Spring clean your life ‘If you feel a lot of anxiety, start by tidying your home’

SPECIAL! She’s found worldwide fame thanks to her decluttering philosophy and easy-to-follow instructions, and lifestyle guru Marie Kondo believes a clear-out can also boost our mood, wellbeing and relationships

It takes someone special to make tidying up appealing, but Marie Kondo has done just that. Thanks to her passion for decluttering, plus her hit Netflix series and best-selling book, the tidying guru has won legions of fans across the world.

And the “clear house, clear mind” ethos has gained momentum, with research by Depaul University showing clutter is associated with elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol which, in women in particular, can have a negative impact on their mental wellbeing. It also found that physical clutter is linked with procrastination and dissatisfaction.

So it’s no surprise that Marie, 34, is making such an impact. The cleaning guru – who has trademarked her system as the “Konmari Method” – stars in Netflix show Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, on which she helps people declutter their homes using her simple instructions.

“If you want to lead a life that sparks joy, there is only one thing you must do, and that is to tidy your home,” she has explained. Marie believes that tidying your house will boost your wellbeing as well as giving you a home to be proud of. “If you find yourself feeling a lot of anxiety, my suggestion is to start by tidying the home,” she said. “And the reason why this is important is because our home and our belongings are things that are very close to us. We have full control over that space – it’s an environment that we can make as happy as possible, and allow us to feel as safe as possible. This feeling can actually have a huge impact and reflection on your relationships, and how you treat other people.”

But when you’ve had a big clear out, how do you stop slipping back into old habits? Marie says, “It’s quite simple. It’s all about putting things back where they belong after you use them. And in order to do that, you need to have a very easy system of storage. It should be easy to see what’s inside. All those little tricks are so that you have a very easy, manageable system of storage, so it’s easy to maintain that habit.”

Read on for Marie’s simple steps for organising your belongings.