Hi!
How’s your May going? Believe it or not it’s STILL Mental Health Awareness Month (yup, I’m still going on about this ☺️) and I decided to use it to get something done that has been bugging me.
I live with a lot of clutter. There’s me, who’s busy and not the neatest human ever, and four young men who care only intermittently about keep things straightened and – even though we’ve only been in this house for about four years- so there are a lot of messy spots. I can deal with the mess. I also know that, if I take the time to clear out the clutter even in one small spot, it feels great. Like “take a deep breath just from looking at this organized closet” kind of great.
For me, clutter is a drag on my mental health. Research shows it’s not just me! Higher levels of “home clutter” increase the cortisol our brains make – the same reaction we have to danger. And clearing clutter at home or at work makes us focus and process information, as well as less anxious overall.
And so… I’m doing a thing this week and I hope you’ll join me!
Five Days to Declutter Your Space AND Your Stress
I’m collaborating with an amazing interior designer named John McClain and the two of us are on Instagram and TikTok five days in a row decluttering one spot in each of our homes in a low impact way. John is explaining how to do this well and some hacks for making it stick. I’m explaining the brain science about why it’s hard and how to hack THAT. For TODAY Show fans let’s just say he’s definitely the Jenna to my Hoda but I’m making real progress on my one spot. You can watch and learn or play along. Here is Day One on Instagram and on TikTok, go follow whichever you like.
Have a spot in your home that you’d love if it was a little cleaner? Comment and tell me. And if you can’t figure out the social media of this, let me know and I’ll help.
All my best,
Dr.G
