Discussion i have a question

[ilovemybed]

how long does it take for you guys to clean up your mess? and by mess, i mean literal mess. like my-room-is-messy type of mess. and messy like, i-havent-done-my-laundry-in-three-months. its gross i know but that time i was really struggling. and now im still picking up on things. ive got work to keep me busy. i got home really late and tired to the point i cant bother to clean up the mess ive made when im in my depressive episode. but i really do want to clean it up. i just want to know is there an average time frame when people actually is done with cleaning up the mess theyve made when they were depressed. my mums been bugging me about this. like how am i supposed to tell her the mess ive made all these years throughout covid and everything, she cant just expect it all to be squeaky clean within four months since i got the job??? my mental health isnt cured overnight. she thought ive moved on past that but hah only god knows i still think about it everyday

 

[Kempel556]

It depends on how big your room is

 

[UsagiDrop]

I don't think there is an average time frame. I've been in a depressive episode for a very long time, and the last time I brought myself to clean was in April. Things are really gross, and I'm only slowly coming around to cleaning it up. Very slowly, and also I'm not doing it completely alone although I do have to do most of it.

You're right, your mental health doesn't just improve overnight and it's especially not something that we can just move past even when it seems like things have improved in our lives. It's completely understandable why you haven't been able to clean so please don't be too hard on yourself, your mom just doesn't understand what it's like for you because she only knows what she would do, or what should be done. Cleaning is hard for me to do even when I want to do it, too. It's okay to take it step by step. Like, you can just pick up a few things every day. Or clear out some space somewhere and then call it a day. It doesn't have to all be done at once.

 

[Akanea]

how long does it take for you guys to clean up your mess? and by mess, i mean literal mess. like my-room-is-messy type of mess. and messy like, i-havent-done-my-laundry-in-three-months. its gross i know but that time i was really struggling. and now im still picking up on things. ive got work to keep me busy. i got home really late and tired to the point i cant bother to clean up the mess ive made when im in my depressive episode. but i really do want to clean it up. i just want to know is there an average time frame when people actually is done with cleaning up the mess theyve made when they were depressed. my mums been bugging me about this. like how am i supposed to tell her the mess ive made all these years throughout covid and everything, she cant just expect it all to be squeaky clean within four months since i got the job??? my mental health isnt cured overnight. she thought ive moved on past that but hah only god knows i still think about it everyday

My house is in a absolute mess too, I'm in the process of cleaning, some people will say 'just go and don't stop until it's clean' but I can't do it I lose my motivation. i managed to clean my kitchen and half of my living room by taking ONE trash bag and filling it up and doing one area at the time. Like today i'll clean the couch, that's it. It's a lot more manageable than seeing the whole room and the mess to clean up, focus on one area at the time.
If it's your bedroom, do the nightstand today, take a trashbag, empty all of the trash from it and scrub it clean. That's it, now don't put dirty stuff on back, this area is done. Next do under your bed or the left side or whatever other area in your room.

 

[hill.berri]

Hey! I've struggled as well with cleaning when hitting a mentally low place, and it is really difficult for me to find consistence and motivation, but I sometimes get energy spurts, and this is when I clean. After reading your post, I's like to give some tips that have helped me!

Even if you constantly work, I hope you take days off, and if not, maybe consider it, because days like cleaning up stuff could be considered therapy and will help you (it did for me). To start, I always put music to motivate me and then start by certain sections of my room and focus on it. For example, first doing my laundry or cleaning all the stuff thrown in the floor. The point is, go with one section at a time so that you don't feel overwhelmed until you finish.

Now, this doesn't mean that you need to finish it all in a day or in a few, constant hours; if you feel tired or overwhelmed, take a break and continue after if you can or postpone it for a little bit (if you think you'll lose your motivation I recommend finishing it all in one day with various rests). This way you'll get to your goal! If you have any questions, need help or need someone to talk to don't be afraid to ask.

 

[deathviahanging]

i'd say it varies from 3 hours to 5 hours but it mostly depends on your living situation and yeah dont worry too much!! it's very common to hit a mental space so low you're drained of all of your energy sometimes just thinking becomes too much. your mother should definitely be more patient with you, the fact that you're feeling better is already great progress and great job! keep it up maybe try dedicating a small amount of time to cleaning a tiny portion of the mess could help loads.

 

[Embalmer]

For me it personally takes a couple of days to clean up my messes, I have ADD and can usually only clean one section of a room a day if I'm currently working and in school. So then other places get dirtier and it's just a constant cycle. Just take your time and maybe try finding what works best to keep you motivated, I like to listen to true crime documentaries while I clean and sometimes it helps me get more done super fast.
For me it personally takes a couple of days to clean up my messes, I have ADD and can usually only clean one section of a room a day if I'm currently working and in school. So then other places get dirtier and it's just a constant cycle. Just take your time and maybe try finding what works best to keep you motivated, I like to listen to true crime documentaries while I clean and sometimes it helps me get more done super fast.

 

[consider]

Three years but I also made that mess in three years. I even had no energy to take a shower during that time. Sometimes, it would be slightly less messy if I tried to clean up, but it would quickly become extremely messy again. So, I changed my strategy to maintain the current level of mess and not made it worse, and cleaned it up little by little. It took me three years to achieve the goal, but it worked.

I'm sorry for what your mother said. I have cptsd and my family never understood why I am so fucked up. I stoped explain myself to them, it was easier for both us.

 

[nozomu]

If you have money, you might be able to do what I did when I had more, I hired someone to clean up for me. I also had a clutter room for over a year that I'm just now clearing out after a year (there was no trash there, just a lot of things I didn't want to sort through). It's a difficult process. Getting rid of things that cause clutter can be a big help for *keeping* it tidy

 

[AshClouds]

how long does it take for you guys to clean up your mess? and by mess, i mean literal mess. like my-room-is-messy type of mess. and messy like, i-havent-done-my-laundry-in-three-months. its gross i know but that time i was really struggling. and now im still picking up on things. ive got work to keep me busy. i got home really late and tired to the point i cant bother to clean up the mess ive made when im in my depressive episode. but i really do want to clean it up. i just want to know is there an average time frame when people actually is done with cleaning up the mess theyve made when they were depressed. my mums been bugging me about this. like how am i supposed to tell her the mess ive made all these years throughout covid and everything, she cant just expect it all to be squeaky clean within four months since i got the job??? my mental health isnt cured overnight. she thought ive moved on past that but hah only god knows i still think about it everyday

You have to strategize. My bedroom gets like that sometimes. I usually start with all the clothes, then move on to the other clutter. If you have food waste, however, that should go immediately without delay (which is why I never bring food into the bedroom).

 

[ilovemybed]

It depends on how big your room is

I don't think there is an average time frame. I've been in a depressive episode for a very long time, and the last time I brought myself to clean was in April. Things are really gross, and I'm only slowly coming around to cleaning it up. Very slowly, and also I'm not doing it completely alone although I do have to do most of it.

You're right, your mental health doesn't just improve overnight and it's especially not something that we can just move past even when it seems like things have improved in our lives. It's completely understandable why you haven't been able to clean so please don't be too hard on yourself, your mom just doesn't understand what it's like for you because she only knows what she would do, or what should be done. Cleaning is hard for me to do even when I want to do it, too. It's okay to take it step by step. Like, you can just pick up a few things every day. Or clear out some space somewhere and then call it a day. It doesn't have to all be done at once.

My house is in a absolute mess too, I'm in the process of cleaning, some people will say 'just go and don't stop until it's clean' but I can't do it I lose my motivation. i managed to clean my kitchen and half of my living room by taking ONE trash bag and filling it up and doing one area at the time. Like today i'll clean the couch, that's it. It's a lot more manageable than seeing the whole room and the mess to clean up, focus on one area at the time.
If it's your bedroom, do the nightstand today, take a trashbag, empty all of the trash from it and scrub it clean. That's it, now don't put dirty stuff on back, this area is done. Next do under your bed or the left side or whatever other area in your room.

Hey! I've struggled as well with cleaning when hitting a mentally low place, and it is really difficult for me to find consistence and motivation, but I sometimes get energy spurts, and this is when I clean. After reading your post, I's like to give some tips that have helped me!

Even if you constantly work, I hope you take days off, and if not, maybe consider it, because days like cleaning up stuff could be considered therapy and will help you (it did for me). To start, I always put music to motivate me and then start by certain sections of my room and focus on it. For example, first doing my laundry or cleaning all the stuff thrown in the floor. The point is, go with one section at a time so that you don't feel overwhelmed until you finish.

Now, this doesn't mean that you need to finish it all in a day or in a few, constant hours; if you feel tired or overwhelmed, take a break and continue after if you can or postpone it for a little bit (if you think you'll lose your motivation I recommend finishing it all in one day with various rests). This way you'll get to your goal! If you have any questions, need help or need someone to talk to don't be afraid to ask.

i'd say it varies from 3 hours to 5 hours but it mostly depends on your living situation and yeah dont worry too much!! it's very common to hit a mental space so low you're drained of all of your energy sometimes just thinking becomes too much. your mother should definitely be more patient with you, the fact that you're feeling better is already great progress and great job! keep it up maybe try dedicating a small amount of time to cleaning a tiny portion of the mess could help loads.

For me it personally takes a couple of days to clean up my messes, I have ADD and can usually only clean one section of a room a day if I'm currently working and in school. So then other places get dirtier and it's just a constant cycle. Just take your time and maybe try finding what works best to keep you motivated, I like to listen to true crime documentaries while I clean and sometimes it helps me get more done super fast.
For me it personally takes a couple of days to clean up my messes, I have ADD and can usually only clean one section of a room a day if I'm currently working and in school. So then other places get dirtier and it's just a constant cycle. Just take your time and maybe try finding what works best to keep you motivated, I like to listen to true crime documentaries while I clean and sometimes it helps me get more done super fast.

Three years but I also made that mess in three years. I even had no energy to take a shower during that time. Sometimes, it would be slightly less messy if I tried to clean up, but it would quickly become extremely messy again. So, I changed my strategy to maintain the current level of mess and not made it worse, and cleaned it up little by little. It took me three years to achieve the goal, but it worked.

I'm sorry for what your mother said. I have cptsd and my family never understood why I am so fucked up. I stoped explain myself to them, it was easier for both us.

If you have money, you might be able to do what I did when I had more, I hired someone to clean up for me. I also had a clutter room for over a year that I'm just now clearing out after a year (there was no trash there, just a lot of things I didn't want to sort through). It's a difficult process. Getting rid of things that cause clutter can be a big help for *keeping* it tidy

You have to strategize. My bedroom gets like that sometimes. I usually start with all the clothes, then move on to the other clutter. If you have food waste, however, that should go immediately without delay (which is why I never bring food into the bedroom).

thanks for the messages my lovely people. i actually managed to clean my room today!!! its not 100% done yet but i think im halfway there. i took breaks between doing them. its midnight over here so i cant get the vacuum cleaner running. just letting you guys know bcs i really appreciate every single suggestions that you guys gave thank you so much.
— also i just resigned from work so thats why i had time to clean my room today aha and my next job is pretty laidback so im gonna try to keep the room clean every now and then haaah

 

[nozomu]

thanks for the messages my lovely people. i actually managed to clean my room today!!! its not 100% done yet but i think im halfway there. i took breaks between doing them. its midnight over here so i cant get the vacuum cleaner running. just letting you guys know bcs i really appreciate every single suggestions that you guys gave thank you so much.
— also i just resigned from work so thats why i had time to clean my room today aha and my next job is pretty laidback so im gonna try to keep the room clean every now and then haaah

Proud of you! Clean environment really helps for a better mindset.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

how long does it take for you guys to clean up your mess? and by mess, i mean literal mess. like my-room-is-messy type of mess. and messy like, i-havent-done-my-laundry-in-three-months. its gross i know but that time i was really struggling. and now im still picking up on things. ive got work to keep me busy. i got home really late and tired to the point i cant bother to clean up the mess ive made when im in my depressive episode. but i really do want to clean it up. i just want to know is there an average time frame when people actually is done with cleaning up the mess theyve made when they were depressed. my mums been bugging me about this. like how am i supposed to tell her the mess ive made all these years throughout covid and everything, she cant just expect it all to be squeaky clean within four months since i got the job??? my mental health isnt cured overnight. she thought ive moved on past that but hah only god knows i still think about it everyday

Hmmm, this will definitely vary from person to person. For me, it takes a couple hours. I've never had a ton of laundry because I find laundry really calming to do. I'd say start with that, and while it's washing, you can begin cleaning the room. This will take multiple loads of laundry I imagine since it's months worth, but it shouldn't be too overwhelming. If it does get to be overwhelming, take a short break and do something you enjoy for maybe 30 minutes, and then start again. That's how it works for me at least, as if I wait too long, I'll procrastinate.

 

[Kali319]

Hmm.. That's not something I've really kept track of in those situations. I find it easier just to look at one small task and start on that rather than getting overwhelmed with doing the whole thing.

I know that's kind of a non answer, but hopefully that was helpful in some way