Many clutterers feel frustrated, easily exhausted, unfocused, and just plain stressed. These problems can actually result from in imbalance in your brain chemistry. Sound far fetched or high-tech? Not at all. This is good news because the solutions are healthy and simple to do. Discover three easy ways to adjust your brain chemistry work better for you today. You can boost your brain to help you clear your clutter!
Let’s take a quick look at what two brain chemicals do for your well-being. Dopamine is connected with energy, clarity, the ability to focus, motivation, and pleasurable feelings. Serotonin helps with mood control, “happy” feelings, calmness, managing anxiety, warding off depression, and good sleep. Women are generally low in serotonin, while men are generally low in dopamine.
So can your brain chemistry help you with clutter? Many clutterers and hoarders tend to have many of the symptoms described for low serotonin and low dopamine levels. There are some simple and safe ways to balance out these chemicals. You can give yourself a great boost for clearing your mind and your clutter.
Here are some easy things to consider. Nothing here is absolute – just see what works for you.
Proper Nutrition: Eating a nutritious breakfast is an important way to start the day. You could have a piece of fruit, some oatmeal and make sure you have some protein such as an egg. You especially need protein, vitamins, minerals and Omega 3 to create serotonin and dopamine. Morning is the best time for creating serotonin, so have a healthy breakfast. Just make it simple and delicious, avoiding sugary treats like donuts or candy bars.
Gentle Exercise: Gentle exercise is a great way to raise dopamine and serotonin levels. According to Dr John Gray, author of the well-known Mars and Venus relationship, diet, exercise and stress books, exercising in the morning for just 20 minutes helps boost your production of serotonin and dopamine for the whole day.
Talking to someone: Your serotonin production is stimulated when you share your concerns with a caring, supportive person who listens to you. Low trust and lack of optimism is common in people who have a low serotonin level. Clutterers and hoarders often feel like their situation is hopeless, so talking with someone can really help. If you don’t feel like talking at all or that it’s too hopeless, this is a symptom of very low serotonin. This is especially a time to take care of yourself and to reach out to others. Research has shown that hypnotherapy and/or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are effective in helping people reduce clutter and hoarding.