Can Minimalism Make You Happier? Here’s How!
Did you know clutter can affect your mood? If you’re looking for a way to feel more carefree, take a close look at your personal spaces. More things don’t always mean more happiness! Here’s why:
Your Stuff is Stressing You Out
Science has proven that clutter affects mental health in many ways, adding stress, making it hard to focus, and chipping away at the quality and amount of sleep you get each night. More stuff means you’re making more decisions throughout the day, and that’s unnecessary weight on your shoulders.
Clearing your environment of clutter can benefit your mental health, helping you feel calmer, happier, in control, and more relaxed!
Surrounded by simple spaces, your mind will be free to focus on everyday tasks without distraction. You might even find you complete tasks with better accuracy when your desk is clear, for example. One study found that people make more mistakes when working in a messy environment.
Simplify and Unload Your Anxiety
Yes, unloading your life of unnecessary stuff is an important goal, but how you get there is an important consideration too. Putting pressure on yourself to declutter your entire home in a weekend is unattainable and will create additional stress.
The key to sustainable progress is to set attainable goals. Choose a room or section of your environment to sort and purge in a reasonable amount of time, and give yourself breaks.
Next, create a plan for donating the items you don’t need so you don’t have an excuse to hang on to things. Find your nearest Ohio Valley Goodwill Donation Center, and pack things in your car soon after you’ve made the choice to donate (and don’t leave them there for long “” try to donate right away!)
Donate Your Way to a Clutter-Free Lifestyle!
Your donations support Goodwill’s mission to provide life changing work-based services to individuals in our community. That’s a good reminder when you’re having a hard time saying goodbye to things you don’t need!
Once you’ve reached your goals, set aside 15 minutes at the end of each day to clear your desk or tidy a room to manage your new minimalist lifestyle. You’ll be glad you did, and your community will benefit!
