Why do we accumulate clutter?

• Does it fuel our creativity?
• Do possessions make us feel successful?  Or safe?
• Make us look busy and important?
• Are we too emotionally attached to weed out what we no longer need or use?
• Are we hoping that someday our stuff will be worth a lot of money?
• Or because we paid a lot of money for our stuff, it’s too good to get rid of?

In an extensive four-year study, UCLA researchers documented the debilitating effects of clutter on our mood and self-esteem. The greater the clutter, the more stress and anxiety we feel. This is especially true for women.

Tackling stress

There are many excellent articles on how to declutter. Start with these steps from Simplemost and HouseLogic. For ideas on managing stress, see the March 2017 issue of InSight. Read the article Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress and download the associated Stress Management Self-Help Checklist and Stress Relief Toolbox. Don’t hesitate to contact an attorney counselor at the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program (OAAP). The OAAP can give you guidance on how to develop your own stress management program using deep relaxation, meditation, time management, and other proven stress-reducing techniques. Best of all, contacting the OAAP is free and confidential.

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