The Therapeutic Poet in conversation with Belinda Knox Spinks on decluttering

Have you succumbed to chucking things out because they don’t spark joy? Marie Kondo’s  book ‘The life-changing magic of tidying up’ was bought by millions. 

But one person’s clutter may be another person’s treasure or anchor. A study at Yale university used brain scans and found that, for people who hoard, throwing out objects activates a part of the brain that is also responsible for processing pain.

Untidy spaces can reduce our willpower and our ability to focus on a task .

One study by psychologists Rena Repetti and Darby Saxby at University of California, Los Angeles, found mothers living in messy houses had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. 

Clutter can also make it harder to fall asleep and can even make us more likely to reach for junk food, according to one study, which found participants using a “chaotic kitchen” ate twice as many cookies as those in an organised kitchen.*

So how can we decipher between a place that is calm, and clutter free but hold onto memories and meaningful memorabilia?

Joining me today is professional declutterer Belinda Knox Spinks. On her website Home of Hidden Treasures Belinda says ‘I help people find the hidden treasures of space, time and happiness.

*https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190515-can-decluttering-your-house-really-spark-joy

Clutter image rating scale: https://hoardingdisordersuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/clutter-image-ratings.pdf

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