Being messy is often associated with laziness, yet other, deeper explanations are possible.
Dishes piling up in the sink, dirty clothes on the floor, mountains of papers on the desk, are situations well known to messy people. Tidying up isn’t everyone’s strong point, but it’s not always a matter of simple laziness. This disorder may be due to a deeper concern. Living in the mess can be a trivial part of your daily life as much as it can be a reflection of a real problem. “The state of our physical space can be a reflection of our state of mind,” summarizes Natalie Christine Dattilo, psychologist and professor at Harvard Medical School, with the Huffpost. Here are five other little-known reasons that can explain why your home is in disarray.
1- Decision-making procrastination. Not being ordained can mean that you are a very indecisive person. You will therefore always put off the decision until later, for fear of making a mistake. To avoid taking any risks, you prefer to let things lie around, rather than find a new place for them or get rid of them.
2- Life transition. If you were usually organized, a big change in your life can disrupt you to the point of neglecting tidying. This stressor can cause you to abandon daily tasks. This can be caused by the arrival of a child, a new job or new studies, a move, a divorce, etc.
3- Syllogomania. If you have great difficulty throwing away or parting with your possessions, you may be suffering from syllogomania. It is a tendency to accumulate excessively and in a disorganized manner, placing great sentimental value on objects. Syllogomania is caused by the rejection of negative emotions: fear, regret, guilt, even sadness. “It can bring up negative emotions… so you’re just going to put it down and not deal with it,” says Joseph Ferrari, professor of psychology at DePaul University, with the Huffpost.
4-Depression. It triggers a lack of energy and motivation to tidy up your home. “Our motivation comes from a part of the brain that anticipates reward, and when we are depressed, this part of the brain turns off,” analyzes Natalie Christine Dattilo. It can also take the form of difficulty concentrating, making these small tasks insurmountable.
5-ADHD. Disorganization is one of the predominant symptoms of attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity. Sufferers struggle to complete tasks and are easily distracted. If these are uninteresting or have no real deadline, such as doing the dishes or putting away the laundry, they are very difficult for people with ADHD to accomplish. Furthermore, the more what is not done accumulates, the less easy it is to navigate and know where to start. It’s a vicious circle.