So so overwhelmed ☹️☹️

[SoEffingOverwhelmed]

Sorry posting for traffic. I need motivation and well god knows what else.

My mental health is rock bottom. I am a hoarder. I live in absolute squalor.

Today is the day I need to blast through the clutter. The junk. The piles of clothes. The piles of rubbish. The empty packaging and empty boxes. Empty cups. Some mouldy. I know how gross this is.

I am overwhelmed I’ve allowed it to get to this point. I can’t see my floors. Dust is everywhere. No wonder I’m constantly run down and have allergies.

It’s all m fault. Everything is filthy. I’m so ashamed and embarrassed.

It’s just me though. No kids. No pets. No partner. So im not putting anyone else through this hell. My friends don’t know. They’ve never seen it.

I’ve made a start. I’ve almost filled a roll of bin liners up to take to the tip. Cardboard boxes ready to be ripped up for the recycling box. I can now see a fraction of my wooden floor.

But by God. It’s hard. So hard. This is just a quick break to write this and have a drink. (Of tea) now I’ll be back to it and hopefully finish one room by this evening.

I don’t even know why I’ve posted here. But if you’re this far, thanks for reading.

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

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

Well done!!👏👏👏

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.

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

Well done, you are doing great 💕

🌺 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.

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.

I need some of your willpower....

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

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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!

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.

All power to you. You are obviously self-reflective and aware. Thinking of you, please keep us updated if you are able to.

Well done @SoEffingOverwhelmed keep going

Well done OP.. I think it would be a good idea if u did a before abd after picture for each room.

Sounds like you've had a productive day. I get that it will feel overwhelming and emotional at times so remember to look after yourself. Have a rest day in between rooms, concentrate on one cupboard a day rather than a full room if it gets too much, set a timer and only do as much as you can before it goes off.
It's amazing you've managed to push yourself this much and you're heading in a positive direction.
I'd be happy to help a friend in this situation although, that's not me pressing you to ask. I just don't think you should be embarrassed reaching out for help.

Hope you have a relaxing night in your clear bedroom.

You have done the hardest part by making a start!

Keep going and be patient with yourself, will be so worth it. You can do this!

Absolutely rooting for you op. Like others have said, one room or space at a time. And take photos. And set a task and reward yourself with a treat at the end of each one.
You can’t see us. But we are all here cheering you on.

Wow OP, I'm sure you know that hoarding as a MH issue is really, really difficult to overcome. And look what you've done in a day! Made a decision and just gone for it - that takes some strength and some courage. You've got this!

When I’ve got a mountain of stuff to tidy, instead of beating myself up thinking “I should tidy that, or this” etc, and then feeling guilty, instead I think “what tiny bit CAN I do?” Even if it’s just picking up one small thing, I congratulate myself on doing that small step. It gives you a more positive mindset, and helps you look forward to doing a tiny bit more.