How Clutter Hurts Your Family

Welcome back to our Conquering Clutter series.  We've been talking about types of clutter you may have and how they affect you. Today we're looking at how clutter affects families.

When our lives are filled with too much clutter we cannot thrive the way Christ wants us to. The affects are far-reaching, beyond our lives and into the lives of those around us. Clutter can have a negative impact on our family, especially your children.

Clutter and Your Children

Physical clutter's problems are sad and long-lasting. At first, your children won't notice the clutter. It's their reality. But as they grow and observe the world around them, go to friend's homes and being to become self-aware, they will soon see that an extremely cluttered home is not normal. Children can experience feelings of shame and guilt when Mom or Dad let clutter get out of control. It's well known that children take things personally and clutter is no different.

Some children try, in vain, to compensate for the chaos by attempting to clean and organize. This can lead to an unhealthy imbalance in the other direction when they become adults obsessing about keeping things neat and clean. Even simple, every day clutter can be a distraction during homeschooling.

Clutter and Your Marriage

Clutter can be damaging to your marriage. The stress of living with an overabundance of stuff that must be moved or managed on a daily basis can be overwhelming. Often couples are opposites in the clutter arena. One doesn't mind the clutter, one notices it often. For the spouse who notices the clutter, it is a stressor and a distraction. And for the one creating the clutter (or worse, hoarding) they are usually more consumed with stuff than with their spouse or children.

Feelings of resentment can brew when one spouse feels they have to constantly manage the other's clutter. Then, the person with the clutter problem can get offended when their stuff is moved or thrown away even when it is done with the best of intentions.

When clutter is the result of excessive shopping, clutter then becomes a financial stressor which is enough to send a marriage into a downward spiral.

More Behavioral Issues

Excessive clutter can also affect members of the family in ways like:

• Irritability
• Resentment
• Depression
• Acting out
• Concentration issues
• Low self-esteem
• Guilt
• Anger
• Shame

For most of us, these aren't going to be an issue because our clutter is not excessive. Yet for some, clutter consumes their lives. When you start to feel stressed by the clutter in your home, do something about it. Set aside time to declutter, organize and toss out. Be sure to grab this free printable, worksheets to help you declutter and start today. Your entire family will benefit!

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