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The Mental Weight of Clutter Guest Post: Susie Marsh, LBSW instagram.com/susiesorg2 linkedin.com/company/susie’s-organization-solutions-llc  This is the second blog post a two-part series honoring Mental Health Awareness Month (May). While maintaining an organized home can be challenging for anyone, it can feel especially overwhelming when navigating mental illness, neurodivergence, grief, trauma, or major life transitions.
In this piece, professional organizer and licensed social worker Susie Marsh explores the often-overlooked psychological weight of clutter—and why disorganization is not simply a matter of motivation or willpower. Drawing on nearly two decades of client experience and her clinical background, Susie offers insight into anxiety, visual overwhelm, decision fatigue, and the invisible mental load that can make organizing feel inaccessible. Her approach reframes organizing as a supportive, compassionate process designed to reduce stress and help individuals create environments that truly support their well-being. Have you ever walked into your home and immediately felt tense, distracted, or overwhelmed—even when nothing specific was wrong? It may be the piles of clutter scattered about your home causing the underlying feeling. Many people describe cluttered spaces as feeling “mentally loud” or heavy. That description is surprisingly accurate from what many of my clients have shared with me over the almost 19 years I have been a professional organizer. I have seen the effects clutter has had on individuals from as young as 5 years old to 95 years old. Clutter doesn’t just affect how a home looks. It affects how our brain functions, our energy levels, and our emotional well-being. Let’s look at why this happens—and how supportive organizing can help create more calm in everyday life. Why Clutter Can Make a Space Feel “Mentally Loud” When we are in a space, our brains are constantly processing visual information. Every item in view sends a signal. It may be
That’s a lot of input going into your brain and it can be exhausting and overwhelming. Even when we try to ignore clutter, the brain continues working in the background. Instead of allowing rest, the environment keeps our mind in a subconscious and conscious state of alertness. This mental overload can lead to
A cluttered space becomes mental clutter, not just physical clutter. I’ve had clients share with me that having all of the “To-Do’s” around them constantly makes them feel guilty and pressured to “work on the house” even though they don’t seem to make any progress. They don’t feel like they deserve to relax or have fun when they have a mess around them. Some clients have also shared that they tend to churn items (move items from one space to another) and make more chaos. This causes a sense of failure and more of a tendency to procrastinate any more attempts. How Too Many Choices Drain Energy and Focus It might seem like having more options would make life easier—but the opposite is often true. Every item requires a decision
Mental health professionals call this decision fatigue. The more choices we face, the faster our mental energy drains. I explain to clients that limiting the number of choices they have in a day (a challenge for many people in the world we live in) will in the end help to boost their energy and focus. I will give a client a concrete example such as, “Instead of 10 types of coffee to choose from in the pantry, let’s reduce that down to your 3 favorite types. And each morning be sure to give yourself some time to enjoy and celebrate that cup of coffee! You deserve it!” When spaces contain too much clutter
Reducing excess isn’t about deprivation. It’s about freeing your brain from constant decision-making. What Organizing Looks Like for an Anxious or Overwhelmed Mind Organizing isn’t about perfection or magazine-worthy spaces. While I do love a beautifully organized pantry, there is more to it than that. It’s about being mindful and conscious about how a space functions and what the items in that space mean to the person. Supportive organizing focuses on how a space feels to live in. When someone feels anxious or overwhelmed, organizing should
The goal is not perfection but rather a home that supports your nervous system. Simple Ways to Reduce Visual Noise and Feel Lighter Every Day Small changes often create the biggest emotional relief. Try starting here
Organizing is not about being more disciplined or more productive. It’s about creating a home that feels
When visual noise decreases, many people notice something powerful. Many clients over the years have shared with me that after supportive decluttering, downsizing and organizing, they can think more clearly, feel lighter and their homes begin to feel restful again. Reach out to a NAPO organizing professional near you to learn about how you can get started on your organizing journey! Additional Resources Brain-Based Conditions Specialist Certificate Organizing the Invisible: Women, ADHD, and Emotional Labor How Executive Function or ADHD Challenges Manifest in the Workplace (and How YOU Can Help) Household Management Specialist Certificate I Guess I Should Do It: Help Clients Deal with Ambiguity & Ambivalence Overcoming Overwhelm, Learn to Reflect, Refresh and Refocus Remember if you need organizing assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer, 617.640.2366 Organizing Barnstable, Bourne, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Hyannis, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Truro and Yarmouth  "For the Fallen" Laurence Binyon They shall grow not old, as we that
are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.  Remember if you need organizing assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office, you are cordially invited to contact ...
Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer, 617.640.2366 Organizing Barnstable, Bourne, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Hyannis, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Truro and Yarmouth  Remember if you need organizing assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office, you are cordially invited to contact ...
Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer, 617.640.2366 Organizing Barnstable, Bourne, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Hyannis, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Truro and Yarmouth  Taming Stress in the Body: How Clutter Keeps Us on Alert Guest Post Melinda Rathkopf, MD, MBA and Ashley Sewall, PhD May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to consider how mental well-being is shaped not only by our thoughts, but also by our environments.
This article launches a two-part series in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, written by The Declutter Docs, Melinda Rathkopf, MD, MBA, and Ashley Sewall, PhD. Drawing on expertise in medicine, psychology, and human behavior (as well as their impressive experience in the organizing and productivity industry), the authors explore the growing body of research connecting our physical environments to physiological stress responses. In this blog post, they examine how clutter influences the nervous system and introduce organizing as a practical mind-body wellness tool—highlighting the power of small, consistent “micro-resets” instead of overwhelming overhauls. Cluttered spaces do more than look chaotic. They can keep the body in a steady state of low-grade stress. Decluttering can have the opposite effect by acting as a physiological reset, similar to the “micro-resets” described by Ashley Sewall, PhD. These brief, manageable actions help calm the nervous system without adding more overwhelm. Micro-resets help interrupt the stress loop, reduce cognitive load, restore a sense of control, and give the nervous system a quick signal of completion. While micro-resets are intentionally small and not overwhelming, their impact is often outsized relative to the effort. When the environment is contributing to a chronic stress signal, even small visible changes can meaningfully reduce that input. Without that explanation, some readers might assume the actions are too small to matter if the problem feels big or systemic. Understanding the biology behind this helps explain why organization is more than aesthetics—it is regulation. The Stress Response: Cortisol and the HPA Axis The body has an elegant alarm system designed for survival. When the brain perceives stress, it activates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to the release of cortisol. In the short term, cortisol
This response is adaptive in true danger. But when stress signals remain chronically activated, elevated cortisol has been associated with fatigue, sleep disturbance, impaired concentration, and inflammation. Research suggests that environments described as cluttered may be associated with altered cortisol patterns, particularly in women who perceive their homes as chaotic rather than restorative (Saxbe & Repetti, 2009). In other words, how we experience our environment may influence how our stress system behaves throughout the day. Clutter may not be a threat in the traditional sense, but visually overloaded environments can reinforce a sense of unfinished tasks and ongoing demand. Clutter and Cognitive Load Beyond stress hormones, clutter affects executive function. The brain’s prefrontal cortex has limited attentional bandwidth. Every visible object competes for processing. Studies in cognitive science show that visual clutter increases attentional demand and reduces task efficiency. When the environment constantly signals “unfinished business,” working memory becomes taxed. Over time, this cognitive load can contribute to:
For individuals with anxiety, ADHD, depression, or trauma histories, environmental overstimulation may have an amplified impact on nervous system regulation. The Nervous System: Stuck in “On” Mode When the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight” system) remains activated, the parasympathetic system—the body’s “rest and digest” mode—has difficulty engaging. Organized environments may help reduce this background activation. Fewer visual cues can mean fewer stress signals competing for attention. While organization alone is not a treatment for mental health disorders, it can reduce environmental stress inputs that contribute to physiologic arousal. Professional organizers often observe that clients report feeling “lighter” or “grounded” after sessions. From a physiological standpoint, this aligns with reduced cognitive load and improved perceived control—both important components of stress regulation. Environment and Sleep Cortisol follows a natural daily rhythm: highest in the morning and gradually declining toward evening. Persistent stress can disrupt this pattern and interfere with sleep onset and quality. Sleep health experts emphasize that our environment plays a meaningful role in sleep regulation, including minimizing stimulation in the bedroom and creating cues for safety and rest. A clutter‑free sleep space may support the body’s natural evening wind‑down process and improve sleep latency and continuity (American Neuropsychiatric Association & National Sleep Foundation, 2025). Even small environmental resets before bed may reinforce the brain’s signal that the day is complete. Decluttering as a Body‑Friendly Wellness Tool Organization is not about perfection. It is about reducing unnecessary stress inputs. Research in environmental mental health consistently demonstrates that surrounding conditions influence psychological and physiological well-being (Nature Medicine, 2023). While most studies focus on urban design, noise, and green space, the principle extends inward: The spaces we inhabit shape our stress responses. Professional organizing can therefore be reframed as a supportive health behavior—one that helps lower background stress load and promote regulation. Small, consistent actions are often more sustainable than large overhauls. That is where micro‑resets become powerful. Micro–Reset Starters Counter Reset (60 seconds) Clear one visible surface. Notice whether your breathing slows once visual input decreases. Inbox Triage (5 minutes) Sort papers into three simple categories: act, file, discard. Reducing ambiguity reduces cognitive load. Nightly Close Reset your sleep area before bed. This supports the brain’s transition from task mode to rest mode. Light Shift In the morning, open blinds soon after waking to anchor your circadian rhythm and support alertness. In the evening, dim lights and shift to warm or red tones. Longer wavelengths (amber/red) suppress melatonin far less than blue or cool white light. Lower brightness matters as much as color—think bright days, dim warm nights. Consider a smart bulb for your bedside lamp so you can easily shift to a dim red setting about an hour before bed. The Bigger Picture Mental health is shaped by biology, psychology, relationships, and environment. While decluttering is not therapy, it can support nervous system regulation by reducing persistent environmental stress cues. During Mental Health Awareness Month, it is worth recognizing that productivity experts and professional organizers are not simply creating efficient schedules or tidying homes; they are helping clients build environments that support focus, rest, and resilience. Calm spaces create calm bodies. Calm bodies create clear minds. Additional Resources Brain-Based Conditions Specialist Certificate Organizing the Invisible: Women, ADHD, and Emotional Labor How Executive Function or ADHD Challenges Manifest in the Workplace (and How YOU Can Help) Household Management Specialist Certificate I Guess I Should Do It: Help Clients Deal with Ambiguity & Ambivalence Overcoming Overwhelm, Learn to Reflect, Refresh and Refocus References Saxbe, D. E., & Repetti, R. L. (2009). No place like home: Home tours correlate with daily patterns of mood and cortisol. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(7), 898–912. Sewall, A. (2026). Microresets and nervous system regulation. Declutter Docs. https://www.declutterdocs.com/post/micro-resets-cleaning-without-the-burnout American Neuropsychiatric Association & National Sleep Foundation. (2025). Sleep health awareness statement. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. Lederbogen, F., et al. (2023). Effects of urban living environments on mental health in adults. Nature Medicine. Meet the authors, Melinda Rathkopf, MD, MBA, and Ashley Sewall, PhD Melinda Rathkopf, MD, MBA is a physician, productivity and efficiency consultant, and professional organizer based in Atlanta. With an MD, MBA, and years of clinical experience including running her medical practice, she applies a structured, evidence-based approach to organization and efficiency. She is the co-founder of Declutter Docs, where she empowers clients to build streamlined, sustainable workflows to improve efficiency and reduce stress. Ashley Sewall, PhD is a researcher, editor, and organizer based in the Atlanta area. With a doctorate in Human Factors Psychology and more than a decade of experience studying human behavior, systems, and everyday environments, she brings a practical, people-centered lens to organizing and productivity. She is the co-founder of Declutter Docs, where she helps clients create more functional, supportive spaces with less overwhelm. declutterdocs.com linkedin.com/company/declutter-docs instagram.com/declutterdocs facebook.com/declutterdocs |
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