Ever find yourself overwhelmed by the clutter around you, and notice your mood plummeting alongside the piles of unsorted mail? You're not alone. Today, we unpack the surprising relationship between our mental health and the spaces we live in. We'll address how the state of our surroundings can echo in our minds, and why creating order isn't just about cleanliness – it's about cultivating well-being. Whether it's battling cognitive overload or navigating attention disorders, we'll talk about the 'can'ts' and 'won'ts' of barriers to organization and the critical lifelines available, from therapy to professional evaluations. Because sometimes, clearing out a drawer can be the first step towards clearing our headspace.
Transforming chaos into order is no small feat, but it's not about reinventing the wheel overnight. I guide you through the power of small, consistent organizational habits that forge a path to lasting change. As we explore the proven benefits of taking it one step at a time, you'll see how less daunting it becomes to tackle that mountain of 'stuff' and the freedom that comes with an orderly sanctuary. So tune in as we discuss how to nurture these habits, seek the right help, and remember: organizing your space is more than a chore – it's an act of self-care that reverberates through every aspect of your life.
Ever find yourself overwhelmed by the clutter around you, and notice your mood plummeting alongside the piles of unsorted mail? You're not alone. Today, we unpack the surprising relationship between our mental health and the spaces we live in. We'll address how the state of our surroundings can echo in our minds, and why creating order isn't just about cleanliness – it's about cultivating well-being. Whether it's battling cognitive overload or navigating attention disorders, we'll talk about the 'can'ts' and 'won'ts' of barriers to organization and the critical lifelines available, from therapy to professional evaluations. Because sometimes, clearing out a drawer can be the first step towards clearing our headspace.
Transforming chaos into order is no small feat, but it's not about reinventing the wheel overnight. I guide you through the power of small, consistent organizational habits that forge a path to lasting change. As we explore the proven benefits of taking it one step at a time, you'll see how less daunting it becomes to tackle that mountain of 'stuff' and the freedom that comes with an orderly sanctuary. So tune in as we discuss how to nurture these habits, seek the right help, and remember: organizing your space is more than a chore – it's an act of self-care that reverberates through every aspect of your life.
Welcome to the Self Care Society podcast with your hosts Celia Williamson, ashley Kutcher, louis Guardiola and Carrie Shaw, a podcast devoted to those whose job it is to help others get or remain mentally, physically and emotionally healthy, but who also need to take care of themselves. How we're going to do this? By first showing you the filtered, pretty version of success and then the real struggles, real work and raw grit it took to get there, how they took care of themselves and also achieved their goals while doing it Together. We will work with you to improve and maintain your internal health and growth, while helping you achieve your external goals and your next professional achievement in life.
Speaker 2:And we're excited to show you how to follow your own individual and unique path and achieve the dreams you have, while taking good care of yourself. So let's get started. Good morning and welcome to the Self Care Podcast. I am your host today, isabel Matossian. Today I'd like to talk about organization, but maybe not exactly in the way that you're thinking. I won't be telling you how to sort your sock drawer. That's what we have Marie Kondo for, and bless her soul for thinking we're going to keep all that up.
Speaker 2:I have a friend let's call her Amy, and she likes to think of herself as a pretty organized person when she's living alone. Her space is tidy, she puts things in their designated spaces. She even keeps her planner color coded so she doesn't lose track of her schedule and time management. So why does it sometimes slip up? Amy lives with a roommate, for one thing, and her roommate is not as tidy as her by any means. The living room gets cluttered, dirt gets tracked into her house and the dishes seem to pile up, and in response to that, amy starts to leave her things around. She cleans the floors less and she saves her dishes for later. Even though Amy knows it will make her feel anxious, she lets these things happen and worsen. It, even gets to the point where she stops using her planner and neglects her time management. So why does this happen? Why is it that Amy struggles so much to stay organized when she starts to lose control of her living space? It isn't because she doesn't know better. She absolutely does. Amy knows how to clean to a point where you won't find a speck of dust or an item out of place. It's because there's a mental health link to the space that we're in. When Amy's roommate is messy, she becomes more anxious and less motivated because their shared space is less tidy. Then Amy starts to neglect her organizing and cleaning and becomes even more overwhelmed until eventually, her space and her mind are equally cluttered. It's a never-ending cycle. So what do we do to fix this kind of situation?
Speaker 2:One thing she could do is communicate with her roommate and express the impact that her clutter is having. This may mean, depending on the roommate, talking about a schedule for chores or coming up with an action plan that works with the two of them. And yes, an Amy story. A lot of the challenges she's facing aren't her fault. It's because of whatever her roommate is dealing with that's causing her space to be constantly messy and cluttered. But these solutions are meant to be about what Amy can control. That's not to say Amy is powerless. She deserves to advocate for herself and to make her space a comforting and calming place for her. So if Amy isn't sure about what to do next, one possibility is to consult her therapist and ask how she can confront her roommate about this without the tone being too negative or causing an awkward strain on their relationship.
Speaker 2:The most important takeaway from Amy's story is that the space we live in matters. It's crucial to our success in our personal lives and our professional lives that we have a space that is safe and comforting and calming to retreat to. It's easy to value the self-care that is related to finances, friendships and the outdoors, but if we neglect our personal space and living space, then we don't have a place to recharge away from the monotony of the outside world. Maybe you can relate to any part of Amy's story and maybe you can't. That's okay. We have more to talk about.
Speaker 2:I'll be referencing an article from Psychology Today. According to this article, there are five reasons, and they all fall under one or both of two categories. These categories are can't or won't. Can't implies inability and won't is the lack of initiative. One can't is that you don't know how. Do you feel like a failure because you can't maintain a system of organization or do you forget where you put things?
Speaker 2:Many disorganized people complain about their memory and, while cognitive decline is a real thing, finding yourself overwhelmed can affect thinking, especially with creative people. This can make the problem continue to worsen because you waste time and money searching for items and replacing them when you can't find them. It can be overwhelming to organize or it can make you feel like a failure when you don't succeed. It may lead to bad habits, like leaving things around because they think it'll show up later when they need it. Some people are lucky and find help or may be a partner to assist with organization, but others, who don't necessarily allow others to help them, are at a greater risk of ending up unhappy with their space. Sometimes you do need help from others and it's okay to ask for it or to seek it out.
Speaker 2:Maybe your can't is that you can't get started. Stay focused and manage the interruptions that arise. Starting a new project can be daunting and distraction can be a disorder. And then a house filled with stuff with dozens of unfinished projects may point in that direction. If you think you're overwhelmed because of attention deficit disorder, go and get an evaluation. The right treatment can make the job of organization a thousand times easier.
Speaker 2:With or without ADD, many people don't know how to begin to sort through all of their stuff. When sorting through the past, the trips down memory lane can divert you off on tangents. It is a normal hazard when going through old things. It's not hard to reminisce the day away. The point is, maybe discussing these challenges with a therapist or willing friend can help you determine what's stopping you. Are you feeling overwhelmed about starting something new? Do you struggle with clutter or collecting items that you don't need? Whatever it may be, the solution won't come in this podcast episode. We're all unique and different and require different solutions. This is just an opportunity to give some ideas.
Speaker 2:Maybe you simply don't feel like getting organized, and this is a won't kind of situation. Some people don't want to even keep a calendar because they want to be flexible, which often leads to them forgetting about their plans unless they're reminded. But who says you have to schedule every single minute of your life? Who says you can't simply cross something out and change it. You're in control of your calendar, not the other way around. If you keep a calendar, you may even feel empowered by it. You can keep track of your commitments to the relationships that matter, the due dates for your bills and payments and your life. This way, you know that when you do the fun and adventurous things, it's not to the detriment of your finances, credit score or personal relationships, meaning that your time has increased in its value because your mental and financial health have improved.
Speaker 2:Another possible can't is that you think you have to clear things out first, as if you can't organize until everything is cleared out. Organizing and clearing things out go hand in hand. As you eliminate the clutter, you'll have a better idea of what you have and where it belongs. You will also know what you have left to deal with. This is how I approach things like cleaning out a drawer, but use it in whatever metaphorical way you would like. I start by emptying everything out and, as I go through the items, I sort them into piles that make sense for me, including a keep and take away and trash pile. And now for the last can't, which is feeling like you can't organize if you don't have the right tools, such as storage containers or other things. Many people who feel this way are landlocked in the stuff that has accumulated. This leads people to purchase new organizing items, which may ultimately lead to increasing the clutter in your home. So what can you do with all of these can'ts and wounds holding you back?
Speaker 2:One important thing is to organize every day, just little by little. It's an ongoing activity and our organization will evolve with us. Our systems change as our needs change. We have to make the time to adapt to those changes. Doing a little bit every day can make a big difference. Start small and move into bigger projects.
Speaker 2:If you tackle a little bit at a time, then you'll become more habitual about it and less afraid of clearing, organizing and discarding. You don't need to overhaul your life every single day in one day. How would you learn from that? How does that teach you healthy habits? It's a short-term solution, but if you build up with smaller tasks that you allow to become habitual, then you'll find that it's so much easier to take on a new project or a new task or a new organization need in your life. Finally, enlist the help that you need to empower you to accomplish the task as things begin to clear out, you'll feel more organized and free to do the other things that you would rather be doing. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you all have a great week. That concludes this week's episode. And remember, it's not selfish, it's self-care.