ClutterMeister
  • home
  • clutteraware
  • pricing
  • virtual
  • blog
  • clues
    • audiovisual
    • publications
    • in the media
    • testimonials
  • contact

Let there be light!

20/9/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Summer is slowly coming to an end and what corners of your home have been illuminated by sunshine for a good part of the last months will now gradually become a little darker each day.

I myself am much aware of this as my usual zoom call on Monday morning now starts with enough light to be seen on the screen, but by the end of the call I’m shrouded in darkness with only the monitor’s blue light reflecting off my face.
Winter is coming and with it a particular clutter-related issue: when dark corners appear and never are highlighted by sunbeams, then dust, dirt and clutter will start to build up. We all have those corners in the home where things accumulate simply because we never look, but now clutter can start to creep in and hide in plain sight, in those dark corners.

Quite apart from the accumulation of clutter, the human mood is highly sensitive to light levels, and the right kind of light on top of that. One of the possible effects of the darker period is called SAD seasonal affective disorder, which also goes by the name of “winter depression”. Symptoms of SAD include a persistent low mood, lack of interest in activities, irritability, feelings of despair, lacking in energy and feeling sleepy all day.

There are several theories why this happens: too much melatonin is produced (the hormone that makes you feel sleepy), lack of serotonin (the hormone that affects your mood, appetite and sleep, or the body's internal clock is disrupted by low light levels, confusing your body cycles.

Well, this sounds like a medical issue, but really there is an easy fix for most of those symptoms: get more sunlight onto your body! Of course, you don’t want to sit outside in the cold to catch some rays of sunshine, but there is a better solution: bring more light into your home. Any light will help as long as it is not making you feel uncomfortable, like a high-energy fluorescent tube.

To get the best results, you may want to consider a special lamp called a “SAD light” or light box, though. Such lamps create light that approximates morning sunshine and are used to give you a boost for short periods between ten minutes and an hour.

The main benefit is that such exposure will likely improve your mood, but as a side-effect it will also light up your space to a degree that dust, dirt and clutter have less of a chance to slip under your radar. And because you are also feeling less sluggish, maybe you’ll even feel moved to do something about whatever mess comes to light!
If you have enjoyed reading this, you may find these other articles interesting:
  • Work at the rhythm of the light
  • Diaries and Journals
  • Read more about SAD on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Ask the ClutterMeister

    Ideas to help clear away the mess in our homes and in our minds.
    Feel free to share any of my posts, but please put in a backlink to the original blog post. Thank you.
    Picture
    Join the Declutter Tribe
    Get the  ClutterGazette with fresh tips and tricks each month!
    Sign me up!

    The author

    Picture
    Hi, my name is Tilo Flache. My current mission: help my clients declutter mind and space.

    This blog contains pointers for your journey towards a happier living experience.

    Archives

    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
All information refers to Tilo Flache t/a ClutterMeister.  © 2021
  • home
  • clutteraware
  • pricing
  • virtual
  • blog
  • clues
    • audiovisual
    • publications
    • in the media
    • testimonials
  • contact