Let’s talk about four things in your home that can trigger your anxiety when trying to be creative.

I tried to get down to my home office and start writing this for over an hour but kept getting distracted by things around my home. I can’t leave this out the dog might get it and get hurt, I think. Just another minute, I need to clean this up because they’re coming to fix the internet tomorrow (hopefully—but that’s another story), I reason.

Your home should be a safe space to be able to get your creative juices flowing but there are many subtle things that could be causing you anxiety.

Bills, Bills, Bills

Having your bills and other mail laying around your work area can make you feel overwhelmed. Try to have a place to sit down for your writing that is separate from where you keep your bills.

Just look at this mess

A messy room can remind you how busy and/or overwhelmed you are. If you’re able to, try keeping the room or area you write in as neat as possible. Clutter is subjective. I have a lot of stuff in my bedroom—it’s only 9 feet by 10 feet. The walls are covered with shelves full of books and knick-knacks but that makes me feel warm and cozy. The problem starts when I let my dirty clothes stay on the floor instead of putting them directly into the hamper or when I bring a hamper of clean clothes in and don’t put it up.

Ding!

Does the ding of a notification make your heart race? They can be troublesome for people who have a sensitivity to noise. Or you could be worried that every ding is someone texting about a problem—like I do—just to find out it was a notification to play a game again. Look in your phone’s settings and turn off notifications for things that aren’t important. You could also change the sound they make to something more soothing.

Who turned out the light?

Not having enough light can make tasks hard to accomplish and cause you to feel sleepy and unmotivated. Too much light can make it difficult to sleep or relax. Like Goldilocks, you’ll need to find something just right for you. Try having lighting that is dimmable and using warmer lighting for areas you want to be relaxed. Look for brighter lighting in the areas of your home you need to feel energized.

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Is there something in your home that makes you anxious? How do you deal with it?