We all put enormous amounts of pressure on ourseleves everyday, expecting so much from ourselves, more than we would ever put on others. Why do we do this? It's often because we compare ourselves to others, people who on social media who appear to have everything under control, accomplishing tasks with ease.
No one really knows what's going on with someone else's life or the struggles they go through. We need to remind ourselves that people tend to present the best side of themselves to their peers so we rarely see others internal struggles. A classic example of this is someone asks you if you're ok, your standard response tends to be 'Good thanks, you?' How many of us have given this response when in reality we feel broken inside? This unfair comparison and internal pressure can lead to feelings of inadequacy and failure.
Whether it's pressure to do more work, more with our kids or with our home we internalise these feelings which can lead to damage to our wellbeing. The 'lockdown' we're all in is exacerbating these issues. We have no escape from our homes and the pressures there, social media exposure is higher than ever, we've got more pressure on us to do the right things in terms of working from home, ensuring our productivity is the same as in our place of work, some people also have to look after kids, home schooling them and maintain a home not to mention the DIY projects we've also set ourselves. Just reading this list is exhausting!
We are all trying our best to achieve all of these things and maintain our mental health in a time of international crisis. We need to remember to be kind to ourselves.
Our tips for sorting out your homes at this time, if you feel the desire to do so, would be to take one day at a time and one task at a time.
We urge you, if you're trying to declutter and organise that you don't try and deal with it all in one go. It could be too much, be overwhelming and it could end up that you will never deal with it. Take little steps so do one thing a day, this will become a good habit and lead to you getting your home sorted. An example of this is when you get up in the morning before you shower air your bed, get ready then make your bed. Getting into a made bed at the end of a long day is very rewarding.
An effective strategy we use with clients is to get them to make a list of things they want to acheive each day. Write the list under three headings. Must do - want to do - bonus if I do. Make sure you hold yourself accountable for the 'must do' but everything else is negotiable on when you can realistically achieve it.
'Must do' items would be things like work you need to do that day, cooking and eating your meals, looking after the kids, bills you have to pay etc.
'Want to do' items are a mixture of things you enjoy to do and jobs that need doing but don't necessarily have to be done that day. Things like clothes washing, reading a book to relax, daily exercise, sorting out that junk drawer, organising your wardrobe, decorating etc. Anything you don't do that day can roll over into the next day or that week. Hold yourself accountable if you've not done them by the end of the week.
'Bonus tasks', these are things where you take time out specifically for yourself. Whether it's taking part in an online group quiz, sitting in your outdoor space (social distancing rules followed) with your drink of choice, calling a friend you've not spoken to for a while etc. There's no accountability here as such but reflection, did you make enough time for yourself that day? If not, try to do more for you over the week ahead.
By categorising your tasks it will help you eliminate some internal pressure. This will only happen if you're realistic with the tasks you set yourself and the time you have to do them.
We specalise in helping people organise their homes, prioritising what's important to them. If you would like any further assistance with this please get in touch. If you found this article useful plesse comment and let us know.
If you take only one thing away from this article it's that we ask you to be kind to yourselves, remember you're doing a great job during a very challenging time.
