A part of my healing journey has been shifting my view on house cleaning. I now see it as self care instead of an onerous chore. Living in a clean and tidy home really does affect my mood. Organization has been my strong suit for a long time, but scrubbing and dusting, not so much.
I’ve managed to clean my kitchen every single day for well over a year now. I do a weekly cleaning of my washroom and floors. I’ve never had a problem staying on top of laundry as I love clothes, however I have been better at doing bi-weekly laundering of shower curtains etc.
It didn’t happen all at once. First, I needed to make sure I could get the kitchen done every single day. It started by learning, at the very least, to rinse my dishes soon after using them. Once I was able to get a handle on the kitchen, I started incorporating a weekly clean of my washroom. Once that became habitual, I added in vacuuming, then mopping. Again, I made sure I had each down pat in my routine before I added in more.
Everyone is different, but for me, these tasks always seemed huge. It’s best for me to start a routine small like I did. To make sure I’m achieving the task consistently for a lengthy period of time, before I add in more.
It’s things like my ability to clean my home, make my own meals, take care of myself and Pretty (aka Saba), that have shown the stability in my mental health, despite no longer being on psych meds. As the meds weened out of my system, moving my body, and having the drive and energy to clean actually become easier.
🔆🌿Please note: I’m not anti-meds and I certainly don’t think it’s shameful to take them or need them. I’m not anti sugar or junk food either. I’m not against alcohol or marijuana or even casual sex. I’m not against polyamory or swinging or any kinks people may have (I’ve got my own which don’t need to be publicly discussed). I’m not here to judge how others live their lives, I’m here to live my own, the best I can, in a way that aligns with my values and goals.🌿🔆
I feel this message is important to repeat from time to time as I know I can write passionately about challenging my addictions and the triumph it’s been to get off of psych meds (and actually be doing better without them than I’d ever been while on them). Please remember that I’ve had horrific side effects to every psych med I’ve been prescribed. I am drug sensitive.
Often it’s a health crisis that leads people to learning other ways to help themselves. I was over 200lbs and very sick. I had no options left. AND, I don’t know the future. Only time will tell how the med removal unfolds in the long run. I realize I’m on the fringes however as I am challenging the mainstream narrative of psychiatry.
I can’t watch the news as it seems like there’s always a war being pushed. Race wars, vax wars, religious wars, gender wars, the left versus the right… I don’t think holistic and pharma need to be at war though. I absolutely believe that we can have both.
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