mess in my room (or: help I'm stuck :)

[4mika]

I must admit I've never been a very tidy person. But now my room is a total mess - eg piles of papers, magazines, clothes on my desk, on the floor...Everywhere!
I'm terrified, but have no will and energy to clean it up. It seems like my pre-paxil laziness magnified x100 I wish I'd experienced this mania type of cleaning

How can I motivate myself? Any ideas?

[rdjanis]

Ask a friend or family member to help you out lol

[scotty]

Commit to straightening for 5 minutes a day. Over time it will all get done and not be so overwhelming!!

[Kristin]

I focus on one thing ie: the bed stand. Each time I see it I move something to where it belongs. I pat myself on the back each time! Over a day or two that area will be clear. (If my husband or kids knew I was offering cleaning advise they would be on the floor laughing!!!!) For me I usually spend more time worrying or talking about it than it would to fix it....Good luck

[Meesa]

Just give yourself time.... patience is a virtue and your energy will come back. I'm probably beating this point to death, but I truly believe that water & exercise is what keeps me energized.

[altostrata]

My little apartment is a total mess due to over a year of non-thorough cleaning and remnants of Paxil-induced hoarding.

It drives me nuts, but I don't have the energy or ambition to straighten it up. I can spend about 30 minutes on a cleaning project and then I get exhausted.

So I'm prioritizing. The dishes get done first. Then if I have the energy I clean something else up. Still, the only places that are consistently sort of neat in my place are the food preparation areas, the bathroom, and my bed.

[silence4now]

I remember having months of the Post paxil foggy brain living. My office looked like a computer graveyard. S There was a phrase I kept repeating to myself: Only do one thing at a time...and finish one thing before moving onto another. One little mole hill at a time, until finally a mountain was gone!

[Kitsyl]

Originally Posted by 4mika

I must admit I've never been a very tidy person. But now my room is a total mess - eg piles of papers, magazines, clothes on my desk, on the floor...Everywhere!
I'm terrified, but have no will and energy to clean it up. It seems like my pre-paxil laziness magnified x100 I wish I'd experienced this mania type of cleaning

How can I motivate myself? Any ideas?

My eyes just about popped out when I read this!! I can't describe the mess in my room, either. I used to be the sort of person who lined up all their clothes in the wardrobe/drawers/cupboards and dusted daily. These days I can't even line up the unopened mail and other papers on my floor:-(

[feelin'_wiggy]

Yes, yes, yes to every post. Or should I say "ditto". I, too, became lackadaisical about housework while on Paxil (and all the other meds that followed). In the past few months, I;ve noticed things like cobwebs or built up dust on baseboards, the kind of stuff that I never let build up before. On my good days now, like when I sleep the night before, I've been cleaning like crazy. But...like others said, you have to attack it in small pieces. Otherwise, it's overwhelming, and you end up fretting about it, but doing nothing.

Are you familiar with the Queen of Clean. Can't remember her name right now. I have one of her books. How about the flylady? (flylady.com) She'll even send you an e-mail everyday with tips to get you motivated. They both recommend that you break your big tasks into smaller ones. Don't spend more than 20-30 minutes doing one chore. The trick is to do a little each day so that it doesn't pile up.

[izzy88]

Lol, me too! Whole house is a tip & I'm sat here on my computer instead of cleaning up. I'm gonna try the links, thanks Deborah

[altostrata]

Originally Posted by feelin'_wiggy

How about the flylady? (flylady.com) She'll even send you an e-mail everyday with tips to get you motivated.

It was the flylady that helped my clutterbug friend to change her ways. I remember my friend telling me about the flylady's "27 pick-up": you get a garbage bag, you go around your house and put 27 items in it, and then you THROW THE BAG AWAY. I was amazed.

[velveteengreen]

I also became super messy and scatterbrained in withdrawal. What helped me was to sit in the middle of my room for five minutes, and to look around and make a note of what needed to be cleaned/picked up. It got me focused enough to clean and gave me sort of a "road map" to follow since I have a huge tendency to get distracted.

[jenS]

I have to laugh. I just put my Christmas decorations away today. As my loving husband stares at the huge Christmas pile on our dining room table he points to it and says, "Now there's Paxil right there." So true. I couldn't put ANYTHING away while taking paxil. I am much more motivated now. Heck I even sewed myself a skirt this evening and hung it in my closet. Now THAT is post-paxil.

If you can afford it, pay somebody to clean up a little. I am not talking a maid service. I actually hired a high school student to fold laundry. It took the stress level down a lot.

[altostrata]

Originally Posted by velveteengreen

I also became super messy and scatterbrained in withdrawal. What helped me was to sit in the middle of my room for five minutes, and to look around and make a note of what needed to be cleaned/picked up. It got me focused enough to clean and gave me sort of a "road map" to follow since I have a huge tendency to get distracted.

Yes, that's the problem, attention span of a flea.