Clutter May Actually Be Bad For Our Physical Health--Here's Why

I'll never forget the first time I read Marie Kondo's bestseller The Japanese Art of Tidying Up. The way the author was able to so easily navigate the piles of clutter in her clients' homes was mesmerizing and almost magical.

Here's another personal confession: I'm not naturally the most organized human being on the planet.

The truth is, I get caught up working on whatever project I'm into at the moment, and sometimes making sure the pile of papers on my desk are neatly and swiftly dealt with just seems like less of a priority at times. However, I sincerely am working on this.

For one thing, I notice that it affects my mood significantly if I let things get too messy and can make me less productive and peaceful. I'm not okay with that. So, it's gotten better.

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But, awhile back, I ran across an article by Sarah Yang about "Why Science Says Clutter Is Bad for Your Health" and I was mesmerized. It makes sense to me, though. I have literally felt my energy levels drop in a messy room. Yang shares more about the studies that show "clutter can cause your stress levels to rise, which in turn can affect your physical and mental health.

According to the Mayo Clinic, stress symptoms can affect your body, thoughts, and feelings as well as your behavior. The Mayo Clinic shared that:

"When left untreated, these issues can contribute to health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes."

Ah, yes--well, there it is. We've known for awhile that too much stress can negatively impact our physical, and certainly mental, health. All that "cozy clutter" can be sincerely stressful. There's obviously a connection.

She points out several studies confirming this to be the case. A worthy read. And a worthy reason to make de-cluttering an actual life priority.