How does clutter affect your health… and your pet’s health?
Part 1 of 5 blog series: Is your clutter affecting your pet?
I’ve tried so many times before. I make progress and push on with the daunting task of decluttering and organizing my home, so I can enjoy my home again. But my motivation and persistence to continue with the decluttering and organization of my home seems to come and go. My life gets busy, I get interrupted, or I just get tired of the endless work that is ahead of me and stop. I never seem to reach my goal of living in and creating a beautiful and organized home I desire. As I feel defeated, the frustration and disappointment return, I look for other ways I can keep motivated and moving forward with my decluttering and organizing. Is there something else that can motivate me? Or should I just give up, and live with my home the way it is? Does this sound familiar? Keeping yourself motivated to declutter and organize your home can be difficult. But it is possible. In this article, you’ll discover three motivating reasons that may help inspire you to keep going, particularly if you are a pet owner. A new awareness of how clutter can affect your health and your pet’s health can be a new motivation for you. Do you ever wonder if your pets are bothered by your cluttered home?Motivating Reason #1: How your home affects your mental health and your pet’s mental health
Maybe you are blind to it. Maybe you ignore it often. And, maybe even you learn to cope with it. It’s your way of surviving. It’s that darn clutter that never seems to go away. Can your pet be blind to it, ignore it, and cope with the clutter?
So how is your cluttered home affecting your mental health and your pet’s mental health?
Clutter in your home can cause you anxiety and stress, and even lead to depression. You can feel guilt, frustration, and resentment.
But, did you ever stop to wonder whether your cluttered home is affecting your pet’s anxiety and stress? Do pets get depressed?
I believe that your cluttered home is not only affecting your mental health, but it’s also affecting your pet’s anxiety and stress, and could cause a form of pet depression. Our pets can’t tell us what’s going on with them, but they can show us different symptoms, like being more scared or withdrawn, more lethargic, behavioral changes, and not as playful. This could be signs of other health issues as well, but I believe your pets also desire to live in a home where they can thrive, play and be healthy, without the stress of clutter.
I also believe that your energy as a pet owner, your mental well-being, is sensed by your loving pets that share your home. So, the more you can declutter and organize your home, the healthier your mental health will be, and in return you will also be improving your pet’s mental health.
Motivating Reason #2: The negative effects of clutter on your physical health and your pet’s physical health
You depend on your home for shelter, safety, and comfort. Your home provides you with a place to sleep, eat, and take care of yourself and your loved ones. Your pet needs this too.
When you decide to take on the responsibility of being a pet owner, your pets depend on you, to provide a clean and safe home environment for their shelter, safety, and comfort. Your pets also need a place to sleep, eat, play, and exercise. Pets also want to connect with you, snuggle, and play with you. Your pets are your little furry companions that are depending on you.
I understand your dream of having a beautiful, organized home and a healthy place for your pets.
If you are struggling to organize the clutter for yourself, maybe do it for your pet.
So, what are the negative effects of clutter on you and your pet’s physical health?
Clutter can cause you and your pet to have an unhealthier diet.
There are studies that show that people living in a cluttered environment are inclined to eat less healthy foods and snack more. The clutter in your kitchen may also be preventing you from easily preparing and cooking healthy meals. Or you may find that you want to eat out more in restaurants, because it’s easier than facing your cluttered home. With regards to your pets, if they don’t have a clean environment, with easy access to their food and water, this can cause your pet some health issues. Or if your garbage is easy to get into, your pets may eat things that aren’t healthy for them.
Clutter can threaten your safety and your pet’s safety.
Although some pets may enjoy piles of clothes that make a nice place for an afternoon nap, or a fun sock that they can chew on, there are more serious risks of your cluttered home affecting your safety and your pet’s safety. If your home is so cluttered, that it prevents you from easily cleaning your home, you could be living in a home that could increase your chances for respiratory issues from dust and dander. In addition, living in an unclean home could lead to unsanitary issues that are not healthy for you or your pet.
The piles of clutter can be a trip hazard for you and your pets, or could cause physical injury to you or your pet if the piles were to fall on either of you. The piles of clutter also make it easier for fleas or other bugs to lay eggs, spiders to make nests, and possibly even mice to move in. It’s important to work on decluttering and organizing your home to prevent all of these safety concerns for you and your pet’s health.
Motivating Reason #3: How clutter affects your relationship with your pet
Like you, I love my pets. I know your pet is an important part of your life at home, and you love spending time with and taking care of your pet, you have a close connection or companionship with them. However, living in a cluttered home can take a toll on the health of your relationship between you and your pet.
Pets are known to bring many health benefits to us as pet owners, they can lower our stress and anxiety, bring us joy when we are down, snuggle with us to create connection, increase our physical activity, and give us unconditional love. In return, your pet also benefits from the human-animal connection you make with them, your pet feels more calm and loved when they spend time with you and are cared by you.
However, in a cluttered home the stress of the environment can cause stress and anxiety between you and your pet that you are not even aware of. You may feel more tired, frustrated, and angry which can affect how you interact with your pet. If you live in a cluttered home, you may also not have the room to play with your pet inside, and don’t have the energy to take your pet outside or on a walk. So, to strengthen your strong, loving connection between you and your pet, for you both to feel joy and live life to its fullest, it’s important to start taking those steps to declutter and organize your home. Think of all the time you could free up, and the fun things you could do with your pet, if your home was uncluttered and organized.
Your Solution: Choose to thrive, instead of survive
Humans and pets, both have an instinct and drive to survive in our environments. But, wouldn’t it be so much more fun, enjoyable, and healthier to thrive in an uncluttered and organized home, instead of just surviving and accepting the clutter. Your pet is depending on you for its care and quality of life. So, if you are struggling with motivation or inspiration to get your home organized, do it for your loving pet. You will not only transform your home, but you will strengthen the loving, fun bond between you and your pet. Read the next blog in this series, “5 ways decluttering your home makes your pet happier and healthier“…"Is your clutter affecting your pet?" 5-part blog series
In case you missed one of the blogs in this series, here are the links to all of them:
- Part 1: How does clutter affect your health… and your pet’s health?
- Part 2: 5 ways decluttering your home makes your pet happier and healthier
- Part 3: How to declutter your pet supplies & toys
- Part 4: How to organize your pet supplies using the Marie Kondo method
- Part 5: How can pets make you happy and improve your life? Inspirational pet quotes.