clutter

Does Clutter Really Cause Anxiety?

About one in four Americans have a clutter problem. Unfortunately, letting loose items fill your home could impact your mental health. A mess can cause stress, leading to heightened cortisol levels.

Cortisol, your stress hormone, could cause weight gain, skin problems, and other health issues.

What exactly is the connection between clutter and anxiety? Read on to find out.

After reviewing this guide, you can determine if it’s time to request professional house cleaning services to get rid of clutter in your home. 

What Is Clutter?

Before we dive into the connection between disorganization and anxiety, let’s cover the basics. What is clutter, exactly?

A cluttered home indicates you have items strewn about in disarray. In other cases, however, it can mean you’ve accumulated items you don’t use but still hold onto.

You can tell you have a cluttered home if you:

  • Own items you never use or no longer need
  • Have clothes that don’t fit or old electronics
  • Have a junk drawer of things you never use
  • Find yourself purchasing new items to replace lost ones
  • Lack access to certain spaces in your home
  • Don’t want to invite guests because of the mess

You can even start accumulating digital clutter. For example, perhaps you have trouble clearing out your inbox or organizing files on your computer. 

When left unattended, these items can accumulate and create messes within your home. 

Clutter on Mental Health

Over time, items can fill a physical space, leaving us feeling surrounded both mentally and physically. Everyone reacts to clutter in different ways, though. For example, a perfectionist or “neat freak” might feel more stressed out than someone else. 

It’s important to understand how you react to clutter. Otherwise, you might not become aware of how many items have filled your home. You might not realize the mess is beginning to impact your mental health, either. 

Here are a few signs a mess has begun to impact your mental well-being. 

Difficulty Focusing

Messes can get distracting, impacting our ability to focus on important tasks.

Our brains can only focus on a certain amount of stimuli at a time. When you’re surrounded by clutter, it can make it more difficult for you to think clearly. If you’re working from home, the mess might impact your ability to focus on work. 

Excessive stimuli can be olfactory, tactile, or visual. Your senses will work overtime to take these stimuli in, drawing your attention away from what you want to focus on.

If you can’t seem to focus at home, consider requesting housekeeping services. An organized space can help you remain focused and on-task. 

Increased Stress

Your home should feel like a place where you can rest and relax, especially after a long day. Unfortunately, clutter can trigger your cortisol production, causing unnecessary stress. Stress can make it difficult for you to relax both mentally and physically.

In fact, clutter signals the brain that work is never done. 

High cortisol levels can also cause:

  • Severe fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Headaches
  • High blood pressure
  • Weight gain
  • Thinning skin
  • Slowed healing
  • Easy bruising
  • Flushed face
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Acne
  • Muscle weakness

If these symptoms sound familiar, you need to lower your stress levels. Otherwise, long-term exposure to cortisol can wreak havoc on your body’s processes. Cortisol can increase your risk of obesity, anxiety, depression, and even heart disease. 

Before that can happen, consider requesting professional organizing and cleaning services. 

Difficulty With Relationships

Not many people realize that messes can impact their relationships, too.

It’s normal for roommates and partners to argue when items are beginning to take up too much space. Clutter can cause irritability, as can excessive cortisol levels. The messes throughout your home could put a strain on your relationships.

Meanwhile, you might not feel comfortable inviting people to your home. If your home is a mess, you could develop a sense of social isolation. You might even experience shame at the thought of inviting people over. 

Procrastination

There’s also a correlation between procrastination and clutter. People with messier homes tend to procrastinate when it comes to completing important tasks.

If you have a pile of laundry or a stack of bills waiting for you, you might automatically feel overwhelmed by everything you need to do. You don’t need to tackle these tasks alone. Instead, consider professional house cleaning services.

You can schedule recurring cleaning services to ensure your home remains organized and spotless year-round. 

Trouble With Impulse Control

Messes could impact your impulse control, too. A messy environment could trigger unhealthy eating behaviors. You might find it’s more difficult to control impulses if your environment feels stressful or chaotic.

If this sounds familiar, find an experienced cleaning company. They’ll keep your home organized, lowering your stress levels. 

Low Quality of Life

Clutter could leave you feeling frustrated, especially if it’s impacting your ability to focus.

You could realize it’s more difficult to find certain items throughout your home, too. Meanwhile, procrastination could cause you to miss out on activities you generally enjoy. Instead of letting messes impact your quality of life, hire professional cleaners.

Otherwise, clutter can increase dust throughout your home, too. Dust could trigger your allergies, causing you to feel sick in your own home. 

Removing Clutter

Talk to your professional housekeepers for house cleaning tips to minimize clutter throughout your home. Here are a few to help you get started:

  • Dedicate a little time to decluttering every day
  • Donate items to minimize unneeded possessions
  • Toss away items you no longer use
  • Organize items by giving them designated spots within your home
  • Prioritize consistency to keep your home clutter-free

Applying these tips can help you remain organized. In the meantime, don’t be too hard on yourself. You can always seek professional help with housekeeping services to keep your home clutter-free.

Get Rid of Clutter: Request Professional Housekeeping Services Today

To recap, what’s the connection between clutter and anxiety? Messes can leave you feeling overwhelmed, triggering cortisol production. Cortisol can impact your physical health while triggering anxiety.

Instead of living surrounded by a mess, request professional house cleaning services!

Eager to get started? We’re here for you. 

Get an instant quote today!

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