Clutter and Your Health

I've made home organization and health my first new blog topic, as this is fresh in my mind after the sale of our home, a temporary move, and the building of a new home. This is a new service offering of mine as well, as I've observed how the organization of our homes either feeds or lessens our stress response.

Now that Fall is upon us, we gradually make the change to being inside our homes more than outdoors. It's even more important to give the inside of our homes attention, not only to lessen the stress in preparing for holiday and football parties, but most of all to make our home a cozy Winter retreat for us and our families.

We don't want our homes to be the cause of a "stress response" which starts in the brain when we think a stressful thought. The thought makes our hypothalamus, part of the brain, secrete a hormone that causes our adrenal glands to secrete cortisol, a stress hormone. Excess cortisol creates many unfavorable conditions in the body, including weight gain, high blood pressure, and hormonal imbalances.

Notice how you feel as you enter your home when you return from work. Is it a feeling of relief and peace to be in your own beautiful space, or do you feel stress from the clutter or projects left undone?

Here are a few tips to make your home your sanctuary:

*Shoji screens are a great way to cover up a cluttered area, until we have time to deal with it. Screens can be used to hide a litter box or a messy desk, for example. Below is a picture of an attractive screen from Wayfair.

*Two creative options to store clutter: Although the "server" shown above was made to hold dining room extras, it's being used to store a laptop, papers, and tablecloths. The kitchen cart shown below stores stuff that would be on the kitchen countertop, to hide when company comes.

* Family members, including children, love to have cubbies to store their belongings. Teaching children or grandchildren organizational skills will definitely lay a good foundation for the future.

*It's helpful to clean attics and basements first, as this is where we keep things we have little use for. This makes room for the things we use infrequently to go into the attic, and gets them out of the rooms we actually live and entertain in.

Happy organizing!