De-clutter to Destress: 4 Surprising Benefits

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I love spring cleaning. I get major satisfaction out of de-cluttering and downsizing my home, my desk … even my compute. There is a flipside: I detest piled-high stuff and crammed-full junk drawers. So every year about this time I get rid of space-hogging objects, files that aren’t serving a purpose and anything I haven’t used/worn in the past year. To make it more fun, I usually download some new tunes (my faves right now: Hey Ho by The Lumineers, Blow Me (One Last Kiss) by Pink and anything by Mumford  & Sons), crank ’em up and get down and dirty. Instead of thinking of it as a chore, I think of it as a calorie-burner – like cardio class with benefits. Yes, I get a cleaner house, but it turns out there are more health benefits to purging than just cleanliness…

Reduces stress
Have you noticed that when your house is clean and organized you feel calmer? I have. It’s kinda like that feeling I get walking into a serene yoga space – instant calm. In short, mess causes stress. Untidy homes and workspaces can make us feel anxious and overwhelmed. Principles of Feng Shui even say that clutter drains positive energy.

Frees up time
Do you spend way too much time looking for lost keys, your misplaced wallet or that important form that’s “here somewhere”? The more organized your space, the less time you spend looking for lost stuff. Plus, de-cluttering makes cleaning faster and easier (less stuff to dust and vacuum around).

Frees up mental space
Have you ever noticed that it’s tough to concentrate on mental tasks when your house or office is a disaster zone? That’s because clutter can bombard your mind and overstimulate your senses (a cluttered space = a cluttered mind). Instead of focusing on the task at hand, you get sidetracked by all the stimuli. But once you tackle that junk drawer or get rid of all the unmatched socks, it’s like a mental weight’s been lifted.

Increases productivity
Stuff overload can be more than a distraction; it can reduce your ability to focus and get things done. It can even cripple job performance. But cleaning up the mess around you can boost both creativity and productivity. Try it! You have nothing to lose… but stuff you don’t use.

How do you purge? Share your tips for de-cluttering in the comments section below.

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