Clutter creates stress
The world today is so fast-paced it is nearly impossible to avoid stress. There are endless modes of stimulation, people and things vying for your attention. Whilst avoiding stress completely might not be achievable, there are ways you can manage your stress. Having too much stuff can lead to more stress. The more “stuff” you have in your life, the more your attention and thoughts are consumed, and the more your stress is triggered. If you want to feel less stressed, decluttering your life is a good place to start. For some people, decluttering is a process that can take some time. It might depend on how much “stuff” you have and how attached you are to your stuff. Often, however, once you let go of something, you don’t regret it. The process is cathartic and helps you to move on to new experiences in your life. Here are 10 suggestions on how to reduce stress and start decluttering your life:
1. Unsubscribe to all emails you receive but never read. Every email you receive is asking for your attention and has the potential to distract you. If it is not something worthy of your attention, get rid of it. You can always resubscribe later if you really miss it.
2. Stop making impulse purchases. When you buy on impulse, you are often allowing someone else to convince you to buy something. Had you really thought about it, you might not have made the purchase. Making impulse purchases can lead to accumulating lots of “stuff” you don’t really want or need.
3. Remove yourself from the toxic people in your life. This is a big one. If someone is always taking your time and energy and doesn’t give much or anything back in return, you might want to ask yourself how deep your love is for that person. Are you willing to continue to support this person, or is it time to let them go?
4. Close or consolidate your social media accounts. The more online accounts you have, the more you might feel distracted and obliged to check them. Your true friends will remain your friend even if you aren’t on Twitter anymore.
5. Clean up and tidy your room. When you wake up and you see mess, how do you think this will affect your day? Before you go to sleep you see mess, how do you think this will affect your sleep? More than likely, they will both be disturbed to some extent.
6. Go through your wardrobe and dispose of clothes you don’t wear or no longer need. There is a good chance you don’t wear a lot of your clothes. So dispose of them. Decluttering your external life will help to declutter your internal life.
7. Go through all of your possessions and dispose of any items that do not add value to your life. When was the last time you used that popcorn maker, or that PS3? If you haven’t used them in years, take them to the thrift store.
8. Remove unused apps on your smartphone. By removing any unused or rarely used apps, you are removing some of the potential for unnecessary distraction in your life.
9. File away paperwork and throw away any paperwork no longer needed. Having lots of random pieces of paperwork lying around can be stressful. To decrease the worry in your life, tidy up your paperwork, create a filing system and throw away any old paperwork which you no longer need.
10. Clean out your car. If you spend a lot of time in your car, the state of clutter in your car will probably affect you. Remove anything that doesn’t need to live in the car, throw away any garbage, give it a good vacuum and wipe away any dirt or dust.
These are just a few suggestions to declutter your life. I’m sure you can think of many more. Be part of the movement and good luck in taking back your life!
