Why does the messy chaos at home make us feel anxious?

We have been living in near chaos this time in our house during lockdown, how about you? It's now starting to look a bit tidier at home but I'm ashamed to admit it's bothered me a bit. Why do  messy homes and work spaces leave us feeling anxious and a little overwhelmed?

• It bombards our minds with excessive stimuli.
• Mess distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on.
• It constantly signals to our brains that our work is never done.
• Maybe it makes us anxious because we're never sure what it's going to take to get through to the bottom of the pile?
• Clutter creates feelings of guilt and being disorganised, eating up our time as we frantically search for our keys, that missing bit of paper or that crucial cheque.

So what can we do to lessen the stress and kiss goodbye to the "floordrobe"?

• Get the whole family involved and responsible for one bit of the house each.
• Start with one area at a time and finish de-cluttering that area before moving on to another. This will give you a sense of accomplishment as you see your successes. Small wins!
• If you don't use it or don't need it, get rid of it.  We love donating to charity shops. If you can't face that, put it in a box and if you don't use it in six months time, get rid!
• When you take something out of its designated space to use it, put it back immediately after you're finished. A place for everything and everything in its place.
• Get some inspiration. Some like Marie Kondo or @staceysoloman's Tap to Tidy as mentioned on @chris Evan's this week.

Finally, when we've finished sorting our house, we could de clutter our minds, but that's a whole other post......