Healthy relationships are often defined by how two people treat each other. However, the environment that a marriage takes place in can have a major impact on the relationship dynamic between couples as well. Take, for example, two people who are living in a very cluttered and unhealthy space. Can a relationship be repaired by making changes like moving things over to a storage facility? Let’s examine the connection between clutter and marriage and whether or not storage might be able to help couples thrive.
Why might storage be a good first step in tackling clutter?
There’s a major difference between clutter and something more troubling, like hoarding disorder. For those suffering from the latter, there’s trauma underneath the surface that’s making it difficult for someone to let go of their things, whether those are items that they have multiples of or even things like trash. The more that someone accumulates, the more difficult it is to navigate a space. This doesn’t take into account the health issues, fire hazards, or property damage that it can cause. For the partner who doesn’t have trouble staying clean and organized, this can be extremely distressing.
One of the first steps to take in working on your relationship might be to find self storage near you so you can clear your space as you work through these issues and tackle the mental illness. With the right tool, you can search thousands of storage units in your area, compare them by important factors like pricing and amenities, and reserve your unit in minutes online without a credit card. Then, you can start moving some of the most important items over there to clear out your house and begin working on both the physical and mental issues lying beneath all the clutter.
Reach out to a counselor to undergo couples therapy.
Hoarding is something that your partner will have to deal with in individual therapy. However, given that there are relationship issues between you two as a result of clutter and mess, marriage counseling is critical to dealing with these issues as well. For example, extreme clutter might be accompanied by problems like fighting, resentment, and a lack of communication. Set aside some time to do a quick search for “marriage counseling near me.” The right marriage counselor will have years of experience helping married couples develop greater empathy and compassion for each other as they improve their communication skills and repair their relationship problems. With strong support, you and your spouse can work on these mental health problems and toward a better future.
Focus just as heavily on what you do outside of therapy.
Moving everything out of the home and seeking counseling can pave the way to a better marriage. However, you and your partner have a lot of work to do in order to keep things stable and successful moving forward. This might mean learning how to better organize the home and let go of things that don’t truly matter. This might also look like developing better communication habits so that you can discuss issues when they arise and work through difficult feelings. The more you work on the clutter and the relationship, the easier it will be to keep clutter from moving into your relationship again.
Storage can be an excellent starting point when working with an unhealthy physical environment in a marriage. However, there’s so much more to do. If you want to tackle this issue in your marriage, use the guide above to discover what the next steps might be and how you can do more to improve your relationship with your spouse.
