[Katwoman4]

My house is full of clutter. I spend hour after hour trying to get things under control. The "stuff" runs my life and keeps me from getting to the point I can undertake activities and projects I enjoy.

I have spent the day sorting and cleaning. Could the condition of my physical world, messy, disorganized, uncomfortable, be a reflection of my inner world too? Most of the same descriptive words for my physical and inner world apply. Messy, neglected, dated, unkempt, embarrassing,overwhelming, defeating, tiresome, I feel like I am in a quagmire and can not get out.

I surely hope taking steps in my home will be a gateway to taking steps in my head!!

I am so tired. So very very tired.

[Marla500]

hi Katwoman! this is so much like me. in my case I believe it all stems from a great deal of anxiety. I always feel better after cleaning out a closet, or a corner of the room, or something like that. it was hard to come to terms with the fact that if I haven't worn something for ten years (lol! that's a bit of an exaggeration but not much) it wont hurt to let it go, but once I did that it got easier. I do keep a few things of sentimental value but I am working on getting rid of the rest. it gets easier but I think we have to try to come to terms with the underlying issues, in my case it is anxiety and depression. for some reason it can be comforting to have a lot of stuff around, but at the same time it's stressful if it's cluttered

[tutitaylor]

Hi Katwoman- I definitely am the same way. I know for me the "stuff" adds to the confusion in my brain. 6 months ago my husband had to go on a business trip. I made a clean sweep of the house and was able to donate a bunch of stuff to charity. I re-organized my kitchen and cleaned other parts of the house. What was good about it was that when I get sick I can manage to keep things up much easier. It is very hard for me to even make a meal when I am depressed or very anxious (which is often) it seems. This way that is one less thing to bring me down. Don't make yourself sick over things. That is my feeling on myself. I hope this might help you. Tuti

[Gently1]

Originally Posted by Katwoman4

My house is full of clutter. I spend hour after hour trying to get things under control. The "stuff" runs my life and keeps me from getting to the point I can undertake activities and projects I enjoy.

I have spent the day sorting and cleaning. Could the condition of my physical world, messy, disorganized, uncomfortable, be a reflection of my inner world too? Most of the same descriptive words for my physical and inner world apply. Messy, neglected, dated, unkempt, embarrassing,overwhelming, defeating, tiresome, I feel like I am in a quagmire and can not get out.

I surely hope taking steps in my home will be a gateway to taking steps in my head!!

I am so tired. So very very tired.

Hello Katwoman4,

I personally recommend www.flylady.net , being overwhelmed with household chores and stuff is not good for depression recovery.
Or my life in general.

The best lesson I learned is to have a routine, it is the best self care as I practice my routine with flexibilty and gentleness.

On the home page I see the look is changed, I hope you take a few minutes for yourself and check it out, you will find you are not alone.
Baby Steps; the Flylady shows us how to make our home peaceful and calm over time.

And be very gentle with yourself, the clutter in my home did not appear in 15 miutes, but years of little by little and is going away little by little.
Gently1

[Aslan]

throw the stuff away

[Suki22]

I know what you mean! I can improve my mood by improving my surroundings. it's just a matter of improving my surroundings which is the tough part. today I've managed to clean off a couple of surfaces and packed up the Christmas decorations (all two of them!). my house isn't clean but every little bit helps. just keep doing what you can until it's under control. it will definitely help. thanks for bringing this up!