Depression is an difficult issue that impacts millions of Americans. While depression itself is extremely complicated, experts are now saying that decluttering your home could help you get over your depression in a big way.
UCLA researchers just conducted a four year study of 32 middle-class, dual-income Los Angeles families. During this study, the researchers wanted to look at the link between stresses and messes, and their findings may surprise you.
The families in the study were average families who had accumulated lots of “stuff” over the years, as all of us do. The researchers found that all of the stuff that they had accumulated took up lots of space and positive energy in their homes. In fact, three quarters of the families had so much stuff in their garages that there was no longer room for their cars!
Researchers found that women were the most impacted by the clutter, and they saw elevated stress hormones in the mothers who had to deal with more material possessions.
Children were also affected by the clutter, as researchers found that the kids in the study rarely played outside, despite the sunny Los Angeles weather. It seems that the children were so focused on the material possessions inside their home that they had no interest in going outdoors.
The National Association For Professional Organizers also carried out a study that found that 54 percent of Americans are overwhelmed by clutter. A whopping 78 percent of Americans who felt overwhelmed by the clutter said that they let it accumulate because they did not know what else to do with it.
If you are starting to feel depressed or overwhelmed, you might want to go through the stuff in your home. Separate your possessions into four piles. The first is the Keep pile, which is your must have items that you can’t part with. The second is the Sell or Donate pile, which are things you no longer use that you can either sell for profit or donate to a good cause.
Third is the Trash pile, which is the junk that you no longer want or need. Finally, there is the Store pile, which are the things that you love too much to part with, but also don’t use normally.
If you reorganize your home, you’ll be amazed to see the impact it will have on your overall mood!
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