Need a boost in self-confidence?
I remember hearing Canadian psychologist Dr. Jordan Petersen talk about how he assists clients: He asks them to clean their rooms. As a psychology major and viewer of shows on hoarding, I was confident that our room reflects our state of mind. His advice made sense.
My room was undoubtedly a mess. Clothes were piled three feet high on the floor; dust flew around my dresser like dirt surrounding PigPen in the Peanuts.
My trash had difficulty finding its way to the trash can. Oh, wait, I was missing a trash can in my bedroom.
I liked Dr. Petersen's approach of taking baby steps to clean your room. He talks about first looking at it and only thinking about where to begin. That was a baby step.
Part of what was making me feel overwhelmed was the amount of clothes I had. My closet and dresser were full. Where would I put the clothes that were on the floor?
I tacked the piles a few times, but not with great speed. I needed more motivation. I found a video on YouTube that resonated with me. The speaker (who I cannot find now) talked about self-talk during cleaning.
I started saying, "I like to clean, and I am good at it," as she suggested. After cleaning, she said, "Wow, that looks good, and it wasn't so hard."
By implementing self-talk, I finished my room and cleaned my office.
"I'll do it later" is a famous saying I say to myself at least ten times a day. Part of my growth in cleanliness was to do it now! I have been working to clean up as I go for the past month. Whether it is moving my dishes to the kitchen (and cleaning them) or putting things in the trash (I put one in each room), I am cleaning up as I go.
I check a few times a week, so I do not get lazy (which I do at times). Cleaning as you go helps prevent things from getting out of hand and becoming overwhelming.
I feel more at ease when I keep my house clean. I am better at picking up after myself. Now, keep in mind that I have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which makes things challenging.
I cleaned as I went into the kitchen and made meals. I also look for solutions to aid my messiness. As I mentioned, I have a trash can in every room. I put five clean trash bags at the bottom to make changing bags easier.
I placed a trash can in my car to ensure the trash was in its place.
If you feel overwhelmed at cleaning your home, I encourage you to start small.
