Sometimes it feels like if I stop being vigilante for any length of time, the world crumbles around me. As someone who has struggled with depression & anxiety since my teens, finding the motivation to clean has been a challenge. It often feels like as soon as you’re done the mess is there again. I’ve gotten better as my daughter’s gotten older, and since I’m on my own. In my previous domestic partnership, all the cleaning for 4 people (ex, stepdaughter, daughter and me) landed squarely on my shoulders. At the time, it was a large source of resentment (even getting help for the chores felt like a chore).

One of the best things that’s helped me is to make cleaning a part of my gratefulness exercises & daily reset. Putting each item back in it’s place, I’m grateful for my daughter & her boundless energy. I’m glad that she’s so inspired by the many things which entertain & inspire her. We put her toys “to bed” together now and I’m glad she’s at an age where she wants to help. I’m glad for our pup, for our home, for all the lovely items that decorate our life, the books which feed us stories. I remind myself that I’d rather have a home with toys circulating around the floor than an orderly, sterile home where everyone’s sequestered to their rooms & devices, strangers to one another.

Please support the stay-at-home caregivers in your life, if you know any. It can be a very isolating and trying time. Or if you’re a caregiver who feels buried in chores, it’s ok to ask for help. Feel free to send this to someone as an SOS if you need!

Kat