In a year where people have spent more time at home than ever before, it's crucial to
make your living environment a clutter-free one
By Sarah Rodrigues29 December 2020 • 2:34pm
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/stuffocation-drowning-stuffdecluttering-
calms-mind/
Living with less 'stuff' can make you happier and calmer
Even for happy homebodies, this year has been somewhat stifling. Restrictions on
everything from when and where we can shop, to whom we can embrace, to where
we can go on holiday have cast a shadow over activities and freedoms we previously
took for granted. Rarely before have we spent so much time within our own four
walls.
For those working from home and living at work, the sense of claustrophobia has
often been overwhelming, with many having mere steps to cover between bed, sofa,
desk and kitchen table – these latter two often one and the same thing.
Research shows that around one in four people impulse-bought a dog, both for the
company and a legitimate reason to get outside each day, while other insights show
that comfort spending became as ubiquitous as comfort eating or drinking.
In his 2013 book, Stuffocation: Living More with Less, trend forecaster James
Wallman wrote about how having lots of “stuff” was, far from making us happier,
exacerbating feelings of overwhelm and stress. His insights were supported by a
range of experts, including psychologists, anthropologists and economists, and his
overarching message was that we could find more contentment in experiences than
in things. As it says on his website: “We have to focus less on possessions… Rather
than a new watch or another pair of shoes, we should invest in shared experiences
like holidays and time with friends.”
Ay, there’s the rub, as Hamlet would say. Or not, given that most theatres are
currently dark. Travel and time with friends are severely curtailed and many of the
experiential gifts that may commonly have been given over Christmas – spa
treatments, theatre tokens and meals out – are shrouded in uncertainty: when might
they be able to be redeemed?
Indeed, even in spite of the giving (or not) of vouchers, the festive season is notorious
for the accumulation of clutter, a feeling that’s very likely heightened by the looming,
albeit lovely, presence of a tree, a festoonage of decorations, and the anxious wait for
recycling collection day so that the rest of the cardboard cartons currently stacked in
the hallway can be crammed into the green bin.
Neither is it hard to imagine that many people, separated from one another for much
of the year and now again by Christmas bubbles, will throw money at the issue,
lavishing their loved ones with unnecessary purchases in an effort to make up for
having a weird and somewhat sad festive season.
As Olivia Heyworth, of property management and home organisation
company Heyworth Gordon, points out, this year this influx of objects is
not limited to the festive season. “All clutter is the physical manifestation
of emotional clutter,” she says, “and, given the year that we’ve had, the
tendency to over-consume, which happens mostly when we feel stressed,
afraid or unsafe, has been greater than ever. We over-purchase to fill a
void.”
She mentions that in having to make our homes take on multiple roles –
school room, office, fitness studio – we may well have lost sight of its
true purpose, which is “a place of peace, love, creativity and relaxation.”
Additionally, that feeling of overwhelm is not only associated with objects in our
space – for some, it’s simply the space itself. “I remember being hyper-aware of what
needed doing when we bought our current home five years ago,” says Becky Oakden,
49. “I couldn’t walk up the stairs without seeing that bald patch on the carpet, or into
the bathroom without seeing the tile that was cracked – but over time, they just
became ‘part of the furniture,’ as they say. It was only after the first lockdown was
imposed that my sensors seemed to switch back on and all I could see was this
increasingly shabby home – marks on the walls, a wobbly toilet seat, crammed and
unbeautiful shelves – yet I felt too stressed and lethargic to even make a dent in any
of it.”
She was not alone. According to hypnotherapist and life coach Malminder Gill: “A lot
of my patients were suffering from what I call Lockdown Lethargy.” The trick, she
says, is to celebrate your achievements, however small they may be (even if it’s just
getting out of bed when you don’t want to) rather than focusing on what you’re not
doing. “Let go of ‘I should’,” she says. “The word ‘should’ highlights the areas in
which we think we’re failing and can be incredibly discouraging, coating our own
actions in blame and negativity.”
Since a number of studies have linked social media usage with decreased motivation,
we’d be well advised to spend less time online looking at the achievements (baking,
fitness goals, crafting an entire nativity from avocado stones) and seemingly perfect
homes of others. “That’s not to say that you can’t be inspired by what you
see on social media,” says Heyworth, “but endless scrolling is a drain on
time and energy.”
“Sometimes, the only way to lift yourself out of a funk is to push through it,” says
Gill. Heyworth agrees. “Just doing one job that has been playing on your
mind will encourage you to do others,” she says, “but set yourself limits
before you start – for instance, one hour, or one set of shelves – to
cultivate a feeling of success and prevent decision fatigue. At this time of
year, it’s important that we try to bring levity into the home, so keep it
fun with festive tunes.”
Making the most of the limited daylight hours we have is also important,
so get out for a walk and allow as much natural light into the home as
possible. Above all, she says: “Leave expectations out in the cold, and
invite gratitude in. Reflect on how your home has kept you safe during
this crazy year – and say thank you.”