There were many directions I could go with my very first blog post. The list of topics when blogging about efficiency, organization, and home management is inexhaustible. In the end, I decided it would be interesting to explore the idea that being organized can improve your well-being. In this post, I hope to prove that organizing can be a form of self-care.
We all handle stress and disorder differently. So, I must ask: Are you an organized person? Or, are you one of those people that wait until the last minute before a deadline to scramble and complete the task? Does your stress level stay in check even though the world around you seems to be falling apart? Some people thrive in chaos.
I’m not talking about the people that thrive ON chaos. Those people create drama and then sit back and enjoy it. I’m not sure some of them even know they do it or that they are enjoying it.
People that thrive IN chaos are the people that do ok when life throws it at them. We all have this kind of mayhem in our lives. Impressively, there are even people out there that are oblivious to the chaos around them. Oh, to live in THAT world.
Maybe you work well under pressure, and disorder doesn’t bother you. Maybe, you usually thrive in chaos, but the current state of the world is a whole different ball game for you?
Perhaps a little order and efficiency wouldn’t be so unwelcome?
I loathe stress and disorder, so I am not one of those people who thrive on or in chaos. Sometimes it paralyzes me, so I try to control things by being the most organized person I can be.
Control the Chaos
We can’t control the people around us. We can’t control a natural disaster or a worldwide pandemic. But, we CAN control our behavior and our stuff. It’s small in comparison, but it helps keep stress levels down.
I’m a bit of a control freak, so organizing comes naturally to me. You don’t have to turn into a control freak to benefit from an orderly lifestyle. You just might find that being organized has some unexpected benefits.
I’m not declaring that one way of living is better than another. I often admire people who seem to fly by the seat of their pants, oblivious to the craziness they live in. I’d have to have a lobotomy to be like that.
I’m only suggesting there is a way to reduce some of the stresses that come with the disorder and turmoil of life. Small steps may help those soaring cortisol levels.
We have all gone through this insane experience of lockdown, uncertainty, and worry. Some have lost jobs, and worse some, have lost loved ones.
I’ve felt like life has been out of control (more than usual) for almost two years now. I’m sure many of you have felt the same way.
Self-Care in Times of Chaos
We need to take the time to care for our physical and mental well-being. Self-care is a buzzword people throw around a lot these days. I keep hearing how important it is to do something special that helps us relax. For me, that is organizing.
I’m all for the occasional hot bath or facial. Those things feel nice and release some stress. Yet, they don’t give me that feeling of control I crave when things are wildly out of my control.
I’m not talking about things not going my way. It’s bigger than that.
You are probably asking yourself: organizing as a form of self-care? The answer is an emphatic “Yes!” You may not know it, but organizing can have a positive effect on your health.
If you are an organized person, you are less stressed. Less stress equals better health. If you are orderly and efficient, you will get more done. When you get more done, the happy chemical gets released.
How I Got Here
Let me share a little bit of my history to reveal how I came upon the unexpected benefits of being organized.
My parents divorced when I was about 8. I got bounced back and forth between parents that moved around a lot. I went to 13 different schools by the time I entered high school.
Naturally, when you are a kid, you are at the mercy of adults and their decisions. When adults make spontaneous decisions that change your life drastically, you tend to crave order.
That is the short and sweet version of my childhood.
If any therapists are reading this, I’m sure I’m a textbook case of something. It’s no surprise to me that I grew up with a strong need to control my surroundings.
That brings me to my point. Whenever I felt like things were out of my control, I found comfort in controlling something small. I started organizing as a form of self-care.
Organizing my makeup case, junk, or dresser drawer gave me back a little feeling of order in my life. Today, it still has that effect on me. I get stress relief by handling something that IS in my control…my stuff.
The Benefits of Being Organized
You know that feeling you get when you cross everything off your to-do list? That feeling is a hit of dopamine. Dopamine is the pleasure chemical, and it’s your reward for all that you’ve accomplished.
Once you’ve organized one area and experienced that feeling, it may be hard for you to stop. You will start thinking of other messes you can conquer. You’ll want to feel that feeling again and again.
Hey…there are worse coping mechanisms, don’t you think?
While you are trucking along and reaping the UNEXPECTED benefits of being organized, something else happens. You get the bonus of the EXPECTED benefits of being organized. You will get to more places on time, your productivity will increase, and you will have order and efficiency in your life.
Your initial time invested in organizing will pay returns repeatedly. The time it takes to clean your house is drastically cut down when you know exactly where to put things. When you spend the time to meal-plan, you remove the stress from that “what’s for dinner” time of day.
When you organize your time, you will get more accomplished. That will free up time for the people and activities that mean the most to you.
I find that being organized doesn’t take time away from being spontaneous. It allows me to be MORE spontaneous.
Organizing frees up my time so I can use it however I choose. Simultaneously, it releases a little bit of that tension when the world around me is spinning out of control.
We all know that when we organize our stuff it saves us time (looking for our phone, keys, or sunglasses). And, many of us have probably heard the quote by Samuel Smiles “A place for everything and everything in its place.”
Ok. Maybe having a place for every single item you own isn’t your jam. But…maybe organizing just a few small spots can help ease your tension through these crazy times.
Try organizing as a form of self-care. You may even find that you really enjoy the feeling that comes afterward.
I pray the pain and chaos in this world lessen and your burdens become lighter. I also hope this post (and blog) motivates you to become more organized. So, when life starts to throw chaos your way, you have a tool that helps.
Thanks for reading!
