Thursday, January 29, 2009 1yellowrose asks

Q: Do other carers out there feel swamped with housework??

I find it hard to keep up with my house work, I am a carer have been for 11 years. But since my mothers death nearly 3 years ago things like house work are loading on top of me. I hope it is only temporary . is there any home help out there or is there a solution ?? mental illness runs through our family I have bipolar and I am a care giver as well for my son who has, his is called schizo affective disorder , and my eldest daughter who had to go off her medication while she is pregnant and some days I have to help her with the children..Its just the housework mainly folding clean washing,washing floors and vacuuming, and things around the house are not where they are suppose to be. I just need advice or is there some home help????

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Answers (2)

John McManamy, Health Guide

1/29/09 10:24pm

Hi, 1yellowrose. Tell me about housework. I like to joke that when I'm down to my last pair of underpants, then I have 6 days to do my laundry. It's amazing how many people fail to comprehend I'm joking.

Anyway: Housework can completely overwhelm the best of us. When your caring for others and contending with a mood disorder, it can seem like Mission Impossible. If you view a task in it's entirety, you are likely to be rendered helpless. The common recommendation is "chunking it." Dividing a task into much smaller and far less intimidating segments.

ANother piece of advice: Just start anywhere. We tend to overthink things. Just jump in and do it.

Also: There's no shame in admitting we're hopeless in certain segments of our lives. You probably don't fix your car or cook all your meals at home. So hiring someone to help clean is no big deal, and probably a very wise investment. It's also a big psychological lift. If you can see progress, then perhaps you'll be motivated to do some cleaning, too.

Hope this helps -

Chris

1/30/09 12:32pm

Hey 1yellowrose,

I'm in similar situation.

I feel like everything falls on me.

Maybe we should conspire (smiling) to make our lives easier

1.no more ironing! Easy wear clothing goes straight to the hanger!

2.NO matching up socks. Let wearers match for themselves!

3.Keep need to was floor to minumum--Food eaten in one area , in designated place, at designated time!

4.Declutter. Lots of things you don't need. If you want to store, give 'em away, donate (think of how much more time you'll have to try yoga-thats MY goal.)

5.paper plates and cups etc--at least for a while to demonstrate to your crowd that you are overwhelmed.

P.S.There are books on this because just about everyone faces this problem--we just tend to get more discouraged, maybe.

Sorry about your Mum. I lost my Dad and it was awful.

Have a good day.

Everyday is a day you can try to tackle things in a new way!