We are huge supporters of raising awareness around Mental Health here at Collect My Clothes and with this month being Mental Health Awareness Month, now has never been a more important time to talk about the different elements that affect our Mental Health.
In a 2011 study, researchers at Princeton University in America concluded that a cluttered environment makes it more difficult to focus on a specific task due to a person’s visual cortex being overwhelmed by all the task-irrelevant objects in the room.
This last year has seen us locked down at home and so our spaces have become a place where we do pretty much everything. From working to socialising, doing it all in the same four walls can be tough on our minds. So whilst we might have times of feeling lazy and unmotivated, it is important to focus on what we can control and by cleaning/organising our space, this has shown to have numerous positive mental health benefits.
Declutter First – Clean Second
We are all for a big declutter here at Collect My Clothes and by decluttering you can decide what brings happiness to your space and what doesn’t. When it comes to your wardrobe, there may be many items of clothing you haven’t worn in years, or they might have a memory connected to them. All of these feelings are completely normal, but decluttering items that we feel take control of our mental health one way or another can allow us to start a clean slate.
When decluttering it’s important to think about the next journey of your unwanted clothing. Ensuring they go to the right place is important, as it means the difference between going to landfill or a brand new home. Check with your recycling company or charity what they accept before donating.
Find Calm
One major way to decreasing stress and anxiety is by cleaning and organising your space. Having a cluttered or messy space, can instantly make us feel overwhelmed, add to this working in a messy environment and it is likely to make our work harder and less effective. But if we can decade a time in our day to cleaning, we will allow our minds to switch off and focus on the cleaning process, which declutters not only our home but our minds.
Mediation doesn’t have to be sitting down in one place and listening to an audio, although hugely beneficial for us, mediation can also come in many other forms, such as cleaning, baking, and exercising. Studies have even found that making your bed is associated with a better night’s sleep, which comes with its own list of considerable mental health benefits.
Cleaning Releases Endorphins
After cleaning, recycling, or decluttering the feeling of a clean space, helps our mind feel happy and content. The process itself can be used as a meditative task, and can technically be classed as a form of exercise. We know that exercise releases endorphins, that interact with the receptors in your brain, altering your perception of pain and triggering a positive feeling in your body. Which gives us short term and most importantly long term benefits.
Gain Control Of Your Space And Focus
Not only does a messy space feel unpleasant to be in but studies have shown that clutter can make it significantly more difficult to focus on a particular task, especially if it overwhelms your visual field. Decluttering and organising can instantly help to improve your focus and attention span: ultimately resulting in a refreshed mental space.
So if a clean up is on your to-do list then just remember our three steps to success. Declutter, Clean-Up, Recycle.
