Enough with the Stuff— Dealing with Anxiety and Clutter

As I sat on the edge of my children’s playroom staring at the sea of toys that cluttered the floor I got this very familiar feeling in my chest. That squeezing almost heart attack feeling and I knew my anxiety was kicking in yet again. Since my Lovebug came along my anxiety has been unrelenting. I thought I was just suffering from postpartum issues but it’s been over three years and the anxiety is here to stay.

clutter

I’ve come to accept that anxiety is part of my life. Yes, I have sought help to try and deal with it but there is only so much they can do. I’m trying to find different ways to help deal with it on my (sadly even going so far as to drastically reduce my caffeine intake!) and help avoid certain triggers that I know make it worse. Clutter…clutter seams to do it. It’s not just the physical clutter either. My life seams cluttered right now.

I work over fifty hours a week with the kiddos and my husband works about the same. My hubs works around the same amount. It’s just a fact of life that we have to work and work a lot. By the time I get home, feed the kiddos and stop moving for five seconds, I’m exhausted. This starts the clutter spiral. I exhausted so things get left undone. The clutter leads to more anxiety and then then I’m exhausted from anxiety. Never ending spiral.

Now as I thought there gazing out into the mess it occurred to me that we have too much stuff. Not just in the obvious crazy cluttered play room but everywhere. My life was cluttered and a mess. I spent so much time worrying about “stuff”. Was all of this stuff really worth what I was going through? The answer to that was simple. We need less stuff. My kiddos do not need a house full of toys and games. We are rarely there. I don’t need a kitchen full of expensive gadgets, I use like three of them. If you take the time to really evaluate what you actually use and need you’ll be surprised.

My life in general has too much “stuff”. But how do I simplify? I do I find a balance in what is important and what is just clutter? Well, that’s the million dollar question. I found myself making a list of what’s important. What I need in my life and what is just part of the overwhelming sea of stuff. I’m starting to try and clear out all the clutter..mentally and physically. Hopefully this will lead to a less cluttered and anxious life. When i comes down to it we only have one life to live and I don’t want to live it bogged down with anxiety.

So make your own list. Find your own way to sweep the clutter out. Decide what you really want out of this crazy journey and go for it. <3

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9 comments on “Enough with the Stuff— Dealing with Anxiety and Clutter

  1. Jelli

    Decluttering is honestly one of my favorite activities. My family moves often, so it’s essential to keep our “stuff” to a minimum to make packing easier. I’ve found that tossing things I don’t use in about 3 months is pretty easy. If I don’t grab for a kitchen gadget or a certain tee, then its automatically entered into my donate box which goes out every weekend.

  2. dana vento

    I have been bagging and throwing it all out. Clutter annoys me and working from home 24/7 with 3 kids makes it hard. I have had enough with the stuff too and dealing with anxiety and clutter is not easy. I feel you all over the place. Good luck on this battle.

  3. Jaime Nicole

    Anxiety is such a horrible thing. I know that I feel calmer and more in control when my environment is in order -whether it is at home or at work. Sometimes, it’s worth taking the time to spend to clean things up a bit. At least that makes me feel better. Hang in there!

  4. Gwendolyn Mulholland

    Having less clutter (literally, emotionally, and physically) in my life causes my anxiety to worsen. I hate clutter and it is amazing how cleaning out just a little helps ease the anxiety. I am constantly purging in all areas and this helps to keep the anxiety down.

  5. Kristy @ Mommy Hates Cooking

    I also deal with a lot of anxiety. It seems as if the older I get the harder it is to handle. I have also noticed that when I declutter it seems to make everything easier. Too much stuff is just so overwhelming.

  6. Bites for Foodies

    Being a type A person, I am all about decluttering…clutter makes me anxious! I have two personalities…one of them is high anxiety, but at the same time it works in my favour and enables me to accomplish so much!

  7. Alison

    I need to declutter sooo bad! We usually do about twice a year, but these last few months has been crazy with both hubby and I’s “day jobs” plus my blog and we now have a 4 year old who competes in horse shows at the national level, a teenager who is in marching band and FFA and we have less than zero extra time lately — can I hire someone to declutter for me? Is that a thing? If not it should be….

  8. aly mashrah

    Oh man, I am the same when it comes to clutter. I get so much anxiety from it but then I’m too tired after a long day to do anything about it. It’s hard when you’re working so much, but I hope you can find the balance!

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