5 Ways Storage Can Relieve Stress

A noteworthy side effect of American culture is the steady accumulation of stuff. Sure, it starts out slow, but as time goes on you find yourself running out of the space for stuff you want or need. If not having enough room was enough to stop consumerism, things would end there. Unfortunately, that’s rarely the case. Instead, as space decreases, you’ll find “temporary” locations to keep things until you think of a long-term solution.

As the cycle of acquiring continues, your home will begin to feel smaller and messier with everything new you add, and soon you’ll feel stressed out under a mountain of who knows what. 

However, you don’t need to treat a cluttered lifestyle as unavoidable, unfixable, or essential. There are steps you can take to reduce the impact of clutter on your life.

How Clutter Causes Stress

Knowing that clutter causes stress is different than knowing what specifically about clutter causes the problem. Thankfully, there are psychological studies on this phenomenon that clarify why we feel stressed in a cluttered environment. 

To summarize succinctly, clutter causes an overabundance of visual stimuli (too many things to look at) which leads to distraction and a feeling of being overwhelmed. This can spiral into feelings of inadequacy or guilt over lack of organization. Clutter can also limit our ability to think by taking away the space that allows for spatial processing. 

Essentially, clutter overwhelms our senses, distracts us, makes us feel guilty, and limits our thinking.

5 Stress Relief Benefits

When stress is taking over your life and you feel buried by your items at home, self storage may be the solution you’re looking for. Storage units come in a variety of sizes ranging from small closet-sized 5’ x 5’ spaces to large warehouse-sized 10’ x 30’ units to meet needs. In addition to facility features created for a seamless storage experience, many facilities rent units on a month-to-month basis so you can rent a unit for exactly the amount of time you need. Whether you’re in search of a short-term or long-term solution to alleviate your stress, self storage can reduce your clutter-induced anxiety and help you rest easy once again.

1. Reduce Clutter

This is a fairly self-explanatory benefit. When you rent a self storage unit, you can easily reduce clutter in your home or business by moving much of your stuff elsewhere. Since stress issues caused by clutter affect us most when it’s within eyesight, storing your belongings in a storage unit is a great way to reduce stress.

Self storage is especially helpful in reducing mess-induced anxiety that leads to an overstimulated mind. By clearing out work and personal spaces, you’ll reduce mental strain and allow yourself to really enjoy the space you’re in, rather than worrying about how cluttered it is.

2. Assist in Moving

Moving isn’t easy and is often a major source of stress. Packing and moving, whether across town or across the country, requires organization and clarity. If your move-out date doesn’t match up with the move-in date at your new space, it can create a unique logistical problem. By renting a self storage unit, you can move most of your belongings out of your home at your convenience without needing to have their long term landing spot figured out. This will also help you ease into the move-in process by giving you a central location to work from.  

In general, self storage helps with moving stress by expanding the very limited time frame that would otherwise apply. You can even use your self storage unit to hold furniture, decorations, and extra items while staging your home during the selling process.

3. Increase Usable Spaces

If you feel like you’re not making the most of the space in your home, renting a self storage can help you return these areas to their former glory. It’s fairly common for people to use their garages and other rooms in their home as storage space. However, this tends to limit what you can do with those rooms other than put things in them. Utilizing a self storage unit will allow you to move extra items from those spaces and return them to their original purpose. Gone are the days your guest room is piled high with books and boxes or your home gym is overtaken by furniture during a refresh. 

Self storage can help you make the most of your current space and remove stressors like gym memberships or an unusable garage.

4. Organize Documents

Whether you’re a business owner with stacks of work orders or an individual who needs to protect and organize birth certificates, diplomas, or tax documents, a self storage unit is a great place to keep them. By boxing up these documents and placing them in your unit, you’ll be able to keep them organized and tidy in one central location rather than spread throughout your home. If you’re storing documents, opt for a climate-controlled unit to add an extra layer of protection against the elements.

5. Increased Security

Most storage facilities include a number of security features to protect your belongings. Video surveillance, electronic gates, and unique access codes are security measures you may find at your local storage facility. With features such as these, most storage units end up having more security than most garages and some homes. You can also bring your own lock for your storage unit, so you can choose which brand and style you trust. 

Much like climate-controlled storage, these added security features allow you to reduce your stress from clutter without adding to your stress with concerns about security.

Reduce Stress with Absolute Storage Management

When you’re feeling overwhelmed with clutter stressing you out, it’s time to give self storage a try. At properties in the Absolute Storage Network, you’ll discover high quality storage units at facilities across the country to help you reduce clutter and stressors in your life. Our experienced storage staff can help you choose the perfect unit for your needs and answer any questions that may arise along the way. From Texas to Georgia, Wisconsin to Florida, Absolute Storage Management has your back with self storage solutions you need, when you need them.