Mental illnesses affect people differently. However, at the core of each case is an impairment that, in some way, hinders or limits daily functioning. Mental illnesses often cause mood or behavioral disturbances and physical experiences in the body, such as pain or headaches.
It is also possible for mental illness symptoms to become visible in your immediate environment. Therefore, for some of you, your space says quite a bit about your mood and mental health.
Clutter Suggests Inner Disturbance
Research shows that for some people, their environment reflects an inner state. A neat and organized space suggests balance, while clutter and organization suggest internal chaos or distress. For some, a cluttered environment suggests more than neglect as a temporary response to stressors. A chronically trashed or cluttered environment leads to the belief of an ongoing internal disturbance manifesting itself through your physical space.
It is possible for people to live in cluttered environments and not have a mental illness, like living in poverty or unstable housing situations. However, research shows that living around trash and clutter affects your social life (causing isolation), quality of life, and self-esteem. For some people, these variables are risk factors for developing certain anxiety and depressive disorders 3 4
Hoarding
Collecting is a natural human experience. However, at some point, this normal human behavior can become abnormal. The change happens when a person excessively collects items and has trouble discarding them when they are no longer needed or unusual 4.
People who hoard tend to live in cluttered environments with trash (unusable or decayed collections). People who hoard may not know why they have to collect certain items, but they are often aware of how their environment looks. They may feel distressed and embarrassed about their space and isolate themselves as a result.
Experts often mention hoarding within the context of anxiety disorders like OCD due to the obsessive and compulsive nature of the behaviors. However, hoarding (as a behavior) can occur in many psychiatric, neurological, and cognitive conditions, such as schizophrenia, ADHD, eating disorders, and dementia 3 5
For approximately 50 million people 2, mental illnesses can cause distress or disturbance in daily functioning. If you notice a change in your symptoms, try one of these things to prevent a relapse:
- Get Professional Help. The first step is recognizing the problem (before trying to solve it!). Professionals, such as healthcare providers, therapists, social workers, and peer specialists, can help you overcome stigmas of a mental illness 1
- Face Your Thoughts. You may notice that fear (and fear-based thoughts) drives your mental illness symptoms. Most of the time, these thoughts are detrimental to your feelings of self-worth and self-esteem. When you face your thoughts, you can use different perspectives to come up with a solution 1
- Track Your Symptoms. The easiest way to prevent relapses is to catch the early signs. Huddy Health offers a platform and mobile application that allows you to regularly track your data (symptoms) and use that data to make better decisions about your health.
- Establish a Routine. Your healing journey is not linear; relapses can, and unfortunately do, happen. Routines push you to be active, present, and functional. You may want to include activities that get you moving, like exercise, and that make you feel good. And yes: self-care activities can be part of your routine 1
- Stay Social. Connecting with other people is one way to feel less isolated and more like part of a larger community. Your social network can include your family, friends, or even unfamiliar people who share your condition 1