Cleaning Out the Physical and Mental Clutter in Your Life

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For many, the spring season of renewal and growth is a time to declutter their homes. In a society of overabundance, it’s something that is certainly needed throughout the year. Though, we might usually focus only on what we can see—what’s out of sight is out of mind. 

With so much clutter in the U.S., it’s now a trend to put many of our possessions out of sight in what was originally designed for temporary solutions—self-storage. According to neighbor.com, a site that tracks the self-storage market, there was approximately 2.8 billion square feet of self-storage in 2022. For further perspective, there are more self-storage facilities in the U.S. than the combined count of Starbucks, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Pizza Hut and Wendy’s restaurants, and demand is rising.

• Nearly 50% of storage units are used for more than a year
• 10% stay rented for more than three years

But it’s not just the physical clutter that has become a problem. Americans also have mental clutter. We can’t say “no” to buying more things and we can’t say “no” to adding more items to our to-do list. Both mental and physical clutter can affect your happiness and your health. Owning too much stuff means time spent with that stuff, rather than building real relationships with people. Having too much on your plate can increase stress levels, leading to anxiety and exhaustion. 

We have become so busy doing so much that we don’t take time to stop and enjoy the moment. Multitasking has become the norm. The level of satisfaction is always lower when we go from one thing to the next without fully processing it. We miss out on emotional satisfaction.

Are you ready to declutter your home and your life? Begin eliminating mental and physical clutter with the following three tips: 

1. Ten minutes to reflect. At the end of each day, take 10 minutes to reflect on the good that took place that day.
    
2. Ask why. What is the purpose of something you own or something you do? If you can’t answer that question, get rid of it.
    
3. Step away from electronics. At least an hour before you go to bed, power down all your electronics, including the TV. Give your mind time to relax before going to bed. Keep your phone in the other room at night. Even the small blue light of a charging phone can interrupt sleep. And if your phone is in the other room when you wake up, you won’t be tempted to pick it up and check email or social media before you even get out of bed.

Remember, less really is more. When it comes to physical clutter, if you don’t need it to function in your daily life, you probably don’t need it at all. When it comes to doing, just slow down. Think before you add one more thing to your daily calendar. What value will that extra activity bring to your life? Focus on the things that allow you to have authentic relationships with others and take time to appreciate the people you love.

At Cooper Aerobics we challenge people to Get Cooperized™ by adopting a healthy living mindset to live better both sooner and later. Read about the 8 Steps to Get Cooperized™ developed by Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, Cooper Aerobics Founder and Chairman.

Article provided by Cooper Aerobics Marketing and Communications.