Ep 55 - Declutter Your Life: A Pep Talk for the Overwhelmed

 

Affiliate Disclosure: Some of our links are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

In this episode, we discuss the emotional benefits of decluttering, backed by research linking clutter to stress. Learn how reducing excess possessions can lead to a more peaceful life and sharpen your decision-making skills over time. While minimalism isn't for everyone, having less can simplify your life and reduce stress. Decluttering is a form of self-care for your mental well-being. If you need support, check the show notes for resources, and remember, you've got this!

You can listen right here, on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or you can read the transcription below. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

Hey friend, I am recording today's episode a little more on the fly, recording it on my phone. I just want to sit down and give you, it's probably going to be a bit of a shorter episode. This one, I'm going to be honest, is more of a pep talk. And I know that someone is listening who needs to hear this.

Quite honestly, there may be folks who have heard me give this pep talk before. Maybe to them, it's something that's really, really important to me and something that comes up a lot. So I am excited to talk about it because it comes up, as I mentioned a lot in the work that I do with clients, but it's not usually the first thing that we think about as a benefit of decluttering and home organization.

And that is the emotional health benefits of decluttering. This podcast is all about the emotions behind decluttering and organization, but we don't talk as much directly and specifically about how much of an emotional benefit, a mental health benefit, that decluttering can bring.

I will mention home organization too, but I'm really diving into the decluttering aspect because it is so important and it is a skill set that has lasting impacts beyond just making things more streamlined or creating systems or putting things into pretty bins. The decluttering is this skill set that you take with you into life and that is so important and that can help you in so many ways that...

You may not even realize there are so many layers to it. When you first get started, your decluttering muscle may not be as strong as it is, year two and three down the line, but I can't stress enough how much of an impact it has on your emotions. So, Let's dive in.

Research links clutter and stress cortisol

you may have heard me mention this study before. I know it gets talked about a lot and it gets cited in articles in my industry a lot. I will link it in the show notes. The study is called No Place Like Home, Home Tours Correlate with Daily Patterns of Mood and Cortisol. It's a little bit older, this was published in 2009, and it deep dives into the home environments of multiple families and ties the corresponding cortisol levels of those family members with the level of clutter in the home.

What the study shows is that it's not in our minds. Clutter can contribute to our stress levels, and, the number one word that people use when they connect with me and any organizer, because we talk about this a lot in my industry, is that they're overwhelmed. We hear that all the time. All the time.

And based on my experiences working with hundreds of people in their homes, I've found that if somebody is feeling stressed by “too much stuff”, then 100 percent of the time, we can find more peace and less stress by reducing the number of items in our home. And along the way, yeah, absolutely.

Organization comes into play. We're creating systems and we're digging into that fun stuff, but even more important than that, I truly believe is building on the skill of deciding how much stuff is right for you, as well as getting in the habit of that decision making and saying goodbye to the things that are no longer serving us.

I say this all the time, but the decluttering decisions really do boil down to figuring out what you want, need, love, and have room for. And that last part is really a big deal because every home truly does have a limited amount of room. No matter how big or small your home is, we've all got a limited amount of what we can store.

What is overflowing from the storage solutions that we have will feel like clutter, even if it's things that you love. Because at the end of the day, if it's too much stuff, it's too much stuff. And I need you to hear that because... It can be really tough to know that you would like to keep everything because you like it.

But at the end of the day, if it's too much stuff, it's too much stuff. So if you're feeling stressed out about how much stuff you have at home, I want this principle to just be your guiding light. Your why behind your decision making. Know that, if you can reduce things in your home by the amount that is overflowing, Your stress levels will go down, I promise you.

But in addition to sorting it and finding homes for it, there's gonna be a lot of things that actually do need to leave your home. Whether that's trash, recycling, shredding, donations, free groups, giving to a friend, or giving to a super special home. Getting it out is going to be the key thing that makes all the difference in the world.

And I know that it can be really hard. I know that the work of decluttering is not as sexy as color coding organization, matching bins, or custom labels. And I know that decision-making is a muscle that's really hard to start flexing in the beginning. I know that. But please, please know that you are not alone.

And that with every choice you make, every bag, A box of things that you're able to get out of your home to create space. You will feel lighter. You will feel better. You will reduce your stress and all those decision-making skills will come in handy for the rest of your life.

Now, I talked about it earlier.

Strengthening your declutter “muscles”

I know I mentioned it a lot, but decluttering really is a muscle and just like you're exercising Any other muscle that you have, you're not going to be as strong five months a year into this steady work. I want you to know that decluttering really is a muscle and just like any other muscle group that you are strengthening in your body, you will not be as strong in the beginning as you will with consistent effort, months and years down the line.

I experienced this in my own decluttering journey too, but I see it a lot in my clients. Sometimes people need to declutter a space 1, 2, 3 plus times before they're ready to let go of enough items so that excess is gone. And so, if you have tried before... And you're feeling discouraged because you feel like you still have too much stuff.

You know what? Switch to another area. Keep plugging away at decluttering. Know that the decision-making gets easier over time and you're going to be able to, in time, really look at an item and see not only if you like it, but if you have a use for it and if you have the space for it. And if you don't have the space for it, but you do like it.

Do you like it as much as the things that you really do use on a consistent basis? And you'll be able to make those decisions a lot easier over time. But it doesn't come overnight and sometimes it takes a little bit of practice. So just know that that's natural. It's part of the process. And sometimes you need to think about an area for a while.

Sometimes you need to rearrange it. But once you're able to really... Start letting go of what's too much. That's where the magic happens. Until that happens, your stress levels will not be reduced as much as they would be if you got rid of the excess. And I get it, in some spaces, you absolutely need to maximize your storage.

I've definitely cleaned out. Plenty of closets where we end up keeping almost nothing from a closet that was just used to house extra stuff over the years and then we're able to move things from another space into that closet to maximize it. And so there's plenty of times where a shuffle happens.

Or maybe in a room or a garage where we just don't have enough storage furniture. I have cleaned out plenty of garages where we had a bunch of things on the floor, but we didn't have any shelving. And once we start using that vertical space, it really allows us to keep everything nice and tidy.

So that happens too. But, there are also more times that what it really boils down to is re-evaluating how much stuff you have and knowing that our storage spaces are full, making sure that those storage spaces are housing the right things and things that we care about, but from then, we have to make some tough decisions.

I want you to know in this conversation, I know that minimalism isn't right for everyone. So I get that, I'm not pushing for it, but I do want you to know that the less you have, the less you have to maintain, and the less you have to clean, dust, to keep up with. And having less really does streamline your life.

Having fewer options streamlines your decision-making. I know you've heard me talk about capsule wardrobes. I do a seasonal switch every season and how that helps with my decision-making in the morning and just being able to get ready and out the door faster. Just know that I'm not advocating for you to like, let go of everything that you have.

But specifically, if you're overwhelmed with too much stuff, we need to have you living with less to have you really feel the impact of these changes.

Also, Gimli is snoring up a storm today, so if you can hear him, thank you for bearing with me. I appreciate you. So, know at the end of the day, decluttering is a form of self-care, right? Decluttering helps and aids our mental health and our mental health is everything, guys. That's really why I do what I do.

A lot of it is just mental health-related. It's so important for us to be open about our mental health journeys and know that every little bit makes an impact and is important. If you need any extra support along the way, know that I am here for you. I'm going to be linking, I know it's always linked in the show notes, but we're linking information for the club below.

If you would like to check it out and see how we can help you in our private group we are offering your first month for just $5 using code declutter. That'll be in the show notes. And I'm also going to link my contact form. If you have any questions along the way, please reach out anytime. I'm here for you.

I've got your back. I want you to succeed. I want you to live with less because I want your stress levels to go down, right? So reach out to me anytime. And this pep talk today, that's all I have for today, friend, but please know that I am cheering you on. You're not alone. I’ve got you. And until we talk next time, take care of yourself and remember that you got this.


We would love to make sure that your questions are answered for a question of the week or a future episode. So we love to hear from you. DM (on Instagram) or you can always email me, carly@tidyrevival.com. We love hearing from you. We love hearing your thoughts about the pod, and thank you so much for hanging out.

If you wanna learn more about how I can help you, feel free to head over to tidyrevival.com to learn how I work with people one-on-one or in our private community. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe so you'll always have access to the latest episode.

We would also love to hear your takeaways. Feel free to tag us on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. The Tidy Revival podcast is written and hosted by me, Carly Adams, and edited by Brittany McLean. Title Song Maverick is by Dresden The Flamingo.

and until next time, remember that…

 
 
 

Links mentioned in this episode

 
 
Tidy Revival Podcast, Decluttering, MindsetCarly AdamsTidy RevivalDecluttering, mental health