3 Minutes To A Decluttered Mind
Set a timer and say goodbye to Chaos
Observing the condition of my surroundings is the quickest way for me to realize I’m holding onto too much stress. It seems like excessive clutter and mess appear only when I’m smack dab in the middle of a busy week.
One glance at a mountain of dishes or a pile of dirty laundry after a long day is enough to send my thoughts spiraling. I immediately feel the weight of all my obligations. I think about work deadlines, household tasks I’ve been putting off, friends I haven't texted back, and everything in-between.
The feelings caused by my realization of the clutter don’t stop when I leave the room. They follow me during trips to the grocery store and invade my dreams at night. I feel like I don’t have the energy to tackle even the smallest of tasks. This is chaos and I want to hide until I can breathe again.
I’m not a total neat-freak but I have noticed that my surroundings have a serious impact on my ability to problem solve and manage stress. The bigger the mess, the more I struggle to function with all aspects of my day. This may seem like an obvious observation to most people but I wanted to dig a little deeper and find out what exactly happens to our brains when things start to pile up. What effect does our visual environment have on our mental health?
Here are a few negative impacts clutter has on your brain:
- Kills creativity and clear thinking patterns
- Overstimulates our senses
- Causes anxiety
- Prevents productivity
- Can be a sign of depression
I’m not suggesting that in order to solve mental health issues you must completely Marie Kondo your house. However, I have found that the littlest things can make a big impact in reducing my own overall stress and anxiety levels.
3 minutes is the magic number
Committing to tidying for 3-minutes as soon as you get up in the morning can help improve your mood and productivity for the entire day.
Once I get out of bed, before I even brush my teeth I set the timer. Don’t think just go, tidy anything you come in contact with. You’d be surprised at what you can accomplish in 3 minutes. Pick up any laundry off the floor, clear off the bathroom counter, throw out any garbage, and wipe down a mirror. If all else fails, at least make your bed.
Seriously, make your bed. It does wonders, who doesn't enjoy climbing into a nicely made bed after a long day?
This 3-minute method is enough to help sort out some of the negative emotions that seem to be holding my happiness hostage. Some days I get inspired to do more and some days 3 minutes is all I can manage. Either way I’m grateful to be able to tackle even a fracture of my daily stress, 3 minutes at a time.