Completely O/T and not S/T related
I clean when I am nervous, stressed, don't know what to do about a situation. I don't like cleaning, but for some reason cleaning lets me shut off my mind, focus on dirt and I get a feeling of accomplishment when something is done and I immediately find something else I can clean. I'm not OCD or anything of the sort. My home routinely looks like a tornado went through, just....My mother called me this morning and gave me some news concerning my family. No one is dying or anything, but I know some family members are emotional wrecks from the news and are in mental anguish from learning about it. It brought up regrets, frustrations and memories from all of our pasts as well.
So my house was already fairly "neat" yesterday, and today I have gotten so involved I broke out the old toothbrush from under the kitchen sink and I'm brushing around the stove top. And I just realized I do this when I'm mentally lost.
Does anyone else do this under stressful situations?
I watch my dh do this, when
I watch my dh do this, when he's trying to process big heavy emotional stuff. I get the cleanest kitchen out of that
But seriously, it's fine, that focus on a movement task with a defined (clean) outcome engages your body and brain in a certain way so you can do the psychoemotional processing and find your story about the situation.
And that's why men do their best thinking while cleaning out the garage.
Process away, my dear, let the ritual work for you!
I do this, too. It helps me
I do this, too.
It helps me distance myself from whatever heavy emotional thing that's going on, and I think it helps me process it better. Just the manual labor itself seems to free my mind and allow me to deal with whatever it is that's going on better than sitting around and fretting over it.
Plus I get some mighty awesome cleaning done, which is a real bonus!
I'm a hair-twirler under
I'm a hair-twirler under intense situations. So was my mom. Both my daughters are now too.
When I was a cop, my partners used to tell me, "I knew it was Tabby running red lights and sirens ahead of me because I could see her twirling her hair!"
I'm a cleaner AND a hair
I'm a cleaner AND a hair twirler--especially when im tired or under a lot of emotional stress
I'm a cleaner/organizer. For
I'm a cleaner/organizer. For some reason when I'm super stressed, I start going through closets and cabinets, donating/throwing out anything possible. An attempt to regain some feeling of control? Probably. Needless to say, I do not have very much excess 'stuff' in my home anymore...
I think it's a healthy way to
I think it's a healthy way to process stress.
Some people use drugs/alcohol/smoking/eating to cope/process/ignore their problems.
I do the cleaning/organizing/de-cluttering thing as well and I always find that it brings clarity to the situation. If I start calling people and discussing I only get more worked up about it.
I used to jog. You're
I used to jog. You're normal. Or at least the two of us are, I'm not so sure about the rest of them.
My husband called on his
My husband called on his break just to check in and asked, "What are you doing?" I told him I was organizing the Tupperware drawer and throwing out the ones we didn't have matches for,... His next words, "What happened?"
At least my hubby knows me.
I used to go for a run but I got in a major motor vehicle accident right after I graduated from college and broke my leg. The impact of running just hurts too much now.
It's good to know I'm not alone.