Clear the Clutter – Why You Should Downsize Your Home Now
There’s no denying that in the United States, people really love their “stuff.” The booming self-storage industry can certainly vouch for this! However, owning too many items can easily lead to a cluttered home, and studies show that clutter can have a negative impact on your health in a variety of ways. When you start to notice that the storage spaces in your home are packed full of belongings, or open surfaces like countertops, tables or even the corners of rooms are piled high with items, it’s time to start making some important decisions about the space you live in and the number of things you truly need.
In addition to assessing your belongings, you should also start to consider the size of your current home. Are there rooms you simply never use anymore that have become storage spaces? Are housekeeping and home maintenance tasks keeping you from activities you enjoy? Many older adults today are recognizing the need to take control of their life – and their clutter – by downsizing their homes to a much more manageable space.
Clutter and Your Health
Clutter and stress certainly go hand in hand. It overstimulates your brain and overwhelms your mind, mainly because there are too many things around you to look at and process. You might also notice you’re always feeling anxious as no matter how many home organization tasks you assign yourself, there’s not enough time in the day to complete them all. Clutter can also be a major time-waster. Think of how often you spend countless minutes searching for something you misplaced in a pile somewhere; estimates show that Americans can spend nine million hours every year looking for misplaced items!
Additionally, clutter has an impact on your social life, too. For instance, perhaps your cluttered home keeps you from having friends and family over regularly. Maintaining and building relationships throughout your life and into your later years is key to healthy aging, and clutter could be responsible for social isolation that can easily lead to depression and mental health concerns.
The Benefits of Downsizing Your Home
For seniors, downsizing their homes and moving to a continuing care retirement community is an appealing option that allows them to enjoy their retirement to the fullest. These benefits include:
Decreased stress levels.
You’ll find your stress level significantly reduced, since you won’t be worried about maintaining your home and some of the financial burden will be lessened. Living in a CCRC means you’ll enjoy a smaller home that will not only be easier to maintain, but you also won’t have to worry about all those “do-it-yourself” type of repairs- let someone else take care of them!
More manageable space.
You probably no longer need four bedrooms and three bathrooms after the kids have moved out, and keeping them clean and tidy may become overwhelming. Plus, these rooms often turn into storage spaces you may very rarely step foot into.
Extra free time.
Your maintenance-free lifestyle after downsizing your home allows you to recapture some lost free time and spend it on the things you enjoy doing, whether that’s traveling, exercising, taking lifelong learning classes or trying out a new hobby.
Social opportunities.
More free time means more time to check out all the social activities offered at your new continuing care retirement community, so you can enjoy meeting new people and building lasting, meaningful relationships.
Peace of mind for the future.
Continuing care retirement communities offer a true plan for your future, as you know that if you needs should change, you’ll have priority access to supportive services in the place you already call home.
A Fulfilling Retirement Lifestyle at Meadow Lakes
If you’re ready to downsize your home and enjoy a vibrant, active lifestyle, Meadow Lakes is the continuing care retirement community for you. We welcome you to experience our CCRC for yourself – please contact us today to schedule a personal tour.
