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Easy self-care and organisation thread

129 replies

ibuiltahomeforyou · 15/03/2019 21:48

I'm struggling with depression and low energy at the moment, and I thought it would be helpful to share some of the things I have been trying in case they help anyone else.

  • showering and grooming
I set the alarm on my phone for eight minutes when I'm feeling low, and in that time I have challenge myself to dash into the shower, dry, dress, comb my hair and put on some lipstick. Eight minutes means I can just put the radio on full blast and it's over quickly
  • breakfast
I bought some protein shake and just make myself one in the mornings for when I'm too tired to eat. It then stops me snacking on biscuits later 😳😳😳
  • lunch
I boil some eggs at the start of the week, buy a bag of salad and some dressing, then those are my lunches for a few days at a time with little effort
  • at work
I break my day into 45 minute long chunks, and do my best then have a 10-15 minute break so I don't get overwhelmed
  • dinners
I keep things like frozen bags of paella in the freezer so dinner can be done in 10 minutes

I'd love any of your tips!

OP posts:
FriendOrFaux · 19/03/2019 07:01

Following with interest.
Some really good ideas here.

Butterymuffin · 19/03/2019 07:20

Good ideas. I set timers on my phone a lot. Most often it's for 15 minutes doing something but I also do 10 or 5 - still better than nothing.

Snog · 19/03/2019 18:27

When I am struggling I like to set one main priority for the day the night before.
I view anything else achieved as a bonus.
The one priority can be quite basic!

Catscratchclub · 19/03/2019 18:33

I love this, thank you so much. I’m another advert break do-er. It feels manageable because it’s so short and I can sit back down under my blanket again soon. I like writing lists with easy to achieve things on as well as harder stuff - seeing the ticks line up motivates me.

Thanks op Flowers

Catscratchclub · 19/03/2019 18:35

Another one.... this is for days when I’m not in the best place mentally, and it sounds RIDICULOUS, but what the hell.....

I pretend to be other people while I’m doing things. So if I need to cook a meal, I pretend I’m on tv making a programme about it. If I’m playing with Ds and I’m not really enjoying it, I pretend I’m on nanny jo off the tv. When I’m tidying up, I pretend I’m that Mrs Hinch lady and I narrate myself. When I need to do some grooming, I pretend I’m my friend who looks incredible......

Distancing myself from the tasks makes them easier to achieve and a bit more interesting (or I’ve lost the plot entirely, it’s probablt 50/50 as to which one!)

picklemepopcorn · 19/03/2019 18:42

Lovely thread, OP. I'll come back later after a little think.

rivierliedje · 19/03/2019 18:57

These tips are all really helpful.
I also will often set a timer for a few minutes (depending on how I feel) and just start.
Similarly, if I don't want to go for a walk (walking really really helps my mental health), I'll say I only have to go around the block. Usually by the time I get round, I want to keep walking and if I don't I can stop.

Does anyone have any tips about limiting screen time for yourself? I'm finding it very difficult at the moment.

lilyblue5 · 19/03/2019 21:55

I LOVE this thread.
Music gets me moving. I give myself one song per room and tidy like a maniac during that song. If I have anytime leftover at the end of a quick room (hallway for example) I go back to harder room for the remaining time. It really helps me to get moving even when I just can’t face it.
I do this everyday as then it never feels like something overwhelming.
Frozen bags prepped veg in the freezer and microwave rice. Even on really CBA to cook days there is easy healthy food.
A bottle of lovely hand cream by the skin so that I always remember my hands.
Clean sink and toilet whilst the kids are in the bath.
Set a timer on my phone and turn cleaning up the kids toys into a timed game (they love this!)
I may think of some more...

GreyBird84 · 19/03/2019 22:32

Slow cooker - chicken frozen veg curry powder - 10 dinners in freezer

Deep breathing. I didn’t realise that it should come from your stomach. I count in for 10, hold for 8 & out for 10.

I can’t sfford doterra oils so I bought tissermand from boots - ones for calm & ones for sleep &I think they do help.

woodcutbirds · 19/03/2019 23:24

Great idea for a thread. When I'm depressed I do things for 5 minutes.
Flylady's 5-minute room rescue is genius. You set a timer and do as much as you can to make a room look good in 5 minutes.

Living room: Chuck out rubbish (DH's old newspapers; DC's snack wrappers), put away bags, clothes, shoes that DC have strewn around, plump cushions, fold throws, give surfaces a quick wipe.

Kitchen: put away all food stuff left lying around. Fill dishwasher. Bleach sink, wipe surfaces.

Bathroom: polish taps, mirros and basin, bleach loo, chuck out empty shampoo bottles, dirty laundry in hamper, put out fresh towels and bath mat.

It really lifts the mood to see how much better a room can look in 5 mins.

Self care: same as you - quick shower, brush teeth and hair, moisturise face, put on mascara, lipstick and a bit of concealer - 10-15 mins max. It makes me feel so much better to look in the mirror.

At night a couple of times a week, I try to have a luxurious bath. I have dry skin so add scented Epsom salts or Fenjal oil to soften skin, wash and moisturise hair, put on a face mask, read a book and drink a huge mug of fruit tea.

Supplements: at this time of year a Vitamin D spray helps improve energy, so does Floradix herbal tonic. Also sometimes use L-Tyrosine, Vit B complex, Vit C effervescent, and always use First Defence at first sign of sniffles as it really keeps most bad colds at bay.

I also keep dry shampoo and a really fresh smelling deodrant spray for days when I don't have energy for a shower.

ladybird69 · 19/03/2019 23:29

Wow just the thread that I need. Some great tips on here. Mine is while waiting for kettle to boil, wipe worktop with antibacterial kitchen wipe , good start to the day.

Lisette1940 · 19/03/2019 23:33

Brilliant thread

PoliticalBiscuit · 19/03/2019 23:50

I'm a lazy perfectionist, so the phrase "Done, is better than perfect" speaks to me.

I try and dwell on it and act on it. When I look back at impulsive steps, and how they didn't melt away because they weren't done properly - I realise that each step forward is true progress. There's no good or bad actions, just movement.

Moving forward, stepping backwards. Each is ok. But some days I try and step towards, not perfectly, with the next 10 steps lined up - but one step at a time. And sometimes I can leap forward too.

Eg - I can organise a shelf in the bathroom. Old me thinks I need - 1. space to put the items I am clearing out so I can sort them properly. 2. Cleaning products to clean while cupboard whilst its empty (because of course you need to declutter a whole cupboard at a time. Once you do it it makes sense to just tackle it all at once). 3. Organisational boxes for perfect storage. 4. New products to replace ones that are old, shabby, not right. So I can have a clean satisfying set of spare toothpastes not 3 old half squashed tubes of flavours I don't like.

New me doesn't do things properly. It just does a bit, and is learning to feel satisfaction in the small things.

notsurewhatshappening · 20/03/2019 00:43

Great chicken curry idea!

Zoflorabore · 20/03/2019 02:32

Hi all, I'm following the "unfuck your habitat" method which I love as it acknowledges ( and has its own section ) for people with MH issues and/or physical
limitations, pain etc.
I have several conditions including fibromyalgia and OCD which can be horrific when my body needs to rest and my mind is telling me to clean.

The method is to to 20 minutes of activity ( cleaning/tidying/de-cluttering etc ) and then rest for 10 minutes. Tasks are then broken down into 20/10's which are much more managable than saying that you need to clean the whole house in X amount of hours.
It celebrates every little achievement too which is good.

My tip is to prepare for tomorrow tonight.
Lay out your outfit, right down to underwear and even jewellery/accessories.
Have your bag ready and organised with what you need.
Lay out breakfast things.
Throw a bleach tablet or cleaner down the toilet overnight.
Have kids stuff ready for school, right down to hair bobbles/socks etc.
Make lunches ( am still working on this )
Have a to do list.

Mornings stress me out even though I'm up at silly o'clock with insomnia so having a bit of control really helps.

lostvoice · 20/03/2019 04:13

Timing things works so well, I occasionally work from home and even split that up

I've set my Alexa up so when I say "Alexa we've got this" she plays trolls get back up again nice and loud for a quick burst of motivation

scatteredglitter · 20/03/2019 05:05

Love these ideas- timer idea makes so much sense.
I always make the kids lunches when I m prepping dinner / supper so they are ready to go the next morning.

Another thing I have discovered is to ask my kids to help! For so long they were too little for little chores. Then from chatting with other parents realised that I was doing it alll and they need to pull weight. So they can help now with sorting the laundry, setting the table, tidying the rooms etc. Albeit with a bit of encouragement and often needing me to help/ finish it off .... however having someone to help do the chores really lightens the load.

woodcutbirds · 20/03/2019 07:36

Scattered I agree about DC helping. Mine are in their teens and when I'm shattered it suddenly occurs ot me to ask one to hoover the living room and the other the stairs. They always do with no fuss, and it's such a good feeling to see the house starting to look good again without me being so exhausted I have to lie down for a day afterwards. Bloody MH issues are so physical! The exhaustion is one of the worse parts, long term.

glitterbiscuits · 20/03/2019 11:27

@lostvoice - can you explain how you did this please?
I love my Alexa! I can get mine to do a fanfare, which is funny when the children come in!

PoliticalBiscuit · 20/03/2019 12:39

Yes more Alexa self care tips please! We have Ocado set up on ours.

ShineBrightly · 20/03/2019 17:48

Lovely thread OP, making my Mumsnet debut here!

Catscratchclub - I do this!!! I love it. Just the act of narrating the action I'm doing, it's like an acknowledgement, a pat on the back for myself, like 'look how good I'm doing at this adulting lark!!' I'm never anyone else though, just me on my own YT channel Grin

I feel like being your own cheerleader is a lifelong occupation - even if it's 'just' cleaning the loo/taking your make up off/ paying that overdue bill Confused

sweeter · 20/03/2019 17:58

Interesting so I am placemarking thanks

Fromage · 20/03/2019 18:00

I mean this in the best possible way: I am heartened to know there are other mentally exhausted, trick/motivate-yourself-in-ingenious-ways-to-get-shit-done procrastinators out there. Grin

I think I need Alexa in my life. Can you make rules she has to follow, like if you say "Alexa, when I say 'shite alive who's crap is this all over the floor' please play my motivating music mix' and then you have to put in whatever your motivating music mix is. And then she just plays it.

Can you say "Alexa, pay me compliments (while I clean the sink)" and "Alexa, tell me I'm looking lovely and my hair is shiny and I'm a damn fine woman" and she will? Or is she programmed not to lie? (in my case, anyway)

PandaBlue · 20/03/2019 19:22

Shame we can't say 'Alexa do the cleaning' Grin

woodcutbirds · 20/03/2019 22:01

Twice today I've discovered Alexa is actually worth having. A friend is learning Spanish from her and now she's Mrs Motivation. Do the cheap mini versions do all this too, or do they just watch you swipe a wet wipe over the crumbs and say Aw, whatevs, hun?

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