What does it mean to live more with less? I'm Katie Wells and welcome to the Maximized Minimalist

podcast. If you found yourself caught up in the hamster wheel of modern day motherhood and want to

rewrite the script, congratulations you're in the right place. I'm here to be your guide and help you take

back your motherhood

and achieve a simpler, more joy-filled life. Cheers to being a maximized minimalist. Enjoy the show.

If you're feeling anxious in your cluttered or messy home, there is a reason. In fact,

in a study by UCLA, people in the study who described their homes as either

messy or cluttered had elevated levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. In fact,

their cortisol levels followed a flatter pattern that's been associated with greater chronic stress

and has been linked with other negative

health outcomes. Maybe like me you've experienced that feeling that it's literally hard to breathe

with all that clutter that's filling your home or specific rooms in your home. Or you've noticed

you just don't feel your best when you're in a home or work

environment or anyone's home that's filled with stuff. Maybe you're on edge, you're easily

triggered, you have less patience, you feel more tired, or again, you just feel anxious. This is

why. And look, I'm not saying correlation equals causation, but we can no longer ignore

the link. Our environments influence, our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, period. Do I know that

your clutter is creating your anxiety? Of course not. But data and studies report

that it can absolutely contribute, which is what we're talking about here. And I won't refute that

because after helping coach over 5,000 women and experiencing it firsthand myself, I know that

decluttering can often ease the grip anxiety has on so many of us.

Case in point here, why do you think you love being at an Airbnb or a hotel while you travel

...