All Episodes

August 12, 2025 24 mins

For the full transcript, notes, links, and more, go to:  https://simplysquaredaway.com/124

What Emotions Are Hiding Behind Your Clutter?

Do you ever look around at your clutter and feel a wave of guilt, sadness, or just… stuck? You're not alone.

In part three of our four-part series, The Real Cost of Disorganization, we’re digging into the emotional roots of clutter, and it might get a little personal. Because let’s be honest: disorganization usually isn’t about laziness, lack of time, or not knowing where to start. It’s about what the stuff means to us.

I’m sharing what I’ve learned from my own clients, a hoarding specialist, and my personal experience to help you uncover what’s really going on beneath the surface. This episode is gentle, powerful, and honestly, might be the moment everything clicks.

We’ll explore:

  • How grief, guilt, shame, and perfectionism sneak into our closets, drawers, and digital clutter.

  • Why clutter is often your brain’s protective mechanism.

  • What your space might be trying to tell you.

  • And how to finally move forward with peace, not pressure.

I’ll walk you through a 3-step process to begin releasing the emotional weight behind your clutter. It’s simple, powerful, and something you can do right away, no bins, no fancy labels, just real emotional clarity.

What you’ll learn:
  • Why your clutter might actually be grief, shame, or fear in disguise.

  • The surprising connection between trauma and disorganization.

  • How to spot emotional roots like guilt, perfectionism, or control.

  • The 3-step method to identify and release emotional clutter.

    1. Name the Emotion.

    2. Switch from judgment to curiosity using questions like:

      • What is this space trying to tell me?

      • What story is this clutter holding?

      • What part of me is it protecting?

      • What season of life is this tied to?

    3. Choose one compassionate action to take (and what that might look like).

Resources Mentioned:
Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

The Joe Rogan Experience

The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.