Does anyone else get really stressed out/anxious about mess?

[Honeysucklelife]

I feel like it affects my mood more than it does for a lot of people. I genuinely feel really anxious and claustrophobic.

My house isn’t a show home by any means but I find my mood is really affected if things are messy. I can’t deal with dirty plates/crockery being left on the side for more than a few hours, clothes rubbled on the floor is my pet hate and we’ve had lots of deliveries lately in cardboard boxes (house DIY stuff) and the mess from that just stresses me out so much. We are getting work done on the house which means we’ve got furniture stored in weird places and ‘stuff’ in random rooms which means it all feels very messy. I just feel like I can’t relax!!

I do know if/when we have children it will be a whole lot worse with toys etc!

I just find the house being messy/untidy makes me so anxious and I can’t relax until things are sorted. Even worse when it’s inevitable for at least another few weeks!

Yes, this has been me until recently. Unable to go to bed until the house was spotless and even had a 3 toy rule for my lovely children.

I started Fluoxetine 6 months ago (not because of the insane tidiness ) and although I still like a tidy shop, I no longer get a raging fireball in my stomach when the Lego is tipped out or the dishwasher is full at tea time. I’ve even stopped crying when it rains!

These were small things that I hadn’t even realised was taking over my life, maybe look at the bigger picture and work out if it’s alongside other problems.

@Pippa12 interesting - so it could be a symptom/sign of other issues you mean?

Yes, but not that I cry or am mentally ill, I just don’t like mess so deal with it as and when,

Yes. Drives me mad. We’re also doing work so things are all over the place. Due to start an extension soon and I’m not sure I’ll cope! 2 yo as well and another one coming in November. It’s going to be a mad house.

Yes, but mine is definitely an issue from my childhood. My mum is a bit of a hoarder and we grew up in a messy house. I have gone completely the opposite way, probably in a pathetic attempt to prove to the universe I am not my mother.

Totally the same as fatted.

That said I started to take setraline for PTSD (not about a messy house!) And I really don't sweat the small stuff anymore. It's great. Life changing tbh.

It stresses me out, but I do try to declutter all the bloody time

My neighbour seems a lot lot worse than me, & I did wonder if she was trying to control this bit of her life, because something has happened before where she lost control.

Maybe the same goes for

My house is very messy though, thanks to DC & I, its not dirty, I steam the floors, hoover nearly every day, but I have gone a bit more carefree with the attitude, that it can wait.

Maybe the same goes for me

I’m not a massive fan of the house been messy but do also find that when I find it making me feel claustrophobic and anxious / annoyed it’s normally at times when something else is a problem in my life . The house been tidy is something I can control I guess and a calm Tidy environment seems more important at those times iyswim

Given I’m struggling a bit with this lockdown it probably wasn’t the best idea to start renovating the kitchen diner and spare room which are currently now All a half finished mess !! driving me mad !

Me too. Yanbu. I had a little meltdown today in the kitchen, seriously wanted to cry as there was a pile of dishes dumped here there and everywhere (one day s worth as we were all busy yesterday), bin needed emptied, recycling to do.
Final straw was a bunch of fruit flies as a peach had gone rotten (bought yesterday ).
I had to take it step by step, have a coffee and remind myself i use to clean a nightclub for a living so have seen it all.
I grew up in a chaotic messy house too except my bedroom which i kept pristine.

I wouldn't say it makes me anxious but I feel much better in myself if my house is tidy and organised. I'm very much a person who needs everything to have a place and I'd say after many years of building work, renovating and finishing the house everything does have it's place! Makes life so much easier - never spend ages looking for something! I actually took a week off work in Feb and spent the whole time clearing out and organising the entire house plus a bit of deep cleaning. It makes me happy!

Yes, I feel similar when mess starts to build up. It's a horrible feeling and I think it's connected to feeling out of control for me. It might be worse in lockdown as a lot of us are at home more.

I combat this by:
tidying/ cleaning little and often really helpful eg 10 mins 3x a day everyone tidies (or just me more often than not)

Or if it has got quite bad, do.the '5 x 5' - five minute tidy in five rooms. Set a timer, tidy as fast as you can in one room or zone when timer goes off, move on to next room. You can get quite a bit of tidying done in 5 mins when you try!