Last update: 27 September, 2020
Clutter hides a large number of fears. If things are not in order, it is not always due to lack of time or negligence. The environment or context is a projection of our inner world, consequently, clutter communicates a pretty clear message.
Disorder is almost always associated with another phenomenon, that of accumulation. When there are few things, a room hardly appears cluttered. When we accumulate objects, we need time to arrange them, clean them or find a space where they are not in the way.
"Disorder is more likely because there are an infinite number of types of disorder."
Murray Gell Mann
Chaos tends to concentrate in certain spaces in the house, which is almost always linked to a form of fear. Let's see together what fears are hidden behind the disorder, in particular behind the phenomenon of accumulation.
The disorder and the different types of accumulation
Accumulation is the first step towards disorder. It seems trivial, but the accumulation expresses our inner condition. There are people who accumulate old things that belong to the past and people who accumulate everyday things.
Would you like to know more? Also read: 13 simple tricks to tidy up in no time
In the first case, accumulators tend to store all objects that have some symbolic value, even if they don't have enough space to keep them. In the end, though, they end up accumulating even valueless things, giving them a particular meaning.
In the second case, however, the accumulators do not put everyday objects in their place, such as clothing, games, cleaning products, documents, etc. They don't have time to fix them, so they pile them up wherever they happen, without any criteria.
These two forms of accumulation reflect inner fears. In the case of the accumulation of old things, the fear is to break with a safe past and accept an uncertain present. As for the accumulation of everyday things, fear is about something that is happening in the present that you are afraid to face.
As we anticipated at the beginning of the article, the place where the confusion is concentrated has a certain meaning: it is not the same thing to accumulate objects in the kitchen instead of in the living room.
Let's see the main meanings:
- Clutter in the kitchen reveals emotional fragility or unsettled resentment.
- When chaos is concentrated behind doors, it means that you are afraid of rejection or that you have the feeling of being controlled.
- If the disorder is at the entrance, one is afraid of relating to others.
- If it's the garage that's messy, you're afraid of new things and changes.
- The chaos in the corridor reveals communication difficulties regarding thoughts and feelings.
- If the dining room is disorganized, it means that the family exerts too much influence.
- The disorder spread throughout the house is a sign of apathy, anger towards life and neglect towards oneself.
- The scattered objects in the living room suggest fear and refusal to establish relationships with others and to open up to the outside world.
We also advise you to read: Order and cleanliness: how to teach them to children
Other places in disorder
A relationship is established between disorder and fear because objects in this case act as a barrier to cover or hide something else: our fears. Disorganization is typical of those who want to hide or lose sight of something.
For example, someone with a messy desk or office probably suffers from frustration or has a hidden desire to want to control everything. On the other hand, those who hide objects under furniture are afraid of the opinion of others.
Beyond the meaning, it is clear that disorder can become a real obstacle. From time to time, it is good to get rid of old things and make some space, so as to facilitate and speed up house cleaning as well.
