velvetedge
New Member
Joined: December 2008
Posts: 20
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Post by velvetedge on Jun 25, 2010 12:56:31 GMT -5
So, I finally had enough of the laundry mountain that has accumulated in my kitchen (that sounds horrible doesnt it, laundry mountain in the kitchen?) but it is what it is and I was reaching for a lose cord for a fan that is being moved to our storage unit today along with a couple of other things and one bag of clothes for the Goodwill. So there I was all in my groove and suddenly, I pulled on the cord and WATCH OUT, clothes avalanche. Now Ive lost my focus and was bordering on a panic attack. Has anyone else had this (the feeling not the laundry avanalnche)? Thoughts , comments, any insight would be helpful.
Thanks
Tracy
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Post by moggyfan on Jun 25, 2010 13:08:01 GMT -5
Well, truthfully, I've had BOTH the laundry mountain (though my particular Everest was in the bedroom) and the panic/horror. So, what to do. Well, first, take a few moments, sit, regroup, calm yourself. Have some tea (or maybe a martini). It's just laundry, after all, not sharks or tigers :-) And, you know, perhaps you've been presented with an opportunity of sorts. You'll have to deal with it somehow, one way or another. Probably, you don't want to rebuild the mountain. You have a Goodwill bag there. How 'bout filling another? Ask yourself if you really, really, truly need/want the items that have been living in the mountain. How long has it been since you've worn/used any of it? How damaged is it? Are you really likely to remove those stains? Sew on those buttons? Mend those tears? I ended up just trashing a good percentage of my mountain (maybe a third); another third I donated, the last third I sorted and washed and kept. So, yes--been there, done that. Survived to tell the tale. You will too.  |
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Post by eagle on Jun 25, 2010 14:02:27 GMT -5
Although I have not really ever had a true panic attack, I have been overwhelmed, demoralized and immobilized by the extent of the apparently insurmountable tasks before me.
That's pretty much what kept me from taking any action for a very long time and all that happened was it got worse while I did nothing. Well, anything other than deal with the mess accumulating around me.
What I learned was that action is the key to overcoming the feelings that I was helpless against the mere presence of my stuff and the mess that it became. I was NOT helpless. I was just stuck in inaction.
Loss of focus when giving in to these feelings is not uncommon. Learning to focus was a real process, I have to say. It took discipline to learn to focus and to re-direct my focus when I became distracted. I spent years allowing myself to be easily distracted, so changing myself into someone who could maintain focus and stop being distracted was not an overnight process.
That's one reason I use lists and a timer. It's why I map out what I want to happen and put the map where I can refer to it to quide me (help me focus). I find that I need a blueprint, so to speak, in order to stay on track.
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Post by messymimi on Jun 25, 2010 14:20:49 GMT -5
Yes, on both counts.
Mt. Foldmore routinely topples under it's own weight. I also have panic attacks that are my own fault, induced by my foolish over consumption of caffeine on occasion.
My solution is to take a deep breath, realize I am having a panic reaction over whatever it is that happened, and go fold, scrub, mop, sort, or do some other type of physical cleaning chore that requires little thought until the panic and anxiety lessen.
Panic attacks are scary. If yours is anything like mine, you become convinced, for no good reason, that something terrible has happened or is about to happen. Very little calms me down in the midst of one, and I have found that only repetitive work that keeps me occupied helps to settle me back down.
I cannot guarantee that calming breaths and finding work to do will help everyone, but it could be one thing to try if this ever happens again.
messymimi
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Post by mouseanne on Jun 26, 2010 9:06:44 GMT -5
Hugs, velvetedge! I am intimately acquainted with that feeling. I have not had it for a while now. You may need to look around the other arenas of your life to see if you are being mistreated. I disowned a family member because of slander/scapegoating/non-stop verbal abuse (verbal abuse EVERY time I was in their presence). I really think that was the key for my turnaround. (and why I was in the abyss emotionally/ physically-health & weight/ house/ stymied creativity/ interactions with others-hangdog & many people would not meet my eyes upon paths crossing. You may not be ready to look for that. On the laundry side, here is a very creative getRdone Mt. Washmore solution/ method from a member: takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=6124  hang in there, dear! mouseanne |
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hopehope
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815 
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Post by hopehope on Jun 26, 2010 20:46:13 GMT -5
clutter and avalanches of same have put me into panic mode, for sure. not laundry, necessarily -- cause I'm not big on laundry. but, oh yeah, for sure. |
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velvetedge
New Member
Joined: December 2008
Posts: 20
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Post by velvetedge on Jun 26, 2010 20:54:42 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this. I got it all figured out in the end and I made some more progress today in the sort, decide what stays and goes , of it all. Mount Laundry is becomming more and more of a small hill now and I can see progress is being made. The goal is to get it done tomorrow since Monday is pick up day for the garbage. I have a few more things going out to the trash.
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Post by moggyfan on Jun 26, 2010 21:05:46 GMT -5
Good to hear! Conquering my personal "laundry mountain" was one of the first steps I took out of squalor :-)
Congrats on reducing the mountain to a molehill!
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