When Marie Kondo waltzed across our screens this year in her new Netflix show, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” she took audiences by storm. Tidying up with her signature KonMari method can help you get a night of better sleep by boosting mental health and reducing daily stress. It can be daunting to tackle a messy living space, but decluttering helps with more than just sleep. Here are five reasons why following the KonMari decluttering method can lead to a happier, healthier you!
1. Reduce Stress and Anxiety
The mental relief you feel after a full day of cleaning isn’t just in your head; it’s science! In a 2017 UCLA study, researchers found that mothers living in cluttered homes had elevated levels of cortisol--the stress hormone-- in their bloodstream. Prolonged stress can lead to an overall decline in both mental and physical health. Make sure your home isn't the cause of undue stress!
A tidy home can also help reduce anxiety. For most, living in a cluttered home can leave you feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Setting yourself to the task of decluttering may be daunting at first, but tidying up a cluttered home can provide relief from anxiety-inducing clutter, leading to improved mental health.
2. Increase Your Confidence
Committing to and finishing the overwhelming task of tidying a messy space can provide you with an improved sense of self and increase your confidence in yourself. The feeling of accomplishment you get from decluttering your home can energize and revive a foggy mind and launch you into a frenzy of productivity.
3. Improve Focus and Productivity
Physical clutter can distract your mind, making it difficult for your brain to focus and process information. Not only do people have trouble focusing on a single task while living with clutter, but they also have difficulty being present in their day-to-day. Tidying up your personal and professional life can help provide the mental clarity to improve focus and increase your productivity.
4. Increase Emotional Wellness
Clutter, on some level, can signify a reluctance to let go, both emotionally and physically. In the KonMari method, you allow yourself to take the time to sort through the things you own and thank each item. The KonMari method deliberately acknowledges the emotional relationship people have with the things they own and provides an outlet to process these emotional attachments. Decluttering gives you the time to reflect and helps sort through your emotional clutter, improving your emotional wellbeing.
5. Sleep Better
Did you know that a cluttered bedroom could be keeping you up at night? Clutter can increase anxiety, which, in turn, can lead to insomnia. Tidying up removes the mental strain of clutter and can improve your overall mental health, easing symptoms of insomnia. Practice good sleep hygiene and make sure to tidy up the bedroom before you go to sleep!
The KonMari method doesn't just help you tidy up; it's a life philosophy. By being mindful of the things you own and paying the items in your home the proper respect, you obtain increased emotional clarity, which helps improve mental health. By removing the chaos from your home, you address the chaos in your mind. So apparently, my mom was right—a messy house does lead to a messy mind.