4 Dollar Tree Finds to Organize Your Home and Lighten Your Mental Load

Whether you’re running a book club, trying to find time to focus on your own wellness through exercise and nutrition or coming home to a space that always seems a bit messy, there’s likely a lot on your plate and on your mind. But your home doesn’t have to be one of them. We spoke to mental health professionals about why a peaceful home can play a role in a peaceful mind. And when you’re ready to lighten your mental load, we’ve got affordable Dollar Tree products that can help.

How your home affects your mental health 

If an already stressful day feels even more overwhelming because of your home environment, know it’s not just in your head.“Your home environment mirrors your internal psychological state,” confirms Alanys Chavez, LPC, at Thriveworks in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “In therapy, we talk a lot about ‘externalizing’ how our internal emotions, stressors and coping mechanisms manifest in the physical world. Your home is essentially an extension of your mind. When you are feeling safe, grounded and regulated, your environment generally reflects that stability.”

In contrast, when your mental health isn’t exactly where it needs to be, your home can reflect that. “When you are suffering from burnout, grief or anxiety, your physical space is usually the first thing to collapse,” adds Chavez. A home with a feeling of chaos or unpredictability traps our nervous system in a chronic, low-grade, fight or flight state, says Chavez, which can create a vicious cycle. 

Why? “According to cognitive load theory, clutter in our home environments can act as extra visual stimuli that our brains have to process,” explains Dipesh J. Patel, MSW, LCSW, licensed psychotherapist at Dipesh Patel LCSW Counseling Services. “The more clutter that there is, the more cognitive energy our brains will have to use to scan and process our living spaces. Our brains have a finite amount of cognitive energy, and if it’s constantly working to process our home environments, it might take away from being able to do deeper level thinking.”

Organizing your home doesn’t have to be complicated

If you read the information from our mental health experts above and thought, “Great, but organizing my home will take too much time,” we have good news: Our experts say home organization doesn’t have to be a time suck.

“I think people make organizing harder than it needs to be because they imagine having to tackle the entire house,” says April Guerra, MBA, GRI, a Texas-based realtor and staging design professional with LPT Realty. “You don’t need a free weekend or an expensive organizing system to make a difference. Start with one drawer, one cabinet or even your kitchen counter. I always say that an organized home isn’t about perfection. It’s about making your everyday life a little easier. When everything has a place, you spend less time looking for things and more time enjoying your home.”

“From a purely design standpoint, clutter can cause a room to look like it’s too busy,” says Kanika Bakshi Khurana, principal interior designer and owner at Kanika Design. “If everything has a place, then a house is so much easier to move around in; and you will spend less time looking for lost items.”

4 Dollar Tree finds to organize your home for less

We asked Khurana for her top four Dollar Tree product recommendations to help you get started today. 

Essentials Large Rectangular Drawer Organizers ($1.50)

Drawer organizers help remove the frustration of digging through a cluttered mix of items, says Khurana. “Use these in your kitchen drawers for utensils or in your bathroom drawers for makeup brushes and grooming supplies,” adds Khurana. “This way, when you want something, you will be able to locate it quickly and keep everything organized without wasting time.”

Closet Essentials Collapsible Storage Container ($1.25)

“Storage bins or containers that can be collapsed are ideal for keeping track of accessories for your clothes, such as scarves, hats, belts or light seasonal items,” says Khurana. Organizing your items in collapsible bins by category also helps you maintain an organized closet and avoid stress when trying to find something, explains Khurana. 

Jot Plastic Desk Organizer Case ($1.25)

If your desk is cluttered with everything from pens to papers, it can make focusing on a task that much harder, says Khurana. “A desk organizer that holds your writing utensils, stickies and so forth will help you have a better organized space to work from without adding an extra piece of furniture,” she adds. 

Plastic Storage Bins With Clip-Lock Lids ($4.00)

“These plastic bins can be used as a way to store craft supplies, seasonal items and small home accessories,” explains Khurana. “Clear plastic bins provide easy access to locate the contents you need. Using labels to identify which type of items are stored in each clear plastic bin is also another way to use these products.”

The bottom line on home organization for better mental health

When you have a lot on your plate, it can feel like the last thing you have time to think about is organizing your home. But it doesn’t have to be a complicated or expensive process, and your mental health will thank you. As Chavez says, “Maintaining a clean space is an act of self-care. It sends a powerful, ongoing message to your subconscious that you are worthy of living in a peaceful, supportive environment.”

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