Health and Wellbeing
How to start decluttering when overwhelmed, even with reduced mobility
Take a moment to look around your home. Are there papers piling up and objects scattered around without a proper place? You aren’t alone. It’s easy to accumulate clutter over time, but the idea of decluttering can often prove more difficult.
In reality, it’s much simpler than you think.
From practical tips to get going to understanding the ‘why’ behind feeling overwhelmed, we’re here to help you make decluttering feel easy, even with reduced mobility.
Key takeaways:
- Decluttering can be done in small, manageable steps.
- Having someone to help can make the process easier, both practically and emotionally.
- Sentimental items can be left for later and can be kept in smaller amounts.
What's causing the overwhelm?
Just the very nature of seeing clutter in your home can affect your brain. Research from the Princeton Neuroscience Institute shows that visual clutter limits the brain's processing capacity.
Multiple stimuli in your field of view compete for representation, suppressing activity in the visual cortex – essentially overloading your brain with information.
The constant competition can cause cognitive fatigue, slower processing, reduced focus, anxiety, and a feeling of overwhelm.
The psychological cycle
Understanding the psychological cycle behind decluttering is also important.
Disorganisation can cause stress, which leads to procrastination, allowing more clutter to build and increasing stress further – it can sometimes seem inescapable, but rest assured, it’s not.
Acknowledging you’re trapped can be reassuring, because it explains why starting feels so hard without it being a personal failing.
This can be particularly difficult when someone is dealing with the belongings of a person who has passed away, family heirlooms, or objects with great sentimental value.
How to start decluttering when the whole house feels like too much
Start with small, contained areas
Don’t feel like you have to tackle the whole house at once – do it one step at a time. Start small with a single drawer, shelf, or surface. This allows you to break it down into stages, making it feel less overwhelming and reducing the pressure to finish it all at once.
Timed sessions, not a full day
Spending a whole day doing anything will naturally tire anyone out, let alone someone who is older or has mobility needs.
Decluttering is a very manual activity and can require you to stand for long periods. If you have mobility needs, break it down into timed sessions. Rather than planning a full day, take shorter breaks and pace physical activity.
Don’t touch it
Professor of psychology and leading expert in procrastination, Dr Joseph Ferrari, suggests that clutter is also often the result of an “over-attachment” to our personal items, making it difficult to part with them.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by decluttering, Dr Ferrari recommends a hands-off approach:
“If you’re going to declutter, don’t touch the item. Have somebody else hold the pair of black pants and say, ‘Do you need this?’ Once you touch the item, you are less likely to get rid of it.”
What to remove first
It’s best to start removing items with little or no connection, value or use.
Think obvious rubbish, duplicates, anything broken or expired, and items you haven’t used for a year or more.
The idea behind this is to build your confidence with easy decisions before tackling anything sentimental, which can be much harder to deal with.
It can also create momentum. Clearing items out can feel deeply satisfying and give you a sense of achievement. This makes you more likely to continue with your decluttering journey.
Once you’ve cleared some space, you may notice the difference in your stress levels and have more headspace to start organising the items you’ve decided to keep.
Decluttering clothes
Clothes are one of the main things that can be difficult to part with. In fact, a 2022 report by Wrap states that the average person in the UK owns 118 items of unworn clothing.
When it comes to decluttering your clothes, it may be helpful to sort by category (e.g. shoes, coats, and accessories) to make the process less challenging. Start with unworn items, items that don’t fit, and anything that can’t be repaired easily.
The hardest thing to get rid of
Whether it’s a sentimental object or an item previously owned by a loved one who’s no longer here, anything that tugs at your heartstrings is naturally hard to get rid of.
However, no rule says these items need to be dealt with right away or all at once. Allow yourself to leave a ‘maybe’ box to revisit later and focus on decluttering items with less sentimental value in the meantime.
Decluttering when you have limited mobility
If you experience mobility difficulties, such as finding it hard to stand for long periods, or have concerns such as poor balance and fatigue, the idea of decluttering may sound tricky, and even downright impossible, especially if many areas of your home need sorting out.
Here are some helpful tips to accommodate your mobility needs and make decluttering as easy as possible.
- Set up a ‘sorting station’ you can sit at – a perching stool may also be a useful aid for added comfort.
- Ask someone else to bring boxes or items to you. Eliminating the additional strain of lifting can reduce the risk of accidents.
- Break the whole house into small sessions over weeks rather than days to avoid overexertion.
- Prioritise clearing trip hazards first, such as loose items on floors and cluttered hallways or staircases. This may also make it easier to move around your home.
- Consider calling a family member, friend, or even a professional service for the physically demanding parts of decluttering while keeping the key decisions about what to get rid of yourself.
Think about what you are making space for
Having more space in your home can lead to much greater comfort and give you the room for furniture or aids that can help with your mobility and everyday living.
Furniture is not only made to fit you but is ‘made to fit’ with your existing decor and home requirements. We have a wide range of customisable styles across our collections that’ll fit beautifully into your home.
Request a brochure to find out more
FAQs about decluttering when feeling overwhelmed or held back by mobility problems
How to declutter an overwhelming house?
If you feel overwhelmed with decluttering your home, it’s best to start small rather than tackling the entire space at once. You can create separate ‘decluttering sessions’, focusing on one room, surface, or category at a time.
What should I remove first when decluttering?
It can be difficult to know what to remove first when decluttering. Removing items that are broken and hold no value or purpose can quickly free up space and build momentum to continue decluttering.
What is the hardest thing to get rid of when decluttering?
For many people, the hardest items to remove are those with sentimental value. These can feel more important to keep than everyday items. There’s no need to remove everything you have an emotional connection to. Instead, focus on scaling back to ensure your space works better for you.
What is the root cause of clutter?
The root cause of clutter can vary from person to person. For those with mobility difficulties, it may be a practical issue, as unwanted items can become increasingly hard to put away, lift and ultimately remove.
How to declutter many years’ worth of stuff?
Don’t attempt to declutter years of items in one go - this is only going to leave you feeling overwhelmed. Take the decluttering process in stages and start small. It’s also okay to ask for help if you need to.
Seeking more comfort at home? Speak to the team at Oak Tree Mobility.
From rise and recline chairs and adjustable beds to our handy bath lifts, our made-to-fit furniture is designed to provide the support you need and improve your quality of life, so you can enjoy your home once again.
If you need any help, call us on 0808 258 0656 and our friendly team will discuss how we can make you and your home feel more comfortable.
CTA: Explore our collections
Sources and references:
- https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/17786274-the-unbearable-heaviness-of-clutter
- https://paw.princeton.edu/article/psychology-your-attention-please
- https://goloadup.com/blog/guides/clutter-and-anxiety/
- https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/preventing-falls/home-safety/prevent-falls-by-identifying-hazards-at-home/
- https://www.moishes.com/sentimental-items-moving-guide/
- https://www.wrap.ngo/resources/report/citizen-insights-clothing-longevity-and-circular-business-models-receptivity-uk
