The Emotional Connection to Disorganization and Letting Clutter Go

Imagine walking into your bedroom at the end of the day, exhausted and ready for sleep, only to discover the bed unmade and five loads of laundry on top of that.  Take a second to think about how you feel when you survey the mountain of clothing and sheets that are keeping you from a peaceful and much needed rest? 

photo credit:  www.kayladanelle.com

Now imagine how you would feel walking into your bedroom and seeing the bed nicely made, maybe even the sheets turned down (chocolate on the pillow?), ready for you to climb into and get a good night’s sleep. 

Expanding on this example, the clutter that people collect in their surroundings is equivalent to that mountain of clothing and sheets.  That mountain is the “stuff” in a person’s space—and until it is removed, a person is kept from a peaceful and restful existence. 

Having “stuff” everywhere is over stimulating for the human brain.  People have a stress reaction to clutter, just as you might have when you imagined the “mountain” on the bed.  Clearing out the “stuff” allows a person to be able to handle more. 

Decluttering is more than removing unnecessary items from your space—it encompasses psychological and emotional components that people often overlook, downplay or don’t even acknowledge exist.  Clutter takes up both physical and mental space.  It gets in the way of individuals moving forward--being free to explore the opportunities that open up when they allow the space for them.  Being open to that opportunity and uncertainty can be scary, yet it can also be exciting, thrilling and life changing.

There are lists of reasons why people accumulate stuff—they inherit it and can’t bear to let it go, they keep things “just in case” they need it one day, they buy to impress others or buy as a form of “retail therapy”—the list goes on.  And just as there is an emotional component to why people accumulate, there are emotional reasons to why people can’t unclutter. 

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The things people have in their lives remind them of loved ones who have passed away, of happier times, of children when they were young.  Yet, saying goodbye to those items does not mean a person is saying goodbye to those loved ones or happier days.  It is not permanently closing a door—the memories will remain with a person, even if the stuff does not.  

Stuff is also part of a person’s identity—the clothes they wear, the car they drive, the way their home is furnished.  As people’s lives change, so do their identities.  It may be difficult coming to terms with these changes and accept who they are today.  Letting go of old stuff may be equivalent to letting go of who they used to be.   

By exploring these emotional barriers, individuals may find it easier to simplify and let go of the things that encumber their surroundings.  And when a person lets go of something they don’t need or have space for anymore, they make room for something new and wonderful in their life (like a chocolate on their pillow at night).