It will not surprise you to learn that tidying & cleaning IS therapy for me, and I do it on purpose to wind down. I also like to go outside and pull weeds and trim dead leaves from my plants…which I suppose is just tidying my yard 😂
Timely post, Ms. Sara. Just this a.m. I got up early to head to the basement where all of my life's history is stored in boxes with the goal of throwing it all out. Two hours later I was reading my Jr. High principal's letter to my parents for why I would be suspended, again, for three days because of "fighting" in 1975. I laughed and went on to the next box only to find several other suspension letters.
I threw out some old motorbike magazines, a collection of ties from the 90's from a previous life, and got stuck in a second box for an hour re-reading old grade school report cards and trying to figure out which kid I was in the old class pictures. I do have a nice collection of vintage disc golf news and journals, old discs, and two boxes of trophy's from my "pro-open" years that would look better out of my basement than in.
Jeez. Only 20 more boxes to go. One of them has an old cast from when I broke my arm skateboarding our backyard ramp in the early 70's. Good, precious stuff like that.
You have motivated me to have another go, perhaps tomorrow, this time with my eyes closed.
You can only do “Nostalgia Cleaning” when you’re in Fuck It mode. Only then do you not give a shit about most of those things. It’s a very specific mindset. And when it’s gone, you’re toast and mired in 4th grade report cards and cards you got when you graduated from high school.
I also have a housecleaning service come once a month! Such a great investment, and, as someone with ADHD who gets anxious when it comes to cleaning, a lifesaver!
Unfortunately, I have a tendency to let clutter pile up. It's ok now, since I have an almost four month old who can't crawl yet, but eventually, he's going to get into everything, and I need to prepare for when that happens. I also need to further prune my closet, but I finally got around to starting, and today, I donated four bags of clothes! Yay me for not just letting them sit in my trunk for six months!
I hired a postpartum doula for ten hours a week, and she started at the beginning of July. She's been a godsend, and I've been able to run errands, go to doctor's appointments, nap, or just go to a coffee shop and spend time alone while she's there.
I am by nature tidy, which gives the appearance of clean. My #childhoodtrauma is that my mother (borderline OCD, and not exaggerating) made me clean on Saturdays and would come inspect and if she didn’t like it, make me do it again. To this day (101 days until my 50th birthday!) I haaaate to clean and especially the bathroom. If I get a wild hair and suddenly feel motivated, I have learned to lean into that when it happens, but it’s not often, so I have a cleaning lady that comes every other month or so. 🤷🏻♀️
It will not surprise you to learn that tidying & cleaning IS therapy for me, and I do it on purpose to wind down. I also like to go outside and pull weeds and trim dead leaves from my plants…which I suppose is just tidying my yard 😂
I think that’s fantastic because it’s physical exercise as well as mental exercise
Timely post, Ms. Sara. Just this a.m. I got up early to head to the basement where all of my life's history is stored in boxes with the goal of throwing it all out. Two hours later I was reading my Jr. High principal's letter to my parents for why I would be suspended, again, for three days because of "fighting" in 1975. I laughed and went on to the next box only to find several other suspension letters.
I threw out some old motorbike magazines, a collection of ties from the 90's from a previous life, and got stuck in a second box for an hour re-reading old grade school report cards and trying to figure out which kid I was in the old class pictures. I do have a nice collection of vintage disc golf news and journals, old discs, and two boxes of trophy's from my "pro-open" years that would look better out of my basement than in.
Jeez. Only 20 more boxes to go. One of them has an old cast from when I broke my arm skateboarding our backyard ramp in the early 70's. Good, precious stuff like that.
You have motivated me to have another go, perhaps tomorrow, this time with my eyes closed.
I think you should be very proud of yourself for giving it a try… This is very cool
You can only do “Nostalgia Cleaning” when you’re in Fuck It mode. Only then do you not give a shit about most of those things. It’s a very specific mindset. And when it’s gone, you’re toast and mired in 4th grade report cards and cards you got when you graduated from high school.
I also have a housecleaning service come once a month! Such a great investment, and, as someone with ADHD who gets anxious when it comes to cleaning, a lifesaver!
Unfortunately, I have a tendency to let clutter pile up. It's ok now, since I have an almost four month old who can't crawl yet, but eventually, he's going to get into everything, and I need to prepare for when that happens. I also need to further prune my closet, but I finally got around to starting, and today, I donated four bags of clothes! Yay me for not just letting them sit in my trunk for six months!
Well done, ESPECIALLY with a 4 month old.
I hired a postpartum doula for ten hours a week, and she started at the beginning of July. She's been a godsend, and I've been able to run errands, go to doctor's appointments, nap, or just go to a coffee shop and spend time alone while she's there.
I am by nature tidy, which gives the appearance of clean. My #childhoodtrauma is that my mother (borderline OCD, and not exaggerating) made me clean on Saturdays and would come inspect and if she didn’t like it, make me do it again. To this day (101 days until my 50th birthday!) I haaaate to clean and especially the bathroom. If I get a wild hair and suddenly feel motivated, I have learned to lean into that when it happens, but it’s not often, so I have a cleaning lady that comes every other month or so. 🤷🏻♀️