So so overwhelmed ☹️☹️

You've done amazing! And hopefully as hard as it has been, it has motivated you to do more. And appreciate the clean area and space that has been brought from clearing out what you have so far.

Well done @SoEffingOverwhelmed !

Remember it’s taken a while to get this bad so don’t feel that you’ve failed you don’t get it all done immediately.

And a Maxim I’ve learned to live by when it comes to cleaning is ‘done is better than perfect’.

Enjoy your clean sheets!

A great start, well done.

Remember even removing one item, is a step closer!

I had to nearly empty my 3 storey house for a major renovation after 20 years of living there.

I had a large blackboard ( you could put up a large piece of paper/cardboard) on the wall and drew a large score chart.
We had so much stuff our list went like this

‘number of ‘rubbish’ bin liners
‘number of charity bags’
‘number of Vinted bags’

… and we scored as we went.

Adding to the number each day was such a motivator.

Over a couple of weeks, we disposed of something like 45 rubbish bags, 20 charity shop bags and 12 for Vinted.

You could break it down if you haven't as much stuff as me. ( number of items of clothing, number of books )
I took a photo of our blackboard as a reminder ( to let stuff go!) 😉

Good luck.

I'm almost in tears at all the lovely support for you, and I add my own to that. There's been times in my life when I was overwhelmed and in a bit of a mess, my daughter also. I love the way others have said not to be ashamed of the past, you're doing this for the future you! And it doesn't need to be perfect straight away, every bit of hard work will add up as you progress. Well done x

Well done op. Starting is the hardest part!

I have two rooms that have got seriously out of control and the decorators are coming in September so I need to get stuck in too!

Please don't feel guilty. You have poor MH ATM and that is an illness, just the same if you had broken bones and couldn't do housework.

Don't be tempted to do too much today! Decluttering is hard work. Consistency is key, so give yourself a good break tonight and set up an area that's not too daunting to start with tomorrow. Good luck!

Your amazing - baby step after baby step. Don't think beyond the next step. You can do it! 🌟

Well done. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You deserve to be happy and live in a clean and comfortable home. Take it one day at a time and focus on small tasks not the house as a whole.

celebrate your wins every day. Whether that’s chucking out a few bags of rubbish or getting together some stuff for the charity shop. One day at a time and you’ll get there.

Do it in small chunks. Headphones in, music on. Reward yourself after each chunk, but not "stuff" that will linger - a nice cake, a takeaway, some expensive chocs.

Good work! I need to take inspiration from you. Our house is not terrible but there are drawers and corners which have just built up and need to be de-junked. And my older one still has a lot of toddler crap and outgrown clothes clogging up his room - I know he'd appreciate his space a lot more if it was cleared out and re-organised but I have a to do list as long as my arm and find it hard to find the energy.

I need some of your willpower....

Great work 🙌 sat here looking at what I need to do 🤣 literally zero motivation...

This is an amazing thread. You should be so proud of yourself. Having the fortitude to start is wonderful. Your goal to sort your bedroom is perfect. One room at a time is definitely manageable as a goal! Keep going and make sure to bask in the glory at the end and take time to be proud of yourself.

🌺 you’re a 🌟. It’s very hard and overwhelming. We’re also trying to declutter here and there are 2 of us! It’s the might come in handy thinking we also struggle with. The charity shop knows my name as I hand in stuff weekly- the dump staff know my other half as he’s there regularly. I need to lower my expectations of what I think I should be able to achieve. I regularly remind myself how much we have cleared and ignore how much we still need to do.

Well done, you are doing great 💕

You doing it OP !!, well done , don't beat yourself up about how it got like this .. that's in the past ... just keep going and know we're all with you

Keep going
if you’re anonymous add photos here- that way we can suggest how to tackle it and what to do next. No shame, it’s not your fault.

Well done!!👏👏👏

This. Well done, you can do it
One room at a time.
There are loads of people like you, my son for example.
Good luck x

God well done, you should be so proud for making a start! The feeling of getting into a lovely fresh bed tonight will be amazing! Xx

Well done. I get overwhelmed with a lot less than what you’re contending with so I really admire that you’ve got stuck in. Just keep getting those bags filled and sent to the dump.

Well done, OP, fantastic.

Keep going xx

Well done OP. I also think maybe you should consider professional help - someone who understands that this is a mental health issue.

Also, if you were my friend, I would love to help you out with this. I love organizing/cleaning/sorting. This would be my ideal favour to do a friend.

Amazing 🙌

Go you - what a fabulous start you’ve made!

sometimes doing one room at a time can help. Bedroom done today sounds great .

Sounds like you've done absolutely amazing today!

I second what some of the other posters have said about taking progress so you can see how far you've come.

You can do this!

The progress you've made is absolutely amazing, op, and you really can change your life. Every little bit is progress, and every day is a new opportunity to forge ahead.

There are professional organisers who understand hoarding. They are not trained in mental health but they recognise hoarding as a mental health problem, not as laziness or any of the other names you may call yourself and they will work with you, without judgement, at your pace, to help you reclaim your space.

The shame and embarrassment narrative in your head will sabotage your efforts. Focus on what you have accomplished rather than what you still have left to do. For whatever reasons you are where you are now and you are making a start, be proud of yourself, it's not easy to do that when the task seems overwhelming.

If you can't get additional help then set yourself small, doable targets for each day. It doesn't matter if it's a whole room or a single drawer, progress is progress. Maybe you decide to declutter before you clean and target specific items each day, things for rubbish one day, clothes the next, out of date food cupboard items after that.

However you do it be kind to yourself.