Does your head feel a mess when your house is?

[ToffeeOwnsTheSausage]

I previously have had depression and an element of it will always be there. Currently I am finding it hard that there is so much stuff in the house and it all seems to cluttered and messy. We seem to need everything and I just wish we had less stuff. I was ill last week - hospital twice - and we are on half term now and I am just feeling stressed with it all.

How do you all manage your houses so that your head isn't affected by your environment?

I feel exhausted and have turned into a nag as the kids are mostly PITA are helping (though the younger two help more, the older one is all rolling eyes and disrespect) and I just feel like I am bottom of the pile.

I am not sure I have made any sense .

I know exactly what you mean. Too much mess makes me feel cluttered in my head and increases my depression. It also serves to remind me of the total futility of housework which is never ending and seemingly unappreciated, also not a positive feeling. Get other people todo as much as possible and de clutter, it helps!

Yes, I know exactly what you mean! I feel so much better when the house is in hand .

It's on the cusp at the moment .

Yes, the state of my house MASSIVELY affects my state of mind. Luckily, I live alone so it never gets too terrible, but it's such a relief when I blitz it

Just did cleanser and debearded myself .

Now cleaning my bathroom.

What annoys me is a lot of stuff is DH's or DIY stuff. Just found a load of ronseal bought to varnish all the doors 6 months or more ago. Money wasted if it won't get done and if I ask him to do it he will moan. I know he is either working or being dad but I don't get much free time either. Took me 5 minutes to paint the necessary bits in the kitchen yet no one else seems to think that a few minutes boring work = a nicer place. I want dh to sand in ds2's room so I can paint it this week. He will leave it to the last minute, not prepare so everything covered in dust then not clean up.

I know what you mean.

I get rid of a lot of stuff. If something hasn't been used for two years, we don't need it.

I sell stuff on Gumtree or give it to charity.

All drawers are divided and everything has a place.

DH has helped so now the bathroom and our bedroom is clean, tidy and devoid of a lot of the stuff that didn't need to ne there. Binned a load of hangers, put stuff in the roof, thrown out a dead plant and given 2 cuddly toys to DS1 and 2 to have in their rooms.

We just have so much stuff. All the parenting books on the shelves and I would love to write an actual reality book!

Your house will fill with stuff. You'll never have time for paper work. Your book mountain will never get read, etc etc.

I feel so much better as the rooms feel clean now and I have cleaned the windows and mirrors too and that always helps. Still to clean the window sill where ToffeeBoyCat has left mucky pawprints though.

Yes. We're in house moving limbo so I don't think it will improve until we move. Drives me up the wall.

I'm a naturally organised person so I struggle living in the chaos that the dc's make.

precious no matter how much I clear out, we still seem to be swamped with crap , I think a fresh start will do us good. This house was tidy when the dc's were small and they had naps.

Yes which is very hard with my very messy 5 year old and the worst thing about parenting IMO.

Absolutely! And it's a vicious circle because the more mess there is, the more stressed I am and the less able I am to do anything about it. When we had building work done it was the constant mess that finally got me so unwell that I started on ads. I'm glad I did though, as it happens.