Look around you. Do you see old furniture being held up by a makeshift solution? Are there more showpieces than books on the floor to ceiling bookcase? Can you barely see the floor and the walls because there is far too much stuffed into a room? Do you take hours to find a single item because you have to sieve through all the clutter in your space?
This is a normal predicament most people find themselves in after a number of years spent in a home. Over time, we accumulate way too many clothes, footwear, knick-knacks, stationery and even more furniture in the quest to find a place to put all these things. We lose track of what’s necessary, what’s meaningful and what is useful and end up with so much stuff that we simply do not need.
Being surrounded by constant clutter can have many adverse effects on our health, mental health, your daily routines and familial relationships. Clutter can psychologically suffocate people even when they don’t realise it. And it’s probably affecting you too, which is why it has got to go. If you need inspiration or impetus to get started on your decluttering your space journey, here are 8 ways decluttering will change your life…
New sense of calm
Clutter in your home and mental clutter seem to have an inverse relationship – mental clutter could mirror physical clutter and vice versa. While both need tackling, it is easier to get started on decluttering your space. As you go through your stuff and divide it into piles to keep, donate and dispose of, you will experience a new sense of calm, which will in turn help you declutter mentally and emotionally and deal with thoughts and feelings that have left you scattered in the past.
Reduced stress
Just seeing clutter all around is a constant reminder of the hundreds of unfinished tasks vying for your attention. This can cause some serious stress. Addressing clutter and making more space in your home will significantly reduce stress and leave you at peace with yourself and your home.
Reduces family tiffs
With clutter all around it is easier to get into squabbles over things you can’t seem to find or chores that seem to be other’s responsibilities. Decluttering will decrease the pressure within a family and the volume of chores and responsibilities allocated to each member, and will make it easier to find necessary items, thereby, reducing tension in the household.
Better overall health
When you declutter your home and do away with extra furniture, clothes and household items, you are essentially reducing the number of surfaces that allergens and dust lives on. This will ensure that the air you’re breathing is cleaner and therefore you’ll enjoy better overall health.
Rediscovery of meaningful items
There’s a high chance that some really meaningful items are buried deep under the clutter in your home. Decluttering will give you a chance to connect with your belongings, to remember the stories attached with each item and to rediscover some meaningful gems that bring back a lot of lovely memories.
You no longer feel permanently tired
You may see unattended clutter around you and immediately your mind tells you that you’ve had a long day and the tiredness of a busy schedule latches itself on to you. Automatically you’re feeling tires and you decide to tackle the clutter another day. This keeps you feeling permanently tired. Hunkering down and decluttering your space will lift that responsibility off your shoulders once and for all, leaving you with a sense of accomplishment instead of constant fatigue.
You’re able to help those in need
There is enough for everyone on this planet. And clutter simply means that you are living with more things than you need. So doing away with it will give you a chance to donate stuff that’s in perfectly good condition to lesser fortunate people – a golden opportunity to help those in need.
Helps foster a gratitude mindset
Have you looked around and seen the things you own? You have so much stuff that has served you and has made life easier, at least for a certain amount of time. You have also been able to afford all that is around you. Let that sink in. Now that some items are no longer useful in your home, say a word of gratitude while saying goodbye to them as they move on to other homes and serve their purpose there.