Have you ever asked someone, “What’s wrong?” only to be treated to a tirade that sounds like this:
“I’ve got deadlines coming up, appointments I can’t miss, an event that needs planning, and my house is a mess.”
Well, the person has some legitimate challenges. Not the least of which is the messy house. You see, when you’re disorganized, the stuff around you subconsciously controls and affects your mood, stress level, attitude, perspective…everything.
If clutter is allowed to continue, the mess can have a negative affect on your stress level – which then controls and affects your mood in general and toward others.
Those feelings can contribute to headaches, body aches, depression, insomnia, and all kinds of other harmful symptoms of stress. It’s not until you clean up your mess that you feel in control again and less stressed out.
Not sure if your environment is affecting your mood? Test it out. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Now, go through your house (or office) as quickly as you can, putting away anything that’s not in it’s place.
At the end of 30 minutes, assess your feelings:
- Do you feel more energized?
- Do you feel happy?
- Do you have a sense of relief?
- Do you feel like you can finally relax and focus?
If you answer yes to any of those questions, you can bet that you need to take control of that clutter because it’s starting to take its toll…a mental toll.