We all have that one drawer or closet in our house no one talks about. It’s where everything we don’t need eventually winds up. Clutter can begin to easily flow from hiding places into the everyday. From messy counters to over-burdened garages, too much stuff is a common problem that can lead to stress, frustration and even blurred lines between your boundaries in real life.
Wait a minute, you might be thinking. Sure, I like to shop, and maybe I own a bit too much than I have room for. But what does my clutter have to do with my mental health? The connection may be closer than you think. Home organization can reflect a person’s ability to delay gratification, say no to others and even themselves. When you find yourself always buying items to replace them or simply wasting money on non-essentials that you never use, the result is a cluttered house and equally jumbled headspace.
What’s Going on Inside?
Popular television shows that focus on helping people embrace minimalism tend to focus on revealing the inner workings of the homeowners’ minds and tying it to their homes. An overworked, busy mom may come to realize that her disorganized kitchen that stops her from cooking meals for her kids really reflects a deeper struggle with slowing down and living in the moment.
The way that you live often bears close resemblance to how you feel. If you’re lacking something, have unmet needs or care for others more than yourself, it will show in unexpected ways. When it comes to your house, how much space are you leaving in your home for yourself? And does this lack of space show a tendency to overwhelm yourself, give more to others or even deny your needs? Before you run off to the store for bins or buy a book on the best way to embrace minimalism, it’s more helpful to look inward. What are the items that you tend to hold onto the most, even when they seemingly have little utility or value?
What Changes You Need to Make
There are some small and large-scale home modifications you can make to free up space and start living with better boundaries. For starters, limit yourself to the area you have. If something doesn’t fit in a drawer or closet, ask if it really belongs there. You have to treat containers as such as they are meant to hold what’s important, not store what isn’t.
You should also consider making your home more efficient for organization and management. Installing things like a pull-out pantry or home lift are big investments, but they could pay off big time. You can speak with a domestic lift manufacturer in the UK about various types of lifts and how they can bring greater order to your home. On a personal front, you may consider talking to a therapist to begin identifying and adjusting your boundaries to more accurately reflect who you are and what you need. This can bring about more long-lasting transformations in both your home and life.
Why Boundaries Matter
Some people hear the word boundary and think it means barrier. They don’t want to put up walls or keep people out, so they may be prone to saying yes when they don’t want to or going out of their way to make others happy. Boundaries are not walls but lines and we place them to stop people from violating our privacy, our personal space and our emotions. Setting healthy boundaries allows you to live life more aligned with what you want. You prioritize your needs without putting them above others and learn to recognize your limits and needs as equally important as those around you.
Holding On to Items Can Delay Happiness
Sentimental keepsakes can fill us with warm memories, but there is a limit. When you are keeping things out of fear or anxiety, then there may be a bigger issue at play. Clutter can accumulate when people feel they have to keep things in case they become useful at some unknown point in the future. It can keep you in a perpetual state of both stress and worry as you try to balance between frustration with disorganization and the fear that cleaning up could have negative repercussions later. Managing your house’s organization can take a load off your mind and help shift your focus to a more present, grounded emotional state. By beginning to address the areas where your life is lacking, and identifying those physical manifestations around you, you can create more room for positivity and growth.
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