By Giselle Lee | Staff Writer
When the temperature outside drops, your room becomes a safe haven. But studies show that how tidy you keep it has noticeable impacts on your mental health.
Data from the National Association of Professional Organizers shows that disorganization can lead to a 20% loss in productivity. According to Mental Health America, a clean living space helps promote a daily sense of calmness and control in your life.
With a cold and busy semester up ahead, students might be impacted in various ways. For Colorado Springs, Colo., sophomore Ronnie Hughes, despite having a clean room, said his management of time is not properly optimized, spending more time in common areas instead.
“Because I spend so little time in my room, when I’m in my room, I don’t usually use my time well,” Hughes said. “I feel like the state of my room — it’s on the cleanlier side usually — whenever that starts to drop, I do feel a hick in my mental health. I feel like it starts to drop because I can see that reflected in a space I don’t use often.”
For Hughes, it helps to have a dorm space that’s clean, even if it is not being used often.
“The cleaner it is when I come back, normally the better I feel about it,” Hughes said.
On the other hand, Gidget Rodriguez-Smith, a freshman from South Korea, said her dorm room and mental health work in a cyclical fashion.
“I spend at least an hour in my dorm room — personal leisure time, playing video games, reading every day,” Rodriguez-Smith said. “I think my room is on the messiest side of the spectrum. I do think it is both a reflection of my mental health, and I think my mental health is affected by the state of my room.”
Ebenezer Anene, a freshman from the United Kingdom, shared the sentiment. Anene works as a videographer for Baylor Athletics and said his room tidiness is essential for balancing long hours of video editing with personal time.
“The cleanliness affects me,” Anene said. “If it’s not clean, then I don’t feel comfortable, but if it’s clean, I feel comfortable.”
Weather forecasts predict students will be greeted by a chilly and wet Texas over the course of January and February, with snow as early as January.
According to the Honor Society, poor weather makes it hard for students to stay motivated, and the lack of sunlight may contribute to negative feelings of isolation, loneliness and depression.
However, Hughes, Rodriguez-Smith and Anene agreed that despite an increase in their time indoors, all of them have added personal touches to their rooms, keeping a homey feeling inside and the dreary weather outside.
For Hughes, organization is of the utmost value.
“I separate my spaces very clearly so that I can have my space for relaxation or leisure time,” Hughes said. “I have my space if I need to work in my room, and I have my space to sleep. I’d say it’s laid out pretty well now.”
Similarly, Rodriguez-Smith adopts a visual approach in personalizing her room.
“My wall is plastered in Sesame Street posters, band posts and dinosaurs,” Rodriguez-Smith said. “Honestly, that’s what makes it feel more like a home than just a room.”
