“Anxiety can surely be triggered if a home is too hot, too cold, or without adequate ventilation,” she says. “In fact, many people can't sleep well if a bedroom window is not open, and yet others get anxious if the windows are not closed.” Figure out what works for you, and stick to it.
A messy home environment doesn't always cause stress or anxiety for people, but in an individual with anxiety, it can make a huge difference. If you struggle with anxiety, consider evaluating your home environment. A cluttered home can sometimes be an issue because it sits at the back of your mind on your to-do list.
This is a psychological principle known as thought suppression. Thought suppression worsens anxiety when we are in our homes in isolation. The longer the period of isolation, the more likely it becomes for individuals to show signs of anxiety.
Clutter can make us feel stressed, anxious and depressed. Research from the United States in 2009, for instance, found the levels of the stress hormone cortisol were higher in mothers whose home environment was cluttered.
For many of us, though, the bedroom can be a source of anxiety, because we tend to treat it more as a storage unit than a sanctuary. And at a time when 48% of us report lying awake at night due to stress, it's more important than ever to make the bedroom a calming environment for sleep.
Improve Your Mood
Additionally, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America indicates that the physical activity of cleaning coupled with the end result of a cleaner home helps reduce stress, feelings of anxiety, and depressive symptoms. 8 Cleaning can also reduce fatigue and improve concentration.
A cluttered, untidy environment actually generates more of the stress hormone cortisol in the brain. So, if your home and living spaces are clutter-free, tidy and clean then you can assume you'll generate less cortisol and reap the rewards mentally.
Various factors can cause anxiety to worsen. The triggers vary between individuals but include ongoing stress, a bereavement, financial problems, and key events, such as a job interview. Anxiety can lead to feelings of nervousness, apprehension, and worry.
Housing problems can affect our mental health in many different ways. But there are some common mental health problems that you may experience if you are struggling with your housing: If you live somewhere insecure or overcrowded, you might experience stress or anxiety.
3 Things That Make Anxiety Worse: Avoiding, Numbing, Criticizing.
Anxiety can be caused by a variety of things: stress, genetics, brain chemistry, traumatic events, or environmental factors. Symptoms can be reduced with anti-anxiety medication. But even with medication, people may still experience some anxiety or even panic attacks.
Those with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) will have a great need or compulsion to clean or perform cleaning rituals to feel in control. When they cannot keep up with these things, they feel like their lives are falling apart. The good news is that there is help for those who struggle with OCD.
The psychology of house cleaning brings us a feeling of accomplishment, emotional comfort, and uplifts our mind and spirit, especially after seeing the results. According to research, physical surroundings can affect our sleep, level of anxiety, and capability to focus.
Some ADHD experts believe that a cluttered desk, closet, or house reflects a disorganized mind; others take it as a sign of genius. A lot of adults with ADHD, including me, agree with the latter opinion. Either view can be true, depending on the individual and the degree of his disorganization.
Instead, high-functioning anxiety typically refers to someone who experiences anxiety while still managing daily life quite well. Generally, a person with high-functioning anxiety may appear put together and well- accomplished on the outside, yet experience worry, stress or have obsessive thoughts on the inside.
Often touched areas and bathrooms need to be cleaned weekly, and your plants, showers, floors, and fridge need to be cleaned every few weeks. Your oven, windows, ceiling fans, baseboards, pantries, and closets need to be cleaned a few times a year. Light fixtures and curtains only need to cleaned once a year.
Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren't necessary or important. Clutter distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on. Clutter makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.
Distract yourself
Whenever you are experiencing anxious thoughts, doing something that 'fills your mind' and needs complete focus can be a good distraction. Small things like leaving the room or going outside can be effective. One other technique that some people use when calming their anxiety is counting backwards.
One important step in reversing the anxiety cycle is gradually confronting feared situations. If you do this, it will lead to an improved sense of confidence, which will help reduce your anxiety and allow you to go into situations that are important to you.
Benzodiazepines used for the treatment of insomnia include lorazepam (Ativan), nitrazepam (Mogadon), oxazepam (Serax), temazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion) and flurazepam (Dalmane). Another drug used for insomnia is zopiclone (Imovane). This drug is similar to benzodiazepines and has similar side-effects.
The best stress-relieving drinks include ginger, chamomile tea, valerian, black tea, coconut water, milk, green tea, coffee, lemon balm tea, water, and vegetable and fruit juice. Aromatherapy is another self-soothing practice shown to have benefits for mental health.
Medical research has linked magnesium to reduced anxiety. Magnesium helps you to relax by stimulating the production of melatonin and serotonin which boost your mood and help you sleep. Magnesium also reduces the production of cytokines and cortisol, which lead to increased inflammation and stress.