Do you feel overwhelmed at all that needs to be done around your house? Do you quit before you start because it’s too much? I often feel that way too. Let’s make a plan today to help you accomplish some of those house duties piling up.
It used to drive me crazy. I would sit on the couch and look around at the laundry piling up next to me, the dust on the shelves, and the dog hair and prints all over the floor. Yet I didn’t have the energy to deal with any of it.
Someone suggested I start doing one or two things a day. It was great advice. Was I able to accomplish everything in a week? Not necessarily. I still felt that the house needed a good cleaning by the time the next week rolled around. But it gave me somewhere to start, a routine to my day, and something to feel accomplished with.
What’s building up around your house that’s driving you crazy? I personally cannot stand a messy kitchen. I feel like I can’t think to cook anything while looking at piles of dirty dishes.
Try to choose two chores to do in a day to start. Do not do more than this or you will pay for it the next couple of days. Ideas of chores to start with is the doing the dishes and folding laundry. Depending on how you’re feeling that day, you might only be able to wash the dishes and fold one hamper of laundry. That’s okay! Do what you can.
If you’re feeling sluggish, at least wash the dishes. Then take a break. Let the dishes air dry a bit and then return to dry the dishes. If that feels like a large task, dry them and leave them on the counter and go take another break. Return again and put the dishes away.
Note: If you get dizzy easily, leave putting the dishes away for someone else or really pace this step out. Reaching up and leaning down to put dishes away can escalate dizziness.
As your recovery journey continues and you start to feel better, you can add one extra task to each day. Sweeping the floors is a good one. You could do all the laundry, like washing, drying, folding, and putting away. Or, you can choose one larger task instead of three little ones. A larger task might be raking leaves. It could be sweeping or vacuuming the floors and then washing them as well.
Note: If you used to be a deep cleaner and wash your floors by hand, I recommend you purchase a mop to do the task. You may not get every speck by the edges of the walls, but you’ll get the majority. Don’t worry. It’ll still look good.
You need to be aware of your body and what you can handle. It is good to push yourself a bit where you’re showing low amounts of symptoms. If it starts increasing to moderate effect, take a decent sized break.
A break could look like a 20-30-minute nap. It could also be switching to a mental exercise like reading or doing a Word-Search. See how you’re doing after that break. If you’re too exhausted, you’ve overdone it. Give yourself the rest of the day off and see how you are tomorrow.
Record what you’ve done. By keeping a log of the chores you’ve accomplished, you can map your progress. You can celebrate the victories you’ve achieved throughout the week, month, and year. When you’re having a down day, pull out the log and see what you’ve been able to do. It’ll start a great discipline of getting chores done as well as feeling good that you’ve been doing something.
Remember, something is better than nothing. You’ve got this!
