What better way to decrease stress and depression than to "declutter" the mind. I realize the focus here is "spring cleaning". But, think about it... if your home environment is tidy and organized, your mind will not have those piles of clothes, or dust bunnies, or piles of things needing to get thrown away to think about.
Spring cleaning actually helps reduce stress and depression by "decluttering" the mind. With all those extra "to-do" items gone, your mind has less to process and will have more room to focus on other things.... fun things.
The National Association for Professional Organizers in a survey found that 54% of Americans are overwhelmed by their clutter. Of those, 78% let it build up because they don't know what to do about it.
How To Declutter To Reduce Stress And Depression
- Don't get Overwhelmed: This could be a big project.
- Start small. Breaking it down into smaller projects or a room at a time will prevent that overwhelming feeling. The goal is to just start some place and the rest will follow.
- Take your time: Do not feel like you are running a marathon and it all needs to get done in a day. That is a recipe for disappointment and feeling like a failure. It will likely require more than a day to complete.
- Use the Four-Box Method: Get four containers (boxes, bags, baskets, etc). Label each container with one of these names.... Keep, Sell/Donate, Trash, Store.
- Keep: These are your absolutely, must-have, cannot-get-rid-of items. This is referring to "important" items, not necessarily items with sentiment attached to them.
- Sell/Donate: Not everything needs to be donated or trashed. Extra money in your pocket is always good. So, if you can sell it at a garage sale or on the internet, why not?! Someone else could easily have a purpose for the things you no longer do.
- Trash: Be firm with what is truly trash and no one else will want like oil magazines, papers, electronics, etc.
- Store: We all have those things that are difficult to part with that we just love but do not use all of the time. These may be items that are used occasionally so they need to find a home for them either in your house or in a storage unit. If paying for storage is out of the question, then determine if they are sold/donated or trash.
Your mindset in starting will make a huge difference in completing the task. Why not play some of your favorite songs while cleaning? Music does wonders for lifting the spirit and making the time fly by. It definitely does for me.
Speaking of lifting the spirits...... how do you feel when you have finished a task you have been dreading? Don't you have a sense of satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment? Doesn't it make you happy?
If you liked these tips, check out other ways spring cleaning is beneficial here.
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