Stress and anxiety are complex and have many causes. That said, while their causes are diverse, one common tread runs through both – a lack of a sense of control. When we feel out of control, we suffer.

On a practical level, we may worry about our inability to control an illness that we are facing or to manage our financial situation. We may even worry about our inability to control our own thoughts and emotions.

Address Stress and Anxiety by Controlling Your Environment

Like so many things in life, the first step towards happiness and positivity is often as simple as taking control of the things that we can directly manage. We may not be able to fix our health or financial challenges overnight, but, we can organize and manage our home.

Have you ever noticed that, when you feel sad, you have very little desire to clean the house or keep your papers organized? It’s almost as if our physical environments are a mirror of what is happening in our minds.

Fortunately, the opposite is also true! By forcing yourself to take control of your home environment, you can reestablish control over your mind.

This can be as simple as putting the dishes in the dishwasher immediately or as involved as downsizing your home. Either way, you will feel more in control and this will almost certainly give you more strength to make positive changes in other aspects of your life.

Your home life is a reflection of your mental life. So, organize your home to take control of your mind.

Do you agree or disagree that a lack of a sense of control is a contributing factor to stress and anxiety? Why or why not? What is one thing that you could do to take control over your home environment? Please join the conversation below.

Here is a short video that I recorded about taking control of your environment to reduce the stress in your life.