How to Manage Anxiety When You Don’t Have A Clutter-Free Home
Inside: Do you deal with anxiety and is having a clutter-free home driving those feelings? Learn 5 tips on how to decrease anxiety!
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Today, I’m sharing over at Faith Along The Way, join me over there to find encouragement for Christian living.
Have you ever woken up and been in a good mood only to walk into the kitchen or living room and start to stress out?
Dishes in the sink, toys, blankets, and food all over in places that they shouldn’t be?
Seeing any of this would stress most out, but for those of us who struggle with anxiety, it can make our moos quickly escalate to “danger, she’s going to blow!”
It’s been said a clean house is equated to a clear head. Is this true for you?
I know for when my home is clean, I just feel better and can do some of the things I enjoy doing, rather than feeling like a slave to my chores.
Caring for A Home When You’re Anxious
Here’s the deal: when someone deals with heightened anxiety in life, you’re already weary, preoccupied, and at your wit’s end dealing with the normal parts of life, and a mess at home can make you feel like you’re drowning.
We feel overwhelmed and wonder how we will accomplish what we need to in the span of the day. (What I’ve noticed is my mind makes me think it will take longer than it usually does.) If I just set out to do it, it takes less time and stress about nothing, really.
During some of my most anxious seasons, it’s hard enough to get through the day without having to deal with my home. Even if a few things were out of order, it would launch me into the tirade that everything was falling apart.
A few socks and empty plates in the bedroom, and suddenly, I’m the worst mom and wife there was.
Anxiety can sure take us down!
For many of us, not only do we deal with anxiety, but some perfectionism might be thrown in there for good measure. So even if a friend was to come to our home and say how clean and neat it is, we can’t see past it because it isn’t perfect in our minds.
So we put even more stress and expectations on ourselves to have everything orderly and in the correct place.
We forget about the word grace and how to cover ourselves with it, especially during those most anxious times.
Anxiety and the Cluttered Home
I don’t know about you, but my house would be so much easier to keep organized and clean if I didn’t have so much stuff.
There’s a vicious cycle happening for many of us when it comes to our homes. Clutter triggers anxiety and anxiety triggers clutter.
Think about it. When we’re anxious we can’t focus, and we’re preoccupied with the off feelings and symptoms of anxiety that we can’t get it all done in our home, but then the clutter and misplaced objects lying around cause us more anxiety.
It’s a train that is hard to get off of. Once again, I remind us to apply grace to the situation. What is truly important? Once we let our anxiety run its course, we can again return to the clutter.
Where is Your Focus?
Being a Christian woman, where I put my focus really dictates how every day will turn out. It’s especially true during my anxious seasons.
If I allow myself to focus on my issues and problems, I become stuck, and I’m really not able to accomplish much during the day.
To read the rest follow me to Faith Along the Way!
This was a needed reminder to put the focus on Jesus and to give ourselves some grace. Great post.
Thank you, Gwen!
Great suggestions to overcome. Thanks
Thanks for the message. Clutter can really keep you from getting the key things done.
Thank you, Dave!
This is a good reminder about making Christ the top priority of every day. With Him, all else falls into place. It is also a reminder to plan ahead for days we know will be hectic.
Barb- yes, it is a good reminder to all of us!
I become anxious when my house is a mess. But, I try to calm myself, chat with the Lord and ask for His presence to make me relax.
Wow, you are describing my exact feelings today when I (feeling anxious) walked into my house, saw the clutter, and immediately began to feel even more anxious. Thank you for this!
I’m in that lovely season of life where hormones and anxiety have minds of their own! I love a neat house, and when clutter starts to build up or my husband doesn’t do things the way I think they should be done – I can feel myself getting irritated. I love the concept of grace, recognizing where I am, and focusing on what matters! Thanks for a helpful post.
Peggy- glad I’m not the only one in this season!
This was such a great post! Yes, I’m one of those women who gets stressed when the chaos and piles begin to overtake all my surfaces in my home.
I loved your suggestion of giving myself fewer expectations of what I”m going to accomplish on days when I have a lot of appointments. You share so much good advice here. Thanks!
You captured the feelings of anxiety so well – we become overly critical of ourselves, requiring more of ourselves than we would of others, expecting perfection, and inflating the small things. The pressure builds until we can’t cope. It’s such a vicious cycle! Great tips for getting off the merry-go-round of anxiety!
This. is. me. Totally captured what a disorganized, messy home does to someone who battles anxiety. How you describe your first reaction is how I react too. But I’m getting better! Thanks for calling attention to this!
Michelle- so glad you’re in agreement! Glad you’re getting better 🙂
Even as a Man I can relate to this Sister! Great Post.
When I was going through a particularly difficult season, I made it a practice to turn the lights out and watch a movie with my kids. The mess could wait until the weekend–until we could get to it. One thing at a time.
Wow, you were writing about me! This was a much needed reminder for the new year. Thanks for your post!
It is so important for us to remain focused on God instead of the things around us.