Marie Kondo’s ‘Tidying Up’ Explains Our Anxiety Over Clutter

In Netflix’s hot new show “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo,” Japanese organizing expert and bestselling author Marie Kondo helps people conquer clutter. The eight-episode series explores houses with different levels of disorganization, and you get an insider’s look at how disorder stresses out the inhabitants of each home from young parents who are afraid of the laundry to a widow who is learning how to “death clean” after the passing of her husband.

In each episode the people Kondo encounters have issues that lead to their disarray, whether it’s time constraints, emotional setbacks, or lack of space. The clutter is taking a negative toll on each of their lives, holding them back and weighing them down—and in the end creating anxiety in other areas of their lives.

It’s no secret that clutter and anxiety are linked, and there’s plenty of scientific evidence to prove it. For example, a Cornell University study found that people living in messy, chaotic environments consume more junk food. Another study by Princeton Neuroscience Institute discovered that in disorganized spaces people are more stressed, distracted, and in turn, less productive. Clutter also elevates levels of stress hormones in mothers, according to “Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century: 32 Families Open Their Doors,” a book by researchers at UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families.

“Being in disorganization makes people anxious. When things are out of their places, anxiety is more prevalent in your mind because there is no order in your room, apartment, or home,” says Katie Ziskind, a holistic family therapist at Wisdom Within Counseling in Niantic, Connecticut. “Your anxiety decreases naturally when you organize, clean, and take care of your home. Your state of mind is a direct mirror of your living environment.”

As it turns out, quite a few of us are experiencing the negative affects of clutter on our psyche too. About one-third of U.S. consumers say clutter makes them feel “overwhelmed” and about one-quarter say clutter makes them feel “anxious,” according to a poll by Branded Research.

“I see firsthand the debilitating effects clutter has on individuals both personally and professionally,” says Laura Kinsella, a professional organizer and owner of Urban OrgaNYze in New York City. “Creative people get stuck in a rut, relationships suffer, there is a loss of joy and even self-identity. Clutter indicates a loss of control, and when ignored it harbors heavy feelings of embarrassment, shame, and guilt.”

The poll also found that just over half of U.S. consumers regularly clean their homes and organize clutter. Men were more likely than women to say they only clean up clutter when guests are coming over. And women were slightly more likely than men to say they often get overwhelmed by clutter and give up.

“I had a client once who told me that she was so anxious on some days that she just stayed in bed all day,” says New York City-based professional organizer Lisa Tselebidis, who is a KonMari-certified consultant trained by Kondo and her team. “Why? She said that the clutter and disorganization in her home was making her so anxious she’d rather hide from it.”

Organizing your physical environment in turn declutters your mental space, easing your stress and anxiety. In her number one New York Times bestselling book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” Kondo explores how organization at home can positively impact other areas of your life, including your work, family dynamic, and subconscious.

“A dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective,” she writes. “It is life transforming.”

That must be why everything else seems to magically fall in place after a good, old-fashioned cleaning. It’s a way of resetting your life, so that you can start fresh.

“Did you notice on the show how many of the families—especially in episodes one, two, three, six, and eight—were apologetic and embarrassed when they gave Marie Kondo an initial tour of their home? Those scenes felt especially familiar to me,” says Nonnahs Driskill, pro organizer and founder of Get Organized Already in Southern California, who calls that portion of the organizing process the walk of shame.

“After a few hours of getting rid of clutter and tidying up what’s left, I like to ask people look around and give themselves some credit for what they’ve done,” adds Driskill. “They take a deep breath and smile, sometimes audibly gasp. I’m not a therapist, but I sure feel like one after that!”

Kondo’s “life-changing” KonMari Method of cleaning preaches throwing away items that stress you out, take up unnecessary space or are negative reminders—all things that impart anxiety. Kondo also teaches gratitude for items, thanking them before you get rid of them, acknowledging their service to you and your life. This helps mitigate the anxiety associated with purging.

In Japanese culture, it is believed that clean spaces bring good luck. And with a little elbow grease and some storage containers, you can set the tone for good karma in all aspects of your life.

“I believe that is one reason that the KonMari, minimalism and decluttering trends are white hot,” says Darla DeMorrow of HeartWork Organizing in Wayne, Pennsylvania. “We don’t organize just to organize. Instead, we desire clear spaces because it makes us feel like we have control over our complex, messy lives.”