The Cost of Clutter
A decluttering conversation that’s about more than just looks
Decluttering your home will forever and always be a hot topic. Most of the time, when I come across decluttering and home-tidying content, it’s centered around your home looking, and of course, feeling, more relaxing, less overwhelming and more cohesive.
I agree with all that because it’s true, but as a self-proclaimed maximalist, there are two aspects of de-cluttering that I don’t hear discussed often.
One of those aspects though, just popped up on my feed the other day, and it sparked today’s post.
First, I want to talk about the executive processing it takes neurodivergent people (and anyone who’s freaking overwhelmed!) to deal with unwanted clutter. Then, I’m going to cover the secret energetic drain said clutter has on our nervous systems.
For me, these are the reasons to declutter my home while still being a gal who loves every surface covered in beautiful shit.
Not to be dramatic, but I find this room bone-chilling.
Declutter Your Brain
First, I must disclaim as always: I’m no doctor, nor am I a psychologist. I’m only speaking from lived experience, so not everyone will find this relatable. That’s ok.
As a kid, I had extremely messy rooms. This lasted until I got my own apartment by myself in my late twenties!! To this day, I’m like a jetstream of junk. It seems everywhere I go, I leave a trail of things in my wake, only to have to clean them up later when I notice what I’ve done. (Hi, ADHD).
Not everyone minds messy rooms, but I suspect you do if you’re reading this, and I’m the same way. I’m not really sure what switch flipped, but now, mess makes me extremely anxious – I feel a compulsion to clean up or I can’t fully relax or focus.
So then, to get my priorities done, I feel like I have to clean first. Surprise to no one, the more stuff I have, the harder it is to clean up and the more time it takes just to feel normal in my own house.
The cost is actually huge. Task switching for neuro-spicey people is hard enough, but adding in a compulsion to clean before you can even relax keeps your brain in busy mode even if you actively choose to try ignore the mess so you can rest.
It’s like a static in the background or a hum that you can hear just enough to distract you.
To me, unnecessary clutter just isn’t worth it anymore. Our time is so limited, and the world is so busy. Rest and relaxation are too important to me to give up to, well, junk.
Clutter is an Energy Vampire
Then there’s the subconscious energetic drain of clutter. Whether you acknowledge it or not, our minds attach meaning and story to every single thing in our homes.
Everything has a memory, a reason, a backstory attached – and if it’s not a pleasant one, or even if it used to be but has since soured – your mind knows it.
So, so, so often, we hold onto things out of utility or convenience even when we borderline actively hate them.
A former client of mine kept saying he hated an armchair in his living room. It looked great in the room, so I asked him why he hated it, and it turns out, he’d bought it when his ex lived with him. Every time he looked at it, he saw bitter memories.
The chair was literally in the way of his healing.
I’ve had similar experiences with things in my own house.
Over time, a room can irritate us and we have no idea why. On the surface, it looks “fine,” but you can look over at the sofa you’ve never really liked and try to convince yourself it works. Or you can rearrange the Hobby Lobby décor you bought 10 years ago when you were a whole different person, thinking maybe a better layout will finally make it feel right.
This isn’t me telling you to necessarily throw everything out that might rub you the wrong way, but I want to at least give you an awareness and permission to acknowledge the energy vampire in the room.
The power of getting rid of things that you straight up don’t like is like the equivalent of hitting an energetic reset button.
You will feel different – the room will feel different – when you make the conscious choice to say “no” to things that no longer belong in your life.
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Necessary Clutter
If you noticed throughout, I mentioned “unnecessary” clutter a couple of times, and that’s because I love stuff! I love trinkets! I love layers! I truly am a maximalist at heart, which means I have to be even more discerning about what’s in my home!
It’s worth it to me to do a sweep of my home every now and then and notice if there’s anything that has turned or gone stagnant. The more I practice getting in tune with my own style and taste though, the less I have to do this. I struggled wayyy more with energy mismatches when I tried to follow trends and copy what I saw online.
At this point, when I bring anything new home, there’s always a why that runs deeper than “that’s pretty,” and that’s something that takes time to hone and develop.
The surprising part is though, the more you say “no,” the easier it gets to recognize a full-body yes.
This is exactly where I start with clients in our room transformation process.
It’s imperative to know what’s happening energetically in a room and how we got there in the first place. Learning what’s going wrong in a room will save you a whole lotta grief down the road because you’ll stop making the same mistakes over and over again.
For my neuro-spicey comrades, we need to make the room work for your life. Pretty means nothing if managing the room drains the life out of you.
For those living with energy vampires, we need to reclaim the room so the energy you choose can inhabit it once and for all.
The first step in changing any room is always clearing the space. We practice saying no before we even think about adding anything new.
Inside the Home Alchemy Method, I walk students through 7 steps of decorating a room over 8 weeks, and you better believe the first thing we do together is clear that clutter.
I know every home and everything in it has its own unique story, and decluttering looks and feels different for everyone. The community support layer of the Home Alchemy Method brings us all together to remind us that although our story may be our own, the feelings we have about it are human, and we can all relate to letting go and starting again.
If you recognize yourself here and you’re ready to de-clutter with a real purpose (and completely transform your space), the Home Alchemy Method is opening up to new members September 2026.
I’d love to see you in there and help you change your relationship to clutter and your home, so feel free to check it out right below.
In the meantime, your assignment this week is to choose one room in your house and find one item to let go of. Slow it down, hold the thing and say out loud exactly what it represents and exactly why you’re letting it go.
Then do it.
If you don’t feel the difference immediately, I’ll eat my hat.
Talk to you soon.
