Keeping tight control of your space can improve your mental well-being

These days, when we have so little control of the world around us, one thing we can control is the inside of our homes. Clutter can have a negative impact on our mental well-being, and now that we’re sheltering in place, it’s even more essential to rein in the chaos.

There are plenty of books out there that will jump-start the process of decluttering, most notably Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The KonMari method has a fervent following, with legions swearing by the Japanese organizer’s simple mantra of keeping only items that spark joy. The book is part cleaning manual, part therapy, laying out Zen-like chin-strokers such as, “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life,” and “The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.”

“I know for me personally, cleaning has been very therapeutic,” says Elena Ledoux, CEO of Superb Maids, a local cleaning service. “It keeps your body in motion. And the important thing to remember is, when your home is cluttered and unclean, that creates a constant low-level stress in the background.”

That stress can manifest itself in many ways, including feelings of anxiety and even depression, according to Ledoux. “We’’ve seen it so many times [with clients]. What helps is getting rid of unnecessary clutter, sanitizing everything and making everything beautiful, so you feel like your world is OK. You feel more hopeful.”

Where to begin? Start with making your bed every single day, the moment you get up. It’s a mind trick by which entrepreneur and lifestyle design guru Tim Ferris of The 4-Hour Workweek swears. The idea is that no matter how your day shapes up—whether it’s smooth sailing or fraught with challenges—when you go to bed that night, you have an orderly refuge in which to tuck yourself. Additionally, calm begets calm, and seeing a made-up bed subconsciously reminds you to pick up throughout the day.

With the bed made, Ledoux suggests first throwing open all the doors and windows, especially now that the weather is nicer. “I find that just getting fresh air in and letting in the light really helps and allows you to see better when you’re cleaning,” she says.

Her second tip: Look at all the horizontal surfaces in your house and apply what she calls the rule of three. “There shouldn’t be more than three objects—preferably zero, but no more than three—on each surface.”

Third, aim for symmetry. Items stacked together and facing the same way always look neater. “Let’s say you have a stack of books and they have to be in that particular spot, at least straighten them up and align them so they look more harmonious,” Ledoux advises.

Also, remember that clutter is really just a bunch of disparate things strewn about. Cut down on a messy appearance by grouping like things together and, if possible, putting them into a container so you’re only staring at one thing visually. Have uniform containers for a streamlined look, Ledoux says—a tip particularly handy for kids’ rooms, where there are typically toys of different shapes and sizes.

These steps are just the beginning, but even they can help lift your mental well-being. The heavy-lifting of decluttering then comes from being unflinchingly honest with your relationship to things. A fundamental question to ask yourself is, “Do you own your things, or do your things own you?” There’s a tipping point where things outlive their usefulness and become just another thing for which you have to maintain or make space, which in turn takes a toll on your mental health.

In her latest book, Outer Order, Inner Calm, best-selling author Gretchen Rubin writes, “Getting in control of our possessions makes us feel more in control of our fates. If this is an illusion, it’s a helpful illusion—and it’s a more pleasant way to live.”

In the world we live in right now, we need all the illusions we can conjure. Tidying up is a good way to start.

This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.