How Home Organizing Creates More Peace Through the Science of Embodied Cognition

I recently became aware of a concept in psychology called embodied cognition.

Don't worry—I hadn't heard of it either.

But the more I've been reading about it, the more I've found myself thinking, This explains so much of what I see every day when I'm working with clients.

One of the ideas behind embodied cognition is that our minds and our bodies are constantly influencing one another. We usually think our thoughts happen first, and then our bodies respond.

But it's not quite that simple.

The way we stand, the way we breathe, the expressions on our faces, even the way we move through our environment...they all send information back to our brains.

I became aware of this concept because of the way that Sadie is posed in this photo, the photo that has been the symbol of my company from the beginning. She is sitting in what I call the "Victory" pose. She won and she owns this day. By the way, this is just one photo from a larger album, stay tuned and I'll share more Sadie photos.

The Original Sadie

When I first heard the term and the quick explanation of embodied cognition, I immediately thought of Sadie.

Have you ever heard someone say that if you're nervous before giving a presentation, you should stand tall with your shoulders back like Wonder Woman?

It turns out there really is something to that. It's probably not as dramatic as some people on the internet make it sound, but our posture does influence how we experience our emotions.

Our bodies and our minds are having a conversation all day long. ('we are going to be talking more about the all-day-long self talk in a future post)

And that's when I started wondering...

What if our homes are part of that conversation too?

Because think about it.

If every morning you wake up and have to step over piles on the floor...

If you can't find your keys...

If the kitchen counters are covered...

If every room reminds you of one more thing you haven't gotten to yet...

How does your body move through that house?

I don't think you stride confidently through it.

I think you shuffle.

You sigh.

You brace yourself before opening the next door.

You keep telling yourself, I need to get to that.

And then tomorrow, your body does it all over again.

Now imagine something different.

You wake up and your countertops are clear enough to make breakfast.

You know where your shoes are.

You aren't moving things just to sit down.

You can actually take a deep breath in your own living room.

Would you move differently?

I think you would.

Would you carry yourself differently?

I think you would.

Would you leave the house feeling just a little lighter?

I think you would.

And I don't think that's because your house suddenly became perfect.

I think it's because your body has stopped practicing stress.

That's one of the reasons I believe so deeply in home organizing.

People sometimes think we're helping them make their pantry prettier or their closets more functional.

Those things are nice.

But that's not really what we're doing.

We're helping create a home that lets your nervous system rest.

We're helping create a place where your shoulders can finally come down.

Where you aren't reminded every five minutes that you're behind.

Where your home starts telling you something different.

How would your body move differently in each of these photos? How would that movement translate to the way you feel?

Maybe...

"You've got this."

"You can breathe here."

"You're okay."

Back to this old photograph of the real Sadie—the woman our company is named after—that I absolutely love.

She's sitting in a chair with both arms stretched wide, smiling from ear to ear.

Every time I look at it, I don't see a pose.

I see freedom.

I see joy.

I see someone completely at ease.

Maybe that's why I've always loved that picture.

Because I think that's what we're really trying to help people find.

Not a perfectly organized closet.

Not matching bins.

Not magazine-worthy shelves.

Freedom.

A home where you can walk through the front door, take a deep breath, and feel like yourself again.

I think our homes are teaching us something every single day.

My hope is that yours teaches you peace and confidence.