This year, a study found that stress in British workplaces has reached record levels. Our stress levels are rising, which is having worrying consequences on everything from our relationships to our mental health.
And whilst we’re sold a multiple of supposed relaxation methods from mindfulness to colouring, there’s one simple, proven way to de-stress and make it last: decluttering.
Studies have found that clutter does more than just get in the way – it actually has a harmful psychological effect too.
According to psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter, “clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli, causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t necessary or important.” It also distracts us, makes us feel like there’s always work to do and creates feelings of guilt.
Clutter has been proven to make us struggle to focus too – a study in 2011 found that having chaotic surroundings makes it harder for you to focus than if you were in an organised, tidy setting.
So it turns out there’s more behind ‘tidy house, tidy mind’ than you might have thought.
And what better time to declutter and set yourself up for a stress-free year ahead than Twixmas – the awkward lull between Christmas and New Year’s Eve when the majority of the nation is sprawled on the sofa eating chocolates and leftover sandwiches.
Read more at independent.co.uk
