Many things effect our health and well being other that what we eat, but today I am going to be sharing something that really effects all of us in many ways that we don’t often think about.
Clutter! Defined as: a crowded or confused mass or collection.
We can accumulate clutter in many ways, but three that stand out are:
-Physical clutter ( home, office, car)
-Digital clutter (computers, cell phones, monitors)
-Financial clutter (credit cards, investments, property)
I think we are ALL victim to more clutter today than ever before in our history. Everywhere we turn we have “more”. More to keep track of ourselves, move options in buying things and definitely more digital! How many of us have reoccurring charges on our credit cards for things we don’t even use, or worse don’t even know what they are for? The internet is awesome as it makes learning at the click of a fingertip, but many of us end up with multiple classes and webinars that we purchase and never use. Then it becomes stressful as we can’t even remember how to access those classes or what we have even purchased. I could go on and on, but I’m sure you all know what I mean.
It is worth it to clean our clutter and here is why. Below are are 12 surprising ways clutter can harm your health and ruin your life.
- Increases your stress- raises our cortisol hormone.
- Wrecks your diet- your more likely to result to comfort food.
- Triggers respiratory issues- more dust means breathing problems.
- Threatens your safety- fire hazards.
- Jeopardizes your love life- can lead to higher rates of divorce.
- Upsets your kids- children living in a cluttered environment are less happy.
- Isolates you- If you have clutter, you won’t invite friends over.
- Prevents you from getting promoted- 28% of employer’s less likely to promote those with a messy desk.
- Makes you miss work- compulsive hoarding associated with 7 absences per month.
- Decreases productivity- distracts you from you important to do list.
11. Encourages bad spending habits- tend to purchase without an agenda.
12. Keeps you in debt- can’t pay off debt if you can’t find your bills.
Although many of us might say “oh that is not me”, I think we don’t realize how we live in society that promotes collecting more, more, more and later in life we can end up with too much and a lot of overwhelm!
The energy of a cluttered environment; whether physical, digital or financial may sap your drive and motivation, leaving you feeling mentally fatigued, frustrated, and confused. I think most of us experience some form of “overwhelm” today by this, which can lead to mental and physical blocks that can prevent or delay you from achieving peace of mind and living a harmonious and productive life.
Some simple steps you can do to reduce clutter:
- Pick a small area such as your desk, make three piles; keep, throw away and give to charity. As you make progress, work up to other areas around your home.
- Step back and visualize how you want an area to look. Set a timer for 15 minutes and go at it. Do this each day and you will be amazed how far you come in a few weeks.
- Follow Mel Robbin’s advice in “The 5 second Rule”. As soon as you think of what you want to do, count backwards 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and get up and do it! After 7 seconds of a thought, our brain will start to give us reasons why we shouldn’t do it. You can break the habit of procrastination and self- doubt by using this technique.
As the old saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day! Our lives won’t be completely clutter free even in a weekend. I hope this information has left you with the importance of working on clutter as it actually pertains to our well being.
It’s Your Life, Live a Great One!