Is decluttering good for mental health?

Decluttering—is it good for mental health?

For people with hoarding tendencies, decluttering may not be good for their mental health initially—they will be stressed. Many hoarders will need professional help in order to declutter. Even those ordered to clean out a home in order to keep their children have failed. Marriages have failed when a hoarder cannot overcome their disability.

For regular ordinary folks such as packrats, collectors, shopping fiends with purpose, maybe decluttering is good for their mental health. Crafters will take you out if you mess with their supplies. Ahem, maybe that last was a little extreme, but you get the drift.

We all have different levels of organization and clutter tolerance. Problems develop when differing personalities share the same space. Many of us have a little hidden area in our lives where clutter hides…that closet, storage building, garage, attic, basement, spare bedroom, and junk drawer.

No one can declutter for you. You will resent them. You have to do it for yourself. You might ask for muscle power; however, unless you request it, you will not really want the verbal input such as, “why are you keeping that,” or “are you really going to get rid of that,” or “if you don’t want this, I’d really like to have it.”

I have organized a church kitchen, lots of cleaning, labeling, getting like with like, and donating some needed items to the church. The process did not involve getting rid of anything: just giving everything a home…and decluttering is complete.

I have helped a few friends organize some areas in their homes, with suggestions of where or how to store or display things….but did not comment about what they chose to keep or discard. In addition, I have been asked back to help again.

Decluttering need not mean disposal of items…if you do not have an overabundance of items in the first place. It can mean creating an oasis of calm, a retreat, an action station geared for your work style, a craft space/room.

Zoning, by placing items needed for a specific activity in close proximity, does help with removing clutter. Knowing the method of organization that works best for you will make the process easier.

Having a vision for a room or workspace and removing items that do not support that vision can be considered “decluttering.” Completing the process to achieve the vision for the area is liberating.

I do not know about you, but when I am successful in achieving a goal, my mental self gives me a high five. In this instance, decluttering is good for mental health.

You decide for yourself. Is the goal worth achieving? Are you willing to put forth the effort? Do you feel better after achieving your goal? Is being positive about yourself good?

Hum, you have the answer. What is your conclusion? Is decluttering good for your mental health?