Reduce Stress through Decluttering

Clearing out clutter is not easy. Stuff piles up over the years, and since emotions and memories are often attached to things, it can be hard to decide what to keep and what to toss. That oppressive, out-of-control feeling of having too much stuff can spill over into other areas of life, too, adding to stress levels.

“When our living environment becomes unmanageable for a period of time, it can be a symptom of depression or anxiety,” says Michael Carollo, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University.

We asked Dr. Carollo to explain how clutter can impact mental health—and how activities like spring cleaning can help.

How does clutter affect our mental health?

Some research has suggested that extensive clutter can have a negative impact on well-being.

When someone is feeling overwhelmed at work or in some other area of life, it can manifest as having difficulty with upkeep and functioning at home, which can add to the underlying stress. It’s not the clutter itself, but the feeling of being overwhelmed that’s the actual symptom or indication that there might be some anxiety, depression, or other mental health issue.

Someone dealing with significant stressors in their work or life may actively choose to let things at home go untended for a while to focus on more important issues.

Physical limitations can also prevent someone from organizing their space as they usually would, which could increase distress, anxiety, and depression for those who are already grappling with these limitations.

But there’s no hard and fast rule, and not everyone strives for a minimalist living space. Some people feel better when they are surrounded by a lot of things. It’s only a problem when the environment does not reflect a person’s baseline and is not what they want.

Are there outward signs that a person may have difficulty organizing their living space?

When we evaluate someone’s mental health, we typically include appearance within an overall assessment of their ability to perform activities of daily living. If someone presents as noticeably disheveled or does not appear to be engaging in normal grooming, that could indicate the person may be struggling in many areas, including their home environment, driven by depression, anxiety, or some other mental health disorder. 

Where does spring cleaning fit into stress reduction?

Whether someone is dealing with depression or is simply overwhelmed, we often use a technique called behavioral activation, which involves purposefully engaging in achievable activities to improve mood. This approach has been borne out in research; one study even suggests that cleaning can help alleviate stress, even when the stressor has nothing to do with the clutter. Spring cleaning is a great example of behavioral activation.

In behavioral activation, we help our clients identify objectively achievable tasks (this will often include cleaning or straightening up) and help them differentiate these actions from the stressors and tasks that the individual finds overwhelming. We also help them chunk down any large, overwhelming task into smaller, more manageable steps.

Cleaning and organizing our space may feel overwhelming in the moment, but it’s actually something we have the ability to control, assuming there are no physical limitations or other similar issues preventing us from doing so.

How do you help clients figure out what stuff to toss or give away?

Many people feel stuck when it comes to deciding what to part with. They may hold onto things that don’t have any practical or sentimental value because of anxiety or fear of moving on.

Also, certain objects tend to be more challenging to get rid of. For instance, clothing lasts longer than we might expect, so the idea of getting rid of something that still appears useful, even if we no longer enjoy it, can fill people with guilt and shame.

I’m actually a big fan of Marie Kondo’s advice on tidying up, which involves donating or getting rid of items that you don’t have an emotional connection to. Her technique reminds me of a concept we have within dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), called “wise mind,” which is when we simultaneously use our rational and emotional minds to make a decision. In this case, paying better attention to the emotional reaction we have in response to our items can help people who are feeling stuck come up with an action plan.  

Accomplishing a task that seems overwhelming at first may help us attend to other aspects of our lives that seem out of control.

This doesn’t mean you need to clean out your closet every week. But everyday tidying and maintenance, like making your bed every day, may have surprising dividends. I often suggest engaging in a two-week trial period for any new habit or behavior. This helps people to assess whether the behavior has any real benefits before deciding whether to commit to it. Additionally, it is usually easier to find the motivation to continue a behavior once we fully understand and experience the benefits of doing so.  

In my experience working with adolescents hospitalized with depression, I found that making their bed while they were out of their rooms in therapy sometimes helped them experience the benefits of doing so. After a few days of making their beds for them, many would start doing it themselves, even on days I was not on the unit.