Hi,
I remember when I still lived at home… And it was time for Spring Cleaning. I would do everything I could to NOT be at home! Because being at home meant I would have to help my mom with all kinds of extra cleaning. Closets… The garage… The basement… The rooms…
Under everywhere… In everything… Places I never knew existed! And we’d find things I thought were long gone, too! It was amazing, the things Mom would discover during Spring Cleaning. I think everybody Spring Cleans. I think it’s a universal thing, if you ask me. But I don’t think it’s limited to Spring. I think many people do it during the Fall as well. It doesn’t really matter when you do it. The point is… If you let things build up… You eventually have to clean them up, however you do it. And whenever you choose to do it.
There are people who are called hoarders. There’s even a show on TV about them now. Have you seen it? It’s really kind of sad. It can be a type of mental illness, if it gets real bad. These people don’t just clutter… They just can’t throw anything away. So they keep EVERYTHING!
And this stuff just keeps building… And building… And building… Until eventually it just overwhelms the room they have it in… And actually even overwhelms the person themselves! That’s when it gets really bad. See, you can actually have too much STUFF. And it can lead to anxiety. There are other issues that can accompany bipolar disorder, and anxiety is one of them.
Michele, who I’ve talked about before, who has bipolar disorder, went through something like this at one point. She had a dining room table which was where she just started accumulating things – like the mail, different pieces of paper, newspapers, magazines, etc. – things she meant to get to, to clean up, but never seemed to get to. Eventually, her piles took up the entire dining room table. Every time she would tell herself she was going to clean up the mess, she would look over at the table and become so overwhelmed, she would have an anxiety attack! Well, something had to be done about it. So she talked to her therapist about it, and her therapist told her not to try to tackle it all at once, because that was what was overwhelming her. She told her to take just one corner, just one pile, and start on that. Michele did that, and it worked! And one corner, one pile at a time, she eventually cleaned off that whole dining room table. And she never had that problem again.
Well, I have to go!
Your Friend,
Dave
Post responses below
I get overwhelmed on a regular basis. Some might call it hoarding while others might refer to it as procrastination. When I am not functioning well, the mail piles up on the table. The only mail that gets opened is anything that looks like a bill or cheque. I have now set my bills up online to be paid automatically or for me to have an email reminder that they are due.
My house needs a serious decluttering which requires energy and I don’t exactly bounce out of bed.
Right now, my goals are simple. Eat three healthy meals a day with 2 snacks, start to exercise ( walk & stretch ) and most importantly, get on a good sleep schedule. I have had bipolar disorder for 25 years and I am still working on the basics. However, slow and steady wins the race. For the first time ever, my meds seem to be okay. I am not suicidal ( I had chronic suicidally for a long time which sucks!). My rapid cycling is gone for the moment. I am not anxious. I have no desire to play with my meds. So all in all, I feel I have made some progress recently and want to keep on working on me while the going is good. I might even get some of my decluttering started. One never knows. I just take it as it comes – in the moment.
Oh my I just finished reading your email about spring cleaning in the fall and bipolar issues this way too much like myself..I find it very hard to deal with it on a daily basis and it doesn’t help when the only time I have anyone to talk to about it is when I see my psychiatrist so that’s not very often..Any suggestions would be greatful..
I am a supporter with a teenage daughter with BP and my family and I recently moved and I find putting things away overwhelming at times. I find it hard to get motivated and often end up starting something and then walking away from it, never to return. I can relate to the whole overwhelming, anxiety, want to get it done but can’t sort of cycle.
I suffer with bi polar disorder and have always had that
problem. I always let things pile up. I sit and stres over
piles of laundry, mail,dishes Everything! I have always
tried to explain to loved ones I’m not lazy, I stay stressed!
Anxiety controls my life 98% of the time.
YES!! MY NEIGHBOR AND I ARE DUSTING IT OFF;