HEALTH + WELLNESS
EVER SINCE MARIE KONDO BURST ONTO THE SCENE WITH HER KONMARI PHILOSOPHY OF ESSENTIALLY HAVING A GOOD OLD CLEAR OUT, BUT MINDFULLY, THE TRIED AND TESTED ADAGE‘ TIDY HOUSE, TIDY MIND’ HAS NEVER BEEN SO RELEVANT. KONDO’ S METHOD- A SIMPLE BUT VERY DETAILED TIDYING TECHNIQUE CLAIMING THOSE THAT FOLLOW IT WILL NEVER‘ RELAPSE’ TO CLUTTER- USES A UNIQUE SELECTION CRITERION, SUGGESTING PEOPLE DON’ T CHOOSE WHAT TO DISCARD, BUT RATHER CHOOSE TO KEEP ONLY THE ITEMS THAT SPEAK TO THEIR HEART. THROUGH TIDYING, KONDO CLAIMS, YOU CAN RESET YOUR LIFE AND SPEND THE REST OF YOUR PRECIOUS TIME SURROUNDED BY THE PEOPLE
AND THINGS THAT YOU LOVE THE MOST. BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
N ow, call me a cynic, but personally I find Kondo’ s method a little OTT. Perhaps it’ s a me problem given the fact that I’ ve read her book and am yet to unlock the‘ life-changing magic’ it promises, but it’ s also that I have neither the time nor the inclination to sort through my kitchen drawers questioning whether an awkward potato masher‘ sparks joy’ in me. That said, our homes and the storage spaces within them are our personal, private paradises, so one person’ s cluttered bedroom might be another person’ s dream haven- how and to what degree you declutter is subjective, but there’ s no denying a thorough sort out can have a positive effect on mental health as anyone who’ s ever felt stressed out, frustrated or just plain overwhelmed when their house is a mess will testify.
Keeping your home clean and engaging in the cleaning process has been proven to be good for you, with research showing that living in a cluttered environment increases stress. In a particular study( The causal effect of household chaos on stress and caregiving: An experimental study), young women were asked to care for an infant in either a normal or a cluttered environment. While chaos didn’ t seem to affect either their mood or their responsiveness to the infant, physical stress levels were still higher for the women in cluttered homes.
In a separate trial, researchers also found that clutter can make it difficult for people to focus on a particular task. More specifically, they discovered that a person’ s visual cortex can be overwhelmed by objects not related to a particular task, making it harder to focus and complete projects efficiently. In this way, clutter and mess are linked to negative emotions including confusion, tension and irritability, while an organised home has been shown to produce more positive emotions like calmness and a sense of general wellbeing.
It’ s evident that clutter and mess can- depending on the person- create high levels of stress and anxiety, but, by cleaning their space thoroughly and organising what needs to be kept and what can be donated or disposed of therefore reducing the clutter, people are able to take back control of their surroundings and create a more relaxing environment, which in turn helps them focus better with a clearer headspace to concentrate on the more pressing issues in their day-to-day lives.
Cleaning actually has a number of positive effects on mental health, predominantly helping people gain a sense of control over their environment, but also calming the brain through engagement in a repetitive activity that produces visual results. This empowering combination has been found to significantly improve a person’ s mood, not least because of the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction they get from admiring their obvious progress.
The link between cleaning and alleviation of stress is seemingly undeniable and the benefits of decluttering are huge. Aside from the happy sense of accomplishment we feel if our homes are cleaner, the relationship between a clean house and mental health
“ Your past will become a weight that holds you back and keeps you from living in the here and now. To put things in order means to put your past in order, too. It’ s like resetting your life and settling your accounts so that you can take the next step forward.”
Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
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