Fran Larson

Can Clutter Affect Your Health?


Posted: Thursday, October 15, 2009

by Fran Larson
http://www.franniesquotes.com/

Once I started ripping things out of my closet, I couldn't seem to stop. It felt so good to grab things that didn't fit or to toss an unmatched blouse or pair of slacks. Then there were the shoes that were uncomfortable, still new, just sitting there. Yes, I had a filled closet but always wore the same few outfits and shoes.

Ah, when I finished clearing out my closet, there was a feeling of freedom. Maybe that is why I am gradually giving away extra dishes, jewelry I do not wear and just plain "stuff." It is a good day for me when I can find things that can be taken to the thrift shop or thrown away. How much "stuff" do we really need?

I began to wonder if there is any scientific evidence of my "feeling of freedom?" This is what I found:

Clutter - energy which has become stuck and stale around piles of stuff which we have not attended to for some time, can make us congested in our body, confused in our mind and stuck in our life. (Brenda Martin, Founder of Feng Shui Harmony and School of Natural Health and Well Being.)

"Too much stuff in the home can lead to stress. The average household accumulates 300 pieces of paper a day and contains 25 percent more furniture and 75 percent more toys than it needs," according to Don Aslett, author of Clutter's Last Stand (Writer's Digest Books, 1984).

"Visual clutter actually suppresses the brain's responsiveness." National institutes of Health Press Research

No wonder I haven't been inspired to write lately and felt confused. I will immediately clean my desk, clear my computer and organize cutout recipes in a photo album.

Francine Larson:

Co-Author of Character Keys to a Bright Future.

She is a freelance writer

Francine Larson has a new book that just came out, "The Lure of Annabelle Key Lighthouse," an exciting Christian Teen Novella. You may view it at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/115229

See more articles by Francine Larson at:http://www.examiner.com/modern-love-in-tampa-bay/francine-larson

She also writes for The Highlands at Scotland Yards. She writes poetry and short stories. She is a contributor for Yahoo (http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/685738/francine_larson.html)

This Article has been viewed 32 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)
» left by Kacy Carr
 2 years 218 days ago.
Hi Fran I enjoyed this article - and in answer to your title "very much so" especially if you suffer from the the type of OCD I have. Even inside them closets every thing has to be order right down to the  icons on the desktop of my computer which also having to be in order. otherwise I couldn't even think about beginning to write. I have always said from day 1 that OCD was similar to Feng Shui. Thanks for this article, and if any one on this site will understand what that feeling of freedom you have feels like after you have decluttered - it surely has to be me
 
Keep safe Fran
 
Kacy
» left by Cecil Taylor
 2 years 218 days ago.
3 fans.
I always appreciate any motivation to rid my place of unnecessary clutter. Seems like every time I get a tiny bit depressed my pack rat side goes into high gear. Then I need remotivating. My worst ever was thinking I needed stuff to sell on eBay. Wrong. Thanks for the article. Cecil
» left by Marty RicKard
 2 years 214 days ago.
64 fans.
Dear Fran:  I sure enjoyed this article and many others you have posted.  I have felt clutter is a great destroyer of energy, and for years I taught that in my classes.  Good job.  Thanks for joining my fan club.  Marty RicKard.  Keep up the good work. 
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