Susie Marsh, LBSW 

This is the second blog post in a two-part series (read part 1: Taming Stress in the Body: How Clutter Keeps Us on Alert here) honoring Mental Health Awareness Month (May). While maintaining an organized home can be challenging for anyone, it can feel especially overwhelming when navigating mental illness, neurodivergence, grief, trauma, or major life transitions. In this piece, professional organizer and licensed social worker Susie Marsh explores the often-overlooked psychological weight of clutter—and why disorganization is not simply a matter of motivation or willpower. Drawing on nearly two decades of client experience and her clinical background, Susie offers insight into anxiety, visual overwhelm, decision fatigue, and the invisible mental load that can make organizing feel inaccessible. Her approach reframes organizing as a supportive, compassionate process designed to reduce stress and help individuals create environments that truly support their well-being. 

Have you ever walked into your home and immediately felt tense, distracted, or overwhelmed—even when nothing specific was wrong? It may be the piles of clutter scattered about your home causing the underlying feeling.  

Many people describe cluttered spaces as feeling “mentally loud” or heavy. That description is surprisingly accurate from what many of my clients have shared with me over the almost 19 years I have been a professional organizer. I have seen the effects clutter has had on individuals from as young as 5 years old to 95 years old.  

Clutter doesn’t just affect how a home looks. It affects how our brain functions, our energy levels, and our emotional well-being. Let’s look at why this happens—and how supportive organizing can help create more calm in everyday life. 

Why Clutter Can Make a Space Feel “Mentally Loud” 

When we are in a space, our brains are constantly processing visual information. Every item in view sends a signal. It may be 

• Something to clean 
• Something to decide about 
• Something unfinished 
• Something to remember 

That’s a lot of input going into your brain and it can be exhausting and overwhelming. Even when we try to ignore clutter, the brain continues working in the background. Instead of allowing rest, the environment keeps our mind in a subconscious and conscious state of alertness. This mental overload can lead to 

• Increased stress and anxiety 
• Difficulty relaxing at home 
• Trouble focusing 
• Feeling mentally exhausted before the day begins 
• Feeling overwhelmed 

A cluttered space becomes mental clutter, not just physical clutter. I’ve had clients share with me that having all of the “To-Do’s” around them constantly makes them feel guilty and pressured to “work on the house” even though they don’t seem to make any progress. They don’t feel like they deserve to relax or have fun when they have a mess around them. Some clients have also shared that they tend to churn items (move items from one space to another) and make more chaos. This causes a sense of failure and more of a tendency to procrastinate any more attempts.  

How Too Many Choices Drain Energy and Focus 

It might seem like having more options would make life easier—but the opposite is often true. Every item requires a decision: 

• What should I wear? 
• Which container do I use? 
• Where do I start? 
• Should I keep this?  
• Do I need this?  

Mental health professionals call this decision fatigue. The more choices we face, the faster our mental energy drains. I explain to clients that limiting the number of choices they have in a day (a challenge for many people in the world we live in) will in the end help to boost their energy and focus. I will give a client a concrete example such as, “Instead of 10 types of coffee to choose from in the pantry, let’s reduce that down to your 3 favorite types. And each morning be sure to give yourself some time to enjoy and celebrate that cup of coffee! You deserve it!”  

When spaces contain too much clutter 

• Decisions take longer 
• Motivation decreases 
• Procrastination increases 
• Every day tasks feel heavier 

Reducing excess isn’t about deprivation. It’s about freeing your brain from constant decision-making.  

What Organizing Looks Like for an Anxious or Overwhelmed Mind 

Organizing isn’t about perfection or magazine-worthy spaces. While I do love a beautifully organized pantry, there is more to it than that. It’s about being mindful and conscious about how a space functions and what the items in that space mean to the person. Supportive organizing focuses on how a space feels to live in. When someone feels anxious or overwhelmed, organizing should 

✔ Reduce visual stress rather than add complicated organizing systems 

✔ Make everyday items easy to find and easy to put away; think functionality 

✔ Match real habits and energy levels 

✔ Create predictability and routine 

✔ Prioritize calm over appearance 

✔ Progress over perfection. The goal is not perfection but rather a home that supports your nervous system. 

Simple Ways to Reduce Visual Noise and Feel Lighter Every Day 

Small changes often create the biggest emotional relief. 

Try starting here: 

1. Clear one flat surface. Clutter-free counters and tables immediately impact how a space feels.
2. Keep only daily-use items visible. Less visual clutter/stimuli equals more mental calm.
3. Create simple drop zones. A basket or tray near the areas of transitions (entryways, action hubs, etc.) prevents clutter from spreading.
4. Use containers and boundaries. Bins can visually quiet groups of items. Group like with like or keep items used together at the point of performance.
5. Reduce duplicates. Keep favorites and donate, toss, recycle, and release the extras.
6. Leave open spaces. Empty space can be calming—it’s not wasted space. It also keeps space for restocking or new items coming in.
7. Reset one space each day. Five to ten minutes can restore order and reduce stress. Spaces can include your desk area, kitchen counter, coffee table, bathroom counters, etc. Walking items to their homes/zones and clearing a space of clutter can give clarity and a focus for the next day.
8. Maintenance. Just like with upgrading, cleaning, fixing or replacing broken or no longer useful items in your home, ongoing maintenance of spaces is needed. Regular decluttering and organizing will help a space to remain functional, purposeful, and more peaceful. It is an ongoing process, not a one-and-done.

Organizing is not about being more disciplined or more productive. It’s about creating a home that feels 

• Easier to live in 
• Less overwhelming 
• More peaceful 
• More supportive of the life you’re living right now 

When visual noise decreases, many people notice something powerful. Many clients over the years have shared with me that after supportive decluttering, downsizing and organizing, they can think more clearly, feel lighter and their homes begin to feel restful again. Reach out to a NAPO organizing professional near you to learn about how you can get started on your organizing journey! 

Additional Resources 

Brain-Based Conditions Specialist Certificate
Organizing the Invisible: Women, ADHD, and Emotional Labor
How Executive Function or ADHD Challenges Manifest in the Workplace (and How YOU Can Help)
Household Management Specialist Certificate
I Guess I Should Do It: Help Clients Deal with Ambiguity & Ambivalence
Overcoming Overwhelm, Learn to Reflect, Refresh and Refocus

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Meet the author, Susie Marsh, LBSW