Posted on Tue, Mar. 04, 2008

By PATTI GHEZZI - Cox News Service

While helping her elderly mother move two years ago, Melanie Whitworth was taken aback by how much stuff her mother had accumulated and the emotional toll of sorting through it.

“I don't want to be as tied to stuff as I grow older,” said Whitworth of Atlanta, who recently embarked on a yearlong decluttering project of her own.

She had another motivation for tackling the clutter in her home. Whitworth has lupus, and stress can exacerbate her symptoms. She saw her stuffed closets as a source of stress she could eliminate.

“I think it will be one less thing for me to think about,” said Whitworth, who has two children and works as a self-employed certified public accountant. “We needed to get a handle on how to manage the flow of paper and the flow of garbage.”

Shedding unwanted stuff and clutter and getting organized can have unexpected health benefits. Letting go of material things gives a feeling of euphoria some liken to the runner's high. It's liberating and frees up time and space for healthy habits, such as exercising. It can even reduce allergy symptoms and help you lose weight.

“Changing your physical environment goes a long way toward changing your state of mind in a positive way,” said Monica Ricci, who busts clutter for a living through her business, Catalyst Organizing Solutions. “When you take control of your surroundings, you free yourself.”

Whitworth had already read books and articles about getting organized when she resolved to purge the junk that built up over the past decade. She hired Catalyst Organizing, and she and Ricci got to work.

Ricci pushed her client to make tough decisions about sentimental things such as her kids' artwork. She also taught Whitworth to set a time limit for organizing that leaves enough time to clean up. In the past, Whitworth would take everything out of a messy drawer, only to run out of steam. “If the house is a mess, my husband says, 'You must be cleaning!”' she jokes.

It's too soon to know if gaining control over her possessions will help the muscle pain in Whitworth's neck brought on by stress and keep down her lupus symptoms, but Whitworth already deems the project worthwhile. Her kids, ages 15 and 11, are helping out more and liking the sight of a sink free of dirty dishes.

“They're having friends over more,” Whitworth said, adding that she hopes they can develop a healthy perspective on the role of stuff in life.

CATALOGS MUST GO

Coleman Gfroerer, an Atlanta counselor, also called on Ricci to help her create a calm, orderly home for herself and her 6-year-old twins.

“If my space isn't organized, I do feel chaotic, like I can't do the things I need to do,” said Gfroerer, adding that she feels most stressed when shifting from work mode to mommy mode. “That's when I start to feel the clutter creeping in.”

One of her first projects was to conquer her kids' toys. Gfroerer had to get over the guilt she felt after tossing a toy her child later longed for. She set up a clearinghouse system. When a new toy comes in, an old toy goes out. Then she tackled her kids' artwork, an emotional issue for moms and dads that leads to piles of papers too precious to toss but too unwieldy to contain.

With help from her organizing expert, she strung wire along her kitchen walls, where she hangs her children's newest creations. What she doesn't display, she keeps in art portfolios.

One thing she has learned to toss: catalogs. She occasionally likes to decompress by flipping through them and admiring “pretty things,” but she reminds herself that another catalog is always on its way.

RE-GIFT, DONATE, RETURN

For some people, conquering clutter is more complicated than parting with a child's drawing and tossing catalogs.

Amie Ragan, a licensed clinical psychologist in Birmingham, Ala., works with people with extreme clutter problems. “You may move from clutter into hoarding,” she says. “One symptom of hoarding is holding onto things others would think is garbage.”

Compulsive hoarding is often related to obsessive-compulsive disorder and may be treated with psychotherapy or a referral for medication.

Ragan also sees the day-to-day impact of clutter on otherwise healthy people. “When your living space is a wreck, it's easy to fall into a funk.”

She recommends getting rid of things that don't provide pleasure, even if they're gifts from loved ones. “Re-gift, donate or return,” she said. “People are trained to believe it's ungrateful if you don't keep a gift for a long time. It's egocentric to think people care. They don't realize their stuff is causing you stress.”

HELPS WITH ALLERGIES, WEIGHT LOSS

Cleaning out clutter, especially in the bedroom, can relieve allergy symptoms, said Dr. Alpen Patel, an allergy specialist with the Emory Sinus, Nasal & Allergy Center at Emory Crawford Long Hospital.

Patel advises clearing closets of unworn, outdated clothes, which scales back living quarters of dust mites. “They like warm, moist environments that are especially soft,” he said, adding that tossing worn clothes in piles on the furniture and the floor also creates a haven. Dust mite droppings may trigger allergy symptoms such as runny nose, itchy eyes and wheezing.

He suggests minimizing decorative pillows, stuffed animals, carpet and other soft surfaces. “The more clutter, the more items, especially soft items. ... There is a larger surface area for dust mites.”

Julie Schwartz, a dietitian at the Emory Bariatric Center who counsels people considering gastric bypass surgery and other medical weight loss procedures, sees connections between clutter and obesity.

“People have difficulty finding time to exercise, because they have too much to do,” she said. “The clutter tends to be an obstacle. Once you clear the obstacles, the health tends to fall into place.”

Schwartz, a wellness coach, looks at all aspects of a client's life. She encourages patients to tackle their clutter so they can cross it off their often-overwhelming to-do list. Then, replace that time spent fretting over clutter with something enjoyable such as going for a walk or reading a book.

People are often stressed out and paralyzed over their messy homes. Cleaning is easier and faster when there is less stuff.

Overeating is often triggered by stress, and eliminating an aspect of stress can help calm cravings. Schwartz encourages patients to focus on the clutter that bothers them the most and not to worry about decluttering the whole house at once.

“Just decluttering one area can make you feel better,” she said. “And, it's a distraction from eating.”

GETTING STARTED

Take stock of what you have, and target those things that don't add value to your life. These things are “freeloading” in your home and need to go.

Donate or sell unwanted items to someone who can use them.

Figure out how to store the things that remain. Maximize closet space. Put hooks on doors and walls.

Group like items together. Think of your house as a department store, broken up into departments that make sense.

Figure out what you need to store, then buy storage containers or other products as needed.

Keep your eye on the end goal: Focus on what matters and improve your quality of life.

http://www.thestate.com/health/story/335374.html