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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Shortelise on January 18, 2005, at 1:43:42
This may sound absolutely nutty, but for the past few weeks, since Christmas in fact, I have started re-organising my house. Specifically the rooms that are my rooms.
It's as though by finding a place for everything, and putting everything in its place, I am trying to do in my physical space what I want to do in my mental one.
I have moved furniture, taken everything out of bureaus, closets, etc. Thrown things away, washed things, everything in fact, and cleaned, and dusted.
I am by nature a very messy person. Not dirty, just untidy. I am even keeping my kitchen very clean - it's really much tidier than usual.
It's not obsessive, it's just all I really feel like doing. That and cooking. I don't want to go out in the horrible grey rain, I don't want to play, I don't want to see friends much, I just want to stay at home and tend my ... "vie interieur". (interior life)
Does this sound familiar to anyone? Any thoughts?
ShortE
Posted by saw on January 18, 2005, at 4:13:00
In reply to clean house, clean mind?, posted by Shortelise on January 18, 2005, at 1:43:42
I am a constant "cleaner". A place for everything and everything in its place. Depression robbed me of the ability to do this as I would have liked and I now have about 2 years worth of personal filing in a box!
I am convinced that the more uncluttered my home and cupboards are, the less cluttered my brain will feel.
I identify completely. What you are doing must be very therapeutic indeed.
Well done
Sabrina
Posted by Annierose on January 18, 2005, at 8:45:25
In reply to Re: clean house, clean mind? » Shortelise, posted by saw on January 18, 2005, at 4:13:00
I too identify with this! Not that my house is perfectly organized, but I long for that to happen. I am so much happier after I clean out a closet, or a room. I smile everytime I open or enter that "clean" space. When the house gets out of whack, I can feel the tension in my body elevate, it's palpable. And my brain doesn't settle until I can find the time to get it back in shape.
Posted by Tabitha on January 18, 2005, at 12:50:18
In reply to clean house, clean mind?, posted by Shortelise on January 18, 2005, at 1:43:42
Wonderful-- you're giving yourself an orderly space. To me it's a sign of internal change, like your inner belief has become "I deserve to live in a pleasant space." For myself I'm always happy at even incremental progress in that area.
Posted by Shortelise on January 18, 2005, at 13:22:50
In reply to Re: clean house, clean mind? » Shortelise, posted by saw on January 18, 2005, at 4:13:00
Sabrina, years ago a friend walked into my apartment and said "oh, my God, you are so depressed" and proceeded to clean. It was a mess.
When it comes to paper, it's awful. Someone's golden rule is to never touch the same piece of paper twice. Ha!
But when I do get around to clearing papers up, it is such a relief! It feels like a weight on me until I do.
I hope you can get to it soon.
ShortE
Posted by Shortelise on January 18, 2005, at 13:25:18
In reply to Re: clean house, clean mind?, posted by Annierose on January 18, 2005, at 8:45:25
Annierose, that's really interesting, that you can feel the tension mount from a messy house. I always think I feel that way because my husband hates it when the house is messy, but maybe I also feel bad because of it.
Hm.
I do love a tidy cupboard, a tidy room. I wonder why I don't keep them that way? Is it a question of time?
ShortE
Posted by Shortelise on January 18, 2005, at 13:30:29
In reply to Re: clean house, clean mind? » Shortelise, posted by Tabitha on January 18, 2005, at 12:50:18
Thanks, Tabitha, it does feel like an internal change.
I love how my space evolves, and I know that eventually - we've only been in this house a couple of years - it will be so cosy and comfortable.
But it is incremental, as you put it, in lots of places in the house.
What's interesting is how it does seem to match my mood, how I can work on one area and let the others go, and not feel overwhelmed. If I look at the whole, I just want to get back into bed. But if I just concentrate on one room, and one part of that room, at a time, I'm ok. That's very much the way I have to look at myself.
ShortE
Posted by Shortelise on January 18, 2005, at 13:37:20
In reply to clean house, clean mind?, posted by Shortelise on January 18, 2005, at 1:43:42
Posted by littleone on January 18, 2005, at 15:16:40
In reply to clean house, clean mind?, posted by Shortelise on January 18, 2005, at 1:43:42
I understand you completely. For me at least, the two are very intertwined.
I am a terrible horder and about a year ago, I had a very bad period of feeling complete nothingness. However, because I felt nothingness, I was able to go through my entire house and pile up everything that I did not need. This pile has literally filled a room.
I was going to take it in loads down to the markets, sell it off and buy something nice for myself with the money.
But my nothingness abated, my feelings returned kind of, and I was unable to get rid of it all. So for the past year, I've had this room full of junk. And for the past year, it feels like it's been cluttering up my head as well.
Now I don't even care about the money, I just want to get rid of it all. I'd be happy just taking it all to the dump, but I just can't seem to do it.
I know that I could just rope someone in to help me, but I can't even bare to do that knowing that it would be the first step in ditching it all.
Sorry, I've gotten way off track here.
I also meant to share that when I'm depressed I can't lift a finger in the house. I really do find that the state of my house affects the state of my mind. But it's all a viscious circle. I can't clean 'cause I'm depressed, I get more depressed over my dirty house, then I'm even more unable to clean.
I think my depression has started to lift since we've been playing cards and I can start to feel stirrings to clean a certain shelf or whatever. I would love to spiral upwards for a change.
Posted by Dinah on January 18, 2005, at 20:31:04
In reply to clean house, clean mind?, posted by Shortelise on January 18, 2005, at 1:43:42
The only thing that is uncluttered in my life is my work area. My OCD requires that I keep the area with my work as uncluttered as possible so as to minimize the chance for error.
But as my life spun out of control a few months ago, I found myself in (among other things) a de-cluttering frenzy. I threw things away, sold them on eBay, bought organizing boxes and bins and shelves. There is no longer any open space on any wall of my study and every empty space is full of organized materials.
Next is to move the library and create a space for storage.
I honestly think it was that so standard as to be stereotypical desire to have control over one area of my life when I had control over so few others.
This is the end of the thread.
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