person hoards stuff, they are unable to emotionally let go of it without feeling an extreme loss. When a person who clutters things up gets rid of stuff, it can sometimes lead to relief.

If you are a clutterer, not a hoarder, you should be able to clear the extra stuff out of your home relatively painlessly. If you're a hoarder, you'll need some help getting it done – you may not even be able to be present when the stuff is cleared out of your home and hauled away. You may even need to talk with a therapist and possibly go on medications to control the anxiety and depression that can hit during this process. But, when the home is cleared and you've had a chance to adapt to the changes, you'll be able to work on regaining your life as it once was and finding your way out of the depression and anxiety that have trapped you in the house with all of that stuff.

Tips to Get Started

Finding a starting point can be the greatest challenge at this point — where exactly do you start. So many people get stuck at this step that they never even move to the next step where they begin cleaning the stuff out. Think about it this way — where is the one place in your home that you spend the most time? That's where you'll start.

Lease a storage unit so that you have a place to take all of the stuff. After you get it there, you can worry about sorting through it and getting rid of what you don't want, what you want to keep and the stuff that you're unsure of – until then, you don't have to worry about parting with anything — you're just moving it.

This can be a challenging time, but it will be so rewarding when you see what your home can look like and how it can feel to walk into a clutter-free room.


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