If you’re finding yourself stressed, anxious, and less happy overall than you’d like to be, there may be an easy fix closer to home than you think. In fact, the fix may be your home itself – specifically, the clutter that surrounds you every day. In “The Happiness Project,” author Gretchen Rubin writes that decluttering“…brings great happiness because it makes you feel lighter. There are less things to lose, to find room for, to rearrange, to be frustrated by, to dust around, to make decisions about,” and she just very well may be right. 
Decluttering your house can help to:
1) Decrease stress
2) Reduce mental clutter
3) Reduce overstimulation of your mind
Next time you have a free weekend, evening, or even just an hour or two, think about taking on one of the following decluttering projects.
- Clean Out Your Closet
- Have a Garage Sale
- Pick a Room
Most of us have items of clothing in our closets that we haven’t worn in a long time, or maybe haven’t worn at all! When you’re trying to prepare your mind for the day ahead, the last thing you need is to have an unnecessary amount clothes cluttering your closet, making it harder to complete a simple task like choosing an outfit. Make some time to sort through your clothing, getting rid of anything that doesn’t fit, or that you haven’t worn in over a year. If it’s still in good shape, there are plenty of charities who would love to receive it as a donation, so you can feel good about decluttering and about giving to those in need.
A garage sale can be a fun way to spend a day, while having the added benefits of reducing clutter and making some extra money in the process. The week before, you and your family can go through your belongings, setting aside anything that no longer gets used. Make a fun activity of putting price tags on everything, and set up shop on Saturday morning!
Decluttering an entire house all at once can be overwhelming, and can make you feel more stressed instead of happier (which is what we’re going for here). To make things less overwhelming, pick one room at a time, and focus on it. One suggestion is to start with the room in which you spend the most time – then when you’re feeling stressed, you can retreat to your clutter-free safe haven to decompress.