CONTROL YOUR CHAOS
Clutter is killing you!
So says Dr. Clifford Lazarus, adding that it actually keeps you in a state of chronic stress.
All the visual chaos — boxes, bags and plastic containers of junk — may seem harmless, but the disarray, disorganization and mess takes its toll, including on everyone around you, says Lazarus, a blogger with psychologytoday.com.
“I have seen basically good marriages implode under the emotionally crushing weight of unmanageable amounts of unnecessary stuff,” he says.
Lazarus, of thelazarusinstitute.com, adds that when people are in aesthetically pleasing, organized and uncluttered surroundings, they feel more relaxed, at peace and calmer.
According to neuroscientists at Princeton University, physical clutter vies for your attention, resulting in poor performance and increased stress.
But giving up stuff is hard to do. Researchers at Yale recently discovered that the two areas in your brain associated with pain actually light up in response to getting rid of possessions you value. Also, the more you touch an object, the greater the value you assign to it.
In another study, by Brother International, desk clutter has workers spending 76 hours a year — that’s almost two weeks — hunting for misplaced files, staples or documents.