For some people, clutter can also serve as a way to distract from emotional pain or trauma. Additionally, some people hold onto clutter because they feel guilty about getting rid of something they've spent money on, or they hold onto things "just in case" they might need in the future.
People's preferences for clutter can stem from various psychological, emotional, and cultural factors: Emotional Attachment: Many individuals develop emotional connections to their possessions. Items may remind them of significant life events, loved ones, or experiences, making it hard to part with them.
We can have sentimental attachments to things, or we may believe our things have hidden monetary value, but the main reason we hang on to things is fear. However misguided, we can fear the loss of security, status, comfort, and love when we throw things out.
A main driver of clutter is the emotional tie we have with our stuff. Our belongings often carry memories—of family, past events, or distinct life phases. Letting go becomes tough due to these connections, especially when items lose their utility. Over time, this leads to a buildup, resulting in a clutter-filled space.
"Excessive clutter and disorganization are often symptoms of a bigger health problem, such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), depression or obsessive compulsive disorder," Hurtado says. "If this is the case, the behavior needs to change versus the logistics of the home, like space or layout."
Behavioral/psychological: Clutter caused by depression, attention deficit disorder, low self-esteem or lack of personal boundaries. Time/life management: Clutter caused by the need for better planning. Of these, the behavioral/psychological-driven clutter is the hardest to solve.
“Kerri Richardson's new book, What Your Clutter Is Trying to Tell You helps you clear the clutter in your life by figuring out why it's in your life to begin with. It not only helps you eliminate physical clutter, but emotional and mental blockages, too, creating space for your soul to be energized!
Symptoms of ADHD Clutter Anxiety
This may include cluttered surfaces, piles of paperwork or clothing, and difficulty finding necessary items. People with ADHD clutter anxiety may also experience feelings of overwhelm or anxious when faced with clutter or disorganization.
Having a lot of things can sometimes give us a sense of security. This is often especially true if we grew up without everything we needed and have a scarcity mindset. We don't want to go back to living in want and so we may hold onto things because we're afraid we won't be able to replace them if we need them again.
“It can easily be a result of our upbringing. Sometimes we learn this behavior from our parents, and it is very difficult for us to change our approach. It can also be that our parents allowed us to quit, and they did not encourage us to complete anything. In other words, it can be a learned behavior,” Catchings says.
The psychology behind clutter is complex, and there are many reasons why we might hold onto possessions that we don't need. Whether it's a fear of letting go, a desire for control, or an attachment to the past, our emotional connection to our belongings can make it difficult to declutter and simplify our lives.
Clutter personalities deal with the psychological reasoning that anchors us to our clutter. They are the excuses and wrong-thinking that enslaves us to our stuff, making it difficult to part with things that no longer have value in our lives.
Clutter puts your mind into overdrive, causing your senses to focus on what isn't important, leading to stress. A messy environment draws your attention from where it ought to be.
You're afraid of the unknown
When you function a certain way for a while, it can feel like that's just how things are. People tend to stick to what they know, even though it causes suffering. Letting go is scary. Since life is unpredictable, knowing what to expect is reassuring.
Clutter can affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus. It can also make us less productive, triggering coping and avoidance strategies that make us more likely to snack on junk and watch TV shows (including ones about other people decluttering their lives).
Ltd., said that the one-touch rule involves handling an item only once. “Rather than picking something up and setting it down temporarily, you place it immediately in its designated spot. This habit minimises clutter, and helps maintain organisation, and prevents items from piling up,” he said.
Coined by pro organizer Kayleen Kelly, the “Core 4 Method” breaks the decluttering process into four simple steps: clear out, categorize, cut out, and contain. In essence, it's designed to take the stress and overwhelm out of the organizing process.
Clutter in the living room might suggest blockages in your social life, as well as your relationship with yourself, while a cluttered bedroom might relate to issues surrounding your sexual self, fears of intimacy or gender roles.
As we said, it could be an emotional trigger, but we know that the more clutter leads to more depression, more mood disorders. As I said earlier, lower psychological wellbeing, life satisfaction, negative emotions about the self. People with lots of clutter do lots of self devaluing the data shows.
Water – Not being able to access or see leaky pipes or other water sources through piles of clutter is going to attract pests. There are many pests that can take advantage of your clutter including mice, rats, cockroaches and bed bugs, among many others.
A messy house doesn't necessarily mean a lack of intelligence or discipline, but rather it could be due to other factors like time management, priorities, or even creativity. Highly intelligent people may have messy houses due to their focus on complex tasks, leading them to overlook tidying up.
This is when your adolescent's depression causes them to either lack the energy or the willpower to clean up after themselves, causing them to live in a messy and disorganized environment – even if they want to make a change.
If you don't clean your house, it might mean you are busy and have little time to clean and organize. It might be a sign that you have too much stuff. Or it might be the result of having young kids in the house who are usually not motivated to clean up after themselves.