Struggling with your mental wellbeing can have an impact on every part of your life.
Depression and anxiety can make the simplest tasks feel impossible, from brushing your hair and taking a shower to cooking yourself a decent meal.
It’s no wonder, then, that people having a tough time will find their living space becomes overwhelmingly messy.
That was the case for Sian McLean, from Oxfordshire, who shared photos of her clutter-filled room on the We Love Mrs Hinch Facebook group.
‘Anxiety got the better of me (complete lack of motivation),’ Sian wrote.
The photos show clutter piled high on the bed and covering the floor and her makeup table.
But on a good day (because yes, even with depression or an anxiety disorder you can have highs and lows), Sian was able to sort out her room and get back on track.
She shared photos of her room after giving it a good tidy, writing that she was (rightly) proud of managing to overcome the challenge.
‘Today I put a stop to it,’ she wrote. ‘Still lots to go but for only one day I’m super proud.’
Sian’s post has been flooded with comments from people congratulating her for the room’s transformation and thanking her for so honestly sharing her struggles.
One group member wrote: ‘That is completely amazing, you should feel so proud of yourself.
‘I suffer from depression and anxiety and know that feeling of no motivation.
‘My flat is a tip, I have no idea where to start. You’ve inspired me to try through. Thank you xx.’
Another said: ‘Well done. Anxiety didn’t get the better of you, it came, it went, you won.’
Sian isn’t the first person to open up about how mental illness can make keeping things neat and tidy feel impossible.
Last year Brittany Ernsperger shared a photo of piles of washed up pans on her kitchen counter, that ended up being shared more than 188,000 times.
She wrote: ‘This is what depression looks like. No. Not the clean dishes. But that there were that many dishes in the first place; that I’ve gone two weeks without doing them.
‘Three days ago I sat on the kitchen floor and stared at them while I cried. I knew they needed to be done. I wanted to do them so bad. But depression pulled me under. It sucked me in. Like a black hole. Rapidly, sinking quick-sand.
‘I walked by them morning and night and all day long. And just looked at them. Telling myself that I could do them. Telling myself that I would. And feeling defeated everyday that I didn’t. Making the depression only that much worse because not accomplishing something that needs to be done is failure.
‘Worthless. Failure. Piece of shit. Incompetent. Stupid. Lazy. All things that roll through the mind of someone with depression. All. Day. Long.
‘Throw anxiety on top of it, and you’ve got yourself a real treat. Being scared your husband will leave because he thinks you’re lazy. Being scared to let people into your home because they’ll think you’re nasty. Feeling like you’re failing your kids because for the third night in a row you don’t have any clean dishes to cook dinner on.. so pizza it is. Again.’
The lesson here: If your mental health isn’t great and the clutter is piling up, you’re not alone. You’re not a failure.
Things will get better. One day you’ll wake up and have a window of feeling motivated. Use it – call your GP to make an appointment and get help, sort out your living space, and do all the life admin that will help you if things get bad again. You can get through this.
Need support? Contact the Samaritans
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/20/womans-messy-room-transformation-shows-reality-living-anxiety-11185875/
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