Defeating Stress: How Getting Rid Of Clutter Can Make Life Easier

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — "Defeating Stress" week continues with a look at how clutter can stress us out.

On Wednesday, Stephanie Marcy told us how to better help teens cope with the stress of homework, standardized testing and picking the right college.

Today, she tells us what stresses her out. And she tells us how conquering clutter can bring about calm.

"This is like an ongoing battle in my household," Marcy says, clearing a pile of clutter.

Marcy is a psychologist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where she works with young people sickened by stress.

When she invited CBS2/KCAL9 into her home, she showed how she helps her own two boys cope. And we spotted the one thing that stresses her out. Clutter.

"I go through waves of recognition of how much clutter I have," she says.

"Clutter will create a situation where people feel like they are not meeting their goals," says Regina Lark, an organizer.

"Clutter makes them feel very anxious," she believes.

Lark, a professional organizer, makes her living helping clients de-stress by de-cluttering.

Clients like Marcy.

She tells Regina an area of clutter in her home has always been envisioned as a reading nook.

"Maybe there is a magazine or two," says Marcy.

But that hasn't exactly worked out that way. All over the house, Marcy has areas of clutter.

Case in point. Marcy and her family have lots of shoes. They're constantly trying to find a matching pair.

Solution? Build a home for the shoes by making a shoe rack.

"It will allow them to save a bit of time to find the shoes they need as soon as they need them," Regina says.

Next up? The junk drawer.

"And I'm thinking, if it's junk -- why are you putting it in a drawer," Regina says.

Nonetheless, we all have one. Best way to deal with it? Get a bird's eye view?

"Lay it out, you spread it out," says Regina.

Sort like with like and toss the trash.  Also use drawer dividers to keep what you keep easier to find. Next up, the closet. Regina to the rescue. Rolled up magazines work to keep boots upright and organized in the closet.

Tackling the cluttered table is next.

"If holding on to something from the past isn't creating clutter, great, keep it, give it a home," Lark says, "but if that item is something you're constantly moving to get to something, it's clutter."

Marcy has catalogs from 2014. Time to toss.

"Now I don't have panic attacks," she said.

Regina's top tips for conquering clutter: Tackle one area at a time and mark it on a calendar. Also, invite a friend to help you. For sentimental items crowding your space, consider taking pictures and giving the mementos away. For more about Lark and her organizing skills, click here.

Do you have a question for UCI Cardiologist Shaista Malik? She appears in studio live on CBS2 Friday at 5 p.m.  to answer your questions about how stress affects the heart.