How a Tidy House Can Make You Happy

In the last decade, scientists, researchers, and health professionals have focused on studying the impact of clutter on the brain and the body. Is a messy house detrimental to your overall health and wellness? Can clutter impact your mental health?

It turns out that the answer is yes. A messy or cluttered personal space does have a negative impact on an individual’s physical and mental wellness. 

Here is what they found:

Is Your Home a Sanctuary?

The outside work is hectic, emotional, and stressful. At the end of a long day, your personal space should be a retreat from all that chaos. Your home should be a place where you rest, recharge, and get back to a good place so you can brave the world again. If your personal identification with your living space is negative, this robs a person of their ability to bounce back and become more resilient. Your home environment should work in your favor and support you – not work against you when it comes to health and wellness.

Mental Clutter is a Thing

A messy or cluttered space is not only unseemly and time-consuming, but it can contribute to a state of mind called mental clutter. If your outside space is messy and disorganized, there’s a good chance you will struggle mentally with memory loss and processing. At a minimum, you’ll struggle with focus and productivity, deal with time loss due to not being able to find important information, and 

Stress is No Joke

Stress is the baseline cause of so many physical and mental problems. It’s essential that everyone works to reduce their stress levels as much as possible. Stress releases the chemical, cortisol. Too much cortisol impacts the brain’s ability to handle that stress over time. If your home environment adds to your stress, this directly impacts your mental health and could be damaging the structure of your brain. 

Clutter is unsightly, for sure, but now we know that it can be dangerous for one’s well-being as well. If you are seeking more joy or peace in your life, perhaps a weekend spent spring cleaning might be just the pick-me-up you need.

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