Organization for Self-Care: How Tidying Up Benefits Your Well-being
In the hustle of everyday life, self-care often takes a backseat. Yet, it's a crucial element for our overall well-being. Amid various self-care practices, one that's often overlooked is the art of organizing and tidying up. In this article, I’m sharing how an organized space can profoundly impact your mental and emotional health. I’m also providing practical tips for integrating organization into your self-care routine. Let’s jump in!
The Link Between Organization and Mental Health
The connection between our environment and our mental state is more significant than we might realize. For example, research featured in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin involving 60 women who provided home tours to researchers revealed that those perceiving their homes as cluttered often reported feelings of fatigue and displayed signs of depression.
This phenomenon was linked to cortisol, a hormone that influences our stress response. Clutter can overwhelm the senses, increase stress hormones, and even impact our ability to focus. Conversely, an organized space can promote feelings of calm and control, essential for mental well-being.
The Stress-Reduction Benefits of Tidying Up
Decluttering can be a therapeutic process, offering more than just a clean space. The act of organizing can be meditative, providing a sense of accomplishment and control. One of my favorite daily practices is what I like to call a 10-minute tidy. If I find I’m feeling anxious or unfocused at home, a ten-minute tidy is a wonderful grounding exercise to get me out of my head and into my body. The outcome - I find some calm and my house gets some love.
Living in a cluttered environment can bring on feelings of being overwhelmed because the clutter is competing for our attention. By tidying up, we can create a serene environment that reduces stress and enhances our ability to relax and unwind. This can be particularly beneficial for sleep quality, as a clutter-free bedroom environment is conducive to a peaceful night's sleep. If you’re looking for inspiration on what you could do in a ten-minute tidy, grab a copy of my 100 Things to Tidy Checklist.
Creating a Tidy and Organized Living Space
Starting the process of getting organized can feel overwhelming. Especially if you have multiple spaces in your home to work on, it can be hard to see the forest through the trees. The only way through it is through it and it’s so much easier when you acknowledge that it’s a journey that will unfold over time with small steps to guide you through. Just as the clutter didn’t accumulate overnight, it won’t go away in a day or a weekend purge either.
I recommend starting with small, manageable areas like a desk or a drawer. The key is to get clear on what IS working for you, and what isn’t and identify what needs to change in each space to make it work for you. Starting in each space by letting go of what you no longer need, love or use will open up space physically and mentally to imagine how you can tackle those pain points and make the space work better for you. Maybe it’s as simple as rearranging some furniture or investing in more or better storage to give all of your belongings a home.
Remember, the goal is not perfection but functionality and peace.
The Connection Between Physical and Mental Clutter
Physical clutter often reflects mental clutter. A study in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that clutter could negatively impact our mental bandwidth, making it harder to focus and process information. By tackling physical clutter, we can also clear mental clutter, leading to improved focus and mental clarity.
One strategy I recommend to keep clutter in check is having a donation box set up in your home at all times and incorporating a donation run every month or two into the regular errands you run, such as grocery shopping. I also suggest inviting everyone in the home to contribute and manage the accumulation of their things.
Another effective way to help with mental clutter is creating zones in a space for certain activities. Think of a kindergarten classroom. It’s common to see the classroom broken up into activity centers for imaginative play, arts and crafts, reading, etc. This concept is very effective at home when you want to use a space for multiple purposes.
For example, if you want a home office to also serve as a place to relax and read for fun, as well as a place to do arts and crafts, you might consider the following setup: a work zone (desk, computer, printer, office supplies, work bag), a reading zone (bookshelf, cozy chair, side table, throw blanket, reading lamp), and a craft zone (small table and chair, peg board and an art cart to store and organize craft supplies). Creating zones like this encourages you to engage in these activities more often because everything you need is contained in that zone, which can help in compartmentalizing tasks and thoughts.
Self-Care Rituals Through Organization
I’m a huge advocate of incorporating organization into your self-care rituals. Just like doing a facemask or taking a bath, tidying our space is calming, can reduce anxiety, and set us up for the day ahead. Set aside time each week to organize a specific area of your home. This can be as simple as sorting through mail, or as involved as rearranging a room.
My ritual happens on Sundays. I intentionally keep my day low-key and free of social commitments so I can ease through the day chipping off things like catching up on laundry, sorting through mail, running the vacuum, cleaning out the fridge, and meal prepping for the week. The key is to make it a mindful activity, focusing on the task at hand and the sense of calm it brings.
This practice not only keeps your space tidy but also provides a regular opportunity for self-reflection and mindfulness. It’s also an incredible antidote to the “Sunday Scaries.” If you tend to get anxious on Sundays in anticipation of the week ahead, a Sunday tidying ritual can serve as a grounding exercise and help you feel more prepared for the week.
How Clutter Sabotages Healthy Habits
Clutter can be a significant barrier to maintaining healthy habits. A disorganized kitchen can make the process of cooking healthy meals feel overwhelming, leading to reliance on takeout or processed foods. Similarly, if your workout gear is buried under piles of clutter, the extra effort needed to find it can be discouraging, reducing the likelihood of hitting the gym. Organizing your space can remove these barriers, making it easier to stick to healthy routines.
The Emotional Benefits of Letting Go
Letting go of possessions can be challenging, but it's often liberating. Letting go of our belongings often carries many deeper emotions and attachments, such as fear of letting go of past versions of ourselves, memories we cherish, or fear of not having access to things in the future. However, letting go can lead to emotional freedom and flexibility and keep us grounded in the present.
When dealing with sentimental items, ask yourself if the item truly brings joy or if it's tied to a sense of obligation. This is especially common when we adopt belongings from loved ones who’ve passed. If you’re hanging onto their belongings out of a sense of obligation, rather than a cherished memory you share with them, give yourself permission to let go. Your loved ones would want you to create a space that makes you feel good, rather than live burdened by their belongings that hold no purpose or meaning to you in the present.
Remember, it's the memory and emotion that are significant, not necessarily the physical item. A helpful technique in parting with sentimental items is taking a photo of the item and storing it in a digital album. This takes up less physical space, though still allows you the ability to reflect on the item when you want to go down memory lane.
Minimalism as a Path to Well-being
Minimalism, at its core, is about intentional living – keeping things that add value and removing everything that doesn't. This philosophy can lead to a more focused and fulfilling life. A study in the "Journal of Happiness Studies" found that people who practiced minimalism reported higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Minimalism isn't about having nothing; it's about having only what brings value to your life.
When I think of minimalism, I often think of those who live this to the extreme, with not even art or decor on their walls. While I completely respect this lifestyle, I think it’s helpful to acknowledge that their are different levels of minimalist living. I like to think of myself as minimalist-ish. My husband and I have adopted practices that focus on being very intentional about what we’re buying and bringing into our home, as well as regularly reviewing and reflecting on what items in our home are still needed and loved. This shift over the years, has not only significantly improved how we navigate our home, it’s also allowed us to save money and invest in other things that matter most to the life we’re building.
Conclusion
So there you have it - the multifaceted relationship between organization and self-care. From the mental clarity of a tidy space to the emotional release of decluttering, the benefits of organization extend far beyond aesthetics. As you embark on your journey to a more organized life, remember that each step, no matter how small, is a stride towards a more balanced and fulfilling existence. Embrace the process, and let the tranquility of an organized space be a cornerstone of your self-care practice. If you’re looking for small steps you can take today, grab a copy of my 100 Small Steps Tidy Checklist to get started today.
