The Blog

Mental Health is a big part of my personal story and my family’s story.

The global coronavirus pandemic has helped to put a spotlight on mental health, and I’m so thrilled to see people from all walks of life making their mental health a priority.  Much of my work in organizing and interior design is all about helping to uplift my clients’ mental health and make their spaces feel aligned with their lifestyle and personality.

It’s amazing how much our spaces can impact our mood and simultaneously, reflect our current situation and mental state. Creating a space that aligns with your best self, and spending time to make that space function optimally, can help you succeed across all facets of your life.

Have you ever put on an outfit and said, “this feels like me.” It makes you feel confident and elevates your mood.  The confidence carries over into your daily life.  Your performance at school or work is at a higher level when you are wearing it.  Your interactions with people throughout the day are more pleasant.  You are glowing.

Your space should be the same.  It should feel like you.  It should make you feel more confident.  It should elevate your mood.  Everything that you and your family need to be successful should be at your fingertips.

That being said, you should be aware that every single person is different.  Diversity is what makes us beautiful.  You might be a person that thrives in a minimalist environment, where anything extraneous is just energetic noise interfering with your thoughts.  You might be a person who needs to be surrounded by lots of beautiful things – trinkets and memories – to feel comfortable and inspired.  Maybe bright colors inspire you or maybe you find bright colors to be overstimulating… There are so many things about your home that can reflect your individuality and your specific lifestyle. When it all comes together, whatever it looks like should help reenergize you to go back out into the world.

You should also be aware that in terms of organization, your home will ebb and flow with whatever is happening in your life.  Professional Organizers talk about a concept called situational organization vs. chronic disorganization.  Everyone experiences situational organization. These are times when life is crazy and your house gets really messy.  Even with the best organizational systems, this will happen. It is absolutely normal.  Life may be changing and you may need to reevaluate your systems, or simply just take some extra time to do some maintenance.  Chronic disorganization is persistent clutter that is interfering with your daily life and is usually a side effect/symptom of a larger issue, like a physical or mental health condition that prevents you from keeping up with your stuff.  Typically we see this with individuals who have conditions like ADHD, depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, hoarding disorders and more.  In either case, you should know that it’s okay to ask for help.  Prioritizing your space is prioritizing your mental health.  Aligning your space — making it feel like “you” — will improve your mental health. I’m here to help if you need it.