Tidy home

[NatCraw24]

I was hoping other mums could give me some advice about keeping a tidy home while also suffering from depression and fatigue x

Get out every day to somewhere with some green and take a nice relaxing walk. Try and get out when there is sunshine.
Keep up with or make and keep up with friends, see them regularly.
Eat well, healthy food which nourishes you.
Consider a hobby, it doesn’t need to be expensive or time consuming (you can learn a language online in short bursts at no cost).
Let go of guilt, no one is perfect, they really aren’t.
Before you go to sleep at night, think of three things you did well that day, when you wake in the morning think of three things you are grateful for.
Oh and make use of little bits of time, while the kettle boils wipe the worktops. 2 minutes here and there adds up.
☺️

Sorry to hear you are not yourself

my tip is to batch cook and also to declutter (make a target of one carrier bag a day if you can)

if you batch cook then you don’t create mess every single day and also it frees up time to actually clean something else e.g fridge

Ask your GP for help with the depression and fatigue, keep asking if necessary.

Don't be hard on yourself, no one keeps on top of things when they're not well. I hope you feel better soon.

I want to thank everyone for all the advice and support, sorry for the late reply I've been taking on the suggestions etc and they've been working so well for me. They seem like simple things but when your depressed and struggling you don't think like that. These simple things like putting stuff away while the kettle is boiling, going for a walk, eating better etc can make such a difference. I'm what I like to call a 'lazy perfectionist' everything has to be perfect or I'm not good enough but I'm not mentally capable of making everything perfect because I get overwhelmed and stressed very easily, I'm I get depressed and feel a lot of mum guilt. I think now I've accepted that my home will never be perfectly clean or tidy especially when you have a 4 year old haha xxx

This is one of my favourite cleaners! I noticed when looking for this that there are many 'clean when depressed' videos on YouTube. You might find one that suits you.

My grandma used to shout 'Clear the decks!' before trying to declutter and clean her worktops (one at a time). I also found 'One tiny bit at a time' helpful. If you can't do a whole worktop, do a narrow strip of it - that will inspire you to do more.

OP I can't recommend the book "how to keep house whilst drowning" by KC Davis enough. It is not a housework manual or anything awful like that- it's kind, gentle, understanding and will help you. It's available as an audiobook which I think is better than reading given that you perhaps don't feel like picking up a book.

Sending an unmumsnetty hug.

@Onedaystronger I really wanted to say a big, heartfelt thank you for recommending that book. I bought it, started reading and cried. I’m going to buy it for my adult DD too.

@NatCraw24 depression and fatigue are horrible bedmates aren’t they, especially as a Mum of young ones where you have to somehow keep on. I find housekeeping easier when it involves making things smell nice - ranging from just managing to open windows in every room each day to air the house, to having scented liners in drawers makes me more likely to not mind putting my piles of washing away. Half a lemon to clean the microwave.
Also - kids love to help, give them a feather duster and let them loose, it’ll put a smile on both your faces.
Oh, and finally, I second reading How To Keep House While Drowning!

Op you’re doing so well, I’d like to send a virtual hug.

im not really an expert on fatigue or depression but I would say that the thing that has made the biggest difference with me is to declutter. My house is so much tidier (although not the minimalist sanctuary I would love) and it’s become easier to clean and do basic stuff like admin or even find things because everything has a home.

One thing I did a while ago was I carried a Bag of Crap around for about a month. I had a Tesco bag for life and I carried it around with me. Whenever something was in the wrong place I put it in the bag and as I moved around the house I would fill the bag and empty stuff into the right place when I was in that room. It has made a real difference to me.

sorry this post is getting really long, if you can teach your child about tidying and decluttering that would help too. I didn’t teach my children, but I am now that they’re teens. Dana K White (A Slob Cones clean) talks about 5 minute pickups where the family will stop for five minutes and tidy. You could build this into your routine or try to make it fun for your child. I think housework and organisation isn’t easy for most of us and we probably needed parents to teach us. My mum used to shout at me to tidy my room but I didn’t really know where to start so I’d ignore her!