Preview

Our Life Is Affected by Excess Clutter That Weighs Us Down

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2359 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Our Life Is Affected by Excess Clutter That Weighs Us Down
It was a necessary realization to me how much living among excess clutter could harm my health, physically and emotionally. We may think it is just a cleaning process, but the depth of the problem will open our eyes to realize how and why the effect of clutter weighs us down. Why it is hard to unclutter? Why can’t it be organized? Why is more clutter mounting up? Emotionally attached objects are hard to get rid of. New attractive items are found in markets all the time. Consequently, clutter can easily mount up in one’s life.
Clutter and disorganization impairs productivity. By knowing these facts as problems, we can start searching for the solutions to make our life so much easier. I wanted to find solutions as I was living with excess clutter! I will be introducing a practical method to end excess clutter called “Danshari.” Danshari is a new notion of de-cluttering that has been prevalent in Japan. The idea includes the concept of removing the emotional burden that comes with having too many items. Furthermore, Danshari teaches people to let go of their burdens and make clear plans for a better future.

We need to understand that clutter is created by unorganized people who are creating physical and mental danger for themselves. Physically, if one lives in a cluttered house, one probably doesn’t eat well, because the kitchen isn’t functional. The person most likely doesn’t even know what is in the refrigerator and whether or not their food is contaminated. People start to realize the need of de-cluttering when there is a distinct element of danger due to the excess clutter. However, unless one is highly organized, one would most likely understate the problem. People may think it is an issue of space when they approach the problem of de-cluttering. However, this subjectively viewed space problem can be solved by organizing accordingly by acquiring trash bags and containers. According to David F. Tolin, Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at



References: 1. Black. D. "A review of compulsive buying disorder" ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. World Psychiatry. 6 February, 2007. Web. 24 April. 2012 2. Tolin, D. F., Frost, R. O., & Steketee, G. "Buried in treasures: help for compulsive acquiring, saving, and hoarding." Oxford University Press, 2007. 3. Holdbrook, M. B. "Consumer Value: A Framework for Analysis and Research” Taylor & Francis e-Library ed. Routledge. 2002. 4. Francine, J. "Minimalism around the World: Danshari." Miss minimalist, 11 Aug. 2011. Web. 19 April 2012. 5. Kupfermann, J. "The hoarder fights back." Solo Syndication Ltd. News Paper article. January 2, 2011. 6. Tolin, D. F. “A Clutter Too Deep for Mere Bins and Shelves.” Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 1 January, 2008. Web. 28 April. 2012 7. Steketee, Gail & Frost, Randy. "Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring: Workbook." Oxford University Press, Nov 2006. 8. Yamshita, H. “Danshari – Hideko Yamashita official site.” Danshari.com. Keiei Kagaku public, co, ltd. 20 April, 2010. Web. 26 April. 2012

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Pack only essentials to reduce clutter in your dorm. A crowded dorm room is ...…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Baldridge, I. (2001). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychology and Mental Health, Vol. 2 (pp. 465-472). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.…

    • 3128 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Research Paper SUB606

    • 2721 Words
    • 9 Pages

    El-Guebaly, N., Mudry, T., Zohar, J., Tavares, H. and Potenza, M. N. (2012), Compulsive features in behavioural addictions: the case of pathological gambling. Addiction, 107: 1726–1734. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03546.x…

    • 2721 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dumpster Diving Essay

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages

    It is common for people to throw away belongings that were once important to them. This is because our society has a tendency to be wasteful. In the essays “The Town Dump” by Wallace Stegner, “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner, and “The Town Dump” by Howard Nemerov, the authors all display their opinions when it comes to the topic of value, and items that have been thrown away. Through the use of imagery, the three authors depict their attitudes towards the idea that one man’s trash may or may not be another man’s treasure. Therefore showing that every object can have a value to a person that others see as invaluable.…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The writer in this essay describes the difference between Neat People and Sloppy people, and how their attitudes toward things every where. However, sloppy people are usually messy and they can’t get things done because of their sloppiness and they save everything, planning someday to file, order, and straighten out the world. But while these ambitious plans take clearer and clearer shape in their heads. But, neat people as the writer “Suzanne Britt” says that the only thing messy in a neat person’s house is the trashcan. Neat people are bums and clods at heart and they have all their ideas in place making the thought process more simply. Therefore, the writer gave examples of a lot experiences of each kind of neat or sloppy people.…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zen Of Housework

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages

    It is a fact of life that everyone will need to do housework, even if there are a million other things they would rather be doing. For some people, it seems to be a miserable or tedious endeavor. Perhaps it would be more enjoyable thinking about housework as an opportunity to lose us in another new world. “The Zen of Housework” by Al Zolynas is a wonderful poem about finding the sacred in those most ordinary tasks. Seeing the kind of sacred in Al’s housecleaning also requires a great sense of humor. The poem captures the moment of the author’s dishwashing to be the most enjoyable and extraordinary moment in life.…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “What does minimalism mean to you?” This is a question I have gotten from people who I’ve talked in the past, because as with all social movements minimalism can mean different things to different people. To me minimalism is a lifestyle choice where you remove things in your life that are not useful or act as dead weight serving no purpose other than to just exist. For me removing these things allowed me to focus on my possessions that were useful to me or brought me some sort of joy. “How could having a lot of possessions be harmful?” This is another question intend to answer in my paper. I do not remember all the science behind why it is harmful, but in my personal experience part of the problem of have too many possessions is having too many options. While it is nice on paper to have a lot of options, when ever I had to make a decision on which of my possessions to make use of for instance whether I go outside and play basketball, stay inside and watch a movie, or play a video game no matter which option I chose in the end I’d still have this feeling of dissatisfaction like I could have been spending my time doing something else. Although I do plan to use scientific research to back this claim up in the essay. “What are the benefits of Minimalism.” This question is probably the one that is the easiest to answer. Some of the benefits of minimalism can include less household clutter, less money spent of things you won’t use, a healthier mind, and a more fulfilled life. While I can’t provide hard evidence for those last two things they do seem to be common among people who become minimalists. For this issue I need to learn more of the specifics about the data behind becoming a minimalist, and the science behind why clutter is bad for mental health. To obtain this information I will use the internet to…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many people suffering from hoarding disorders. Even though some people view hoarding as a personal issue that an individual has, it is a mental disorder. Today shows such as “Hoarding: Buried Alive” have brought attention to this disorder that many still do not understand. Hoarding disorder is characterized by persistent difficulty in parting with possessions, resulting in severely cluttered living spaces, distress, and impairment (Solomon & Mataix-Cols, 2014, p. 2023). The behavior that a hoarder displays can cause negative consequences to their lives. Hoarding can cause physical, emotional, financial, legal, and social problems for hoarders. These effects can also negatively impact a hoarder’s family as well.…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Rising affluence is a key factor in today’s increase in waste and rubbish. In today’s society the majority of people are able to afford the higher standards of living and more luxurious items. Take a television for example; in the 1950’s televisions were regarded as a luxury. Those families that had a black and white television were regarded as wealthy or rich. However, skip to today’s society and everybody has a television and they are now seen as a necessity rather than a luxury item regardless of a families’ on individuals’ financial capacity. As well as the increase in households there has also been an advance in technology; we are now seeing plasma, HD or 3D televisions as the luxury item to be had in households (Making social lives, P. 109, 2010).…

    • 1554 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hoarding is a brain disorder. The primary reason that causes hoarding is unknown, however researchers have determined that hoarding is most common in individuals who have a family member who is currently or was a hoarder. Genetic research has been tested showing that gene variants convey a significant risk for hoarding. Severe brain injuries have also been linked to cause patients to experience symptoms of hoarding. Due to a hoarders unusual brain activity it can become apparent in other aspects of their life such as, avoidance, attentiveness, indecisiveness, procrastination, and perfectionism (Matthews). It is common for individuals who suffer from hoarding to live a very low quality life. Hoarders often lack a fixed and functional living…

    • 198 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    However, I somewhat agree with this part of your post, but I think that your response to this question relates more to the psychology part of the Hoarding and the Sociology of Consumption article. According to the author of the Hoarding and the Sociology of…

    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    When a person is told about one of his habits, he will have denied. They may not know because they have never paid attention to them. Once he analyzes his habit carefully the person see what his habit is. One of his habits is keeping organized. He sees this habit developing when he was young. He had to make sure that his room is organized before he when to bed and before he when to school. As he grows up he kept on doing this on his own because he was so used to it. His role model of this habit was his mother and aunt. She always made sure that her house is well organized before leaving anywhere. Even when she is home she made sure everything was clean and in order. Seen this behavioral from his mother made it more of a habit. He has tried to break this habit when he married. He has left the organizing to his wife. Is very hard for him do release trying to organized just because he felted it need to be done by him. That because to go from one way to a totally new way is unnatural. It comes as a shock to his mind, body and soul and they will fight fiercely to return to a way that is familiar to them. Changing a habit is not as easy as people think it is. His habit of been organized stared young. By seen and been told to keep his room organized. As he kept on doing what, he was told do to, his habit of been organized become part of his personality. As he develops a…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Hoarding

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Even though, the exact cause of compulsive hoarding is not known, hoarding is more prevalent among individual who exhibit certain disorders already. Hoarding is commonly regarded as a subtype of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), occurring among about one-third of the individuals diagnosed with the disorder (Frost12). However, only about one- fourth of those complaining or hoarding are reported as having OCD symptoms. According to author Randy Frost and Gail Steketee in the book Stuff, recent reports argue whether hoarding is part of OCD and suggests that hoarding may in fact be a disorder all its own separate from OCD but do however share some of the same characteristics (Frost12). Other preexisting disorders that have a tendency to lead to someone having a greater risk of also developing hoarding tendencies or…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ikea Strategy

    • 3434 Words
    • 14 Pages

    19. Belk, R.W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15, 139–168.…

    • 3434 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Tidy Desk

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Jayne Morris, life Coach from NHS, said that messy desk shows the owner's mind. People who work around mess less likely to finish their work, and to be successful later. It can happen too if your house and office also messed up, and just put your house in warehouse.…

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays