Become a Less Stressed Mom by Decluttering

Dr. Brenda's tips for decluttering your home and life that will help you become a happier and less stressed mother.There’s no denying that motherhood bears the weight of a thousand loads (of laundry). It seems that nothing would be accomplished without a mom running the show. On top of the working, laundry, meal-planning, grocery shopping, boo-boo kissing, bed-making, party planning, gift shopping, errand running, lunch packing, back-to-school preparing, calendar scheduling, and chauffeuring of children there is an expectation that she also mentally be sane. Yes, it’s true, as mothers we are assumed to be able balance it all with grace and without (much) complaint.But is it possible?  Probably not 100% possible, but, are there ways to help you find happiness and reduce stress in your day-to-day life as a mom? ABSOLUTELY.Science shows that decluttering your space reduces stress, improves focus, and increases overall happiness. When relating this theory to motherhood, it can be said that losing the clutter in your home will help you juggle the rest of your obligations easier and with a more peaceful demeanor.How do you declutter? Isn’t decluttering just adding one more thing to your plate?

5 Tips to Declutter Your House

1. Limit your laundry: This doesn’t mean give all your clothes away. It means stick what isn’t worn in a month’s time into a storage tub to be looked at again later. Keeping your own closet limited will make getting dressed easier each day. Now the hard part? Do the same thing to your children’s closets.
2. Get rid of toys: Your kids do not need every plastic thing ever made. Studies show that most kids actually have no idea what toys they own because they have so much crap. If you aren’t ready to truly get rid of it, put 75% of it in boxes and store it away for a rainy day.
3. Knick Knacks are for your grandma. We are the generation of minimalists. We do not want our old report cards or yearbooks. The more crap on your shelves, the more crap you have to clean.
4. Dump the Junk Drawer(s): Literally, dump them out into the trash. They are junk. Do not overthink this process.
5. Store things out of sight. Use basement storage, attic space, or invest in a garage storage system, but get the crap out of your sight every day. You’ll want to keep the holiday décor, the hand-me-downs for the baby, and maybe a few other random things, but they need a place out of mind.

5 Tips to Declutter Motherhood

1. Establish routine and daily goals. Load and run the dishwasher every night and unload it every morning. Start a load of laundry every day after breakfast and fold it every night after the kids are in bed.
2. Leave your phone in another room and ignore social media. It soaks up more hours of your day than you can imagine. Unplug and be present.
3. Breathe fresh air and exercise. An oxygenated brain through fresh air and working out makes the entire body feel happier.
4. Limit playdates, sports, and activities. When the calendar is overfilled, the mind cannot process one day from the next.
5. Do not listen to others’ expectations. Let others fly or fail on their own terms, do not drown because of them. There is no gold medal at the end of all of this. There is no Mother of the Year. There is just you and your own happiness while journeying alongside of your children.

A few more random tips:Each day, complete your chores before tackling any decluttering. Your mind will not focus on the task at hand until you have completed what needs done.If you can afford, hire a cleaning service to come in as often as possible. Not scrubbing your toilets can be enough to make you happy for an entire week. If you can’t afford this, stick to a cleaning schedule that holds you accountable for a little ach day.This is hard. This will not happen overnight. You are worth it. You deserve less stress and more happiness.