Today I shared a post about how clutter causes anxiety and stress. I joked around with the “So I’m not crazy after all” heading, but boy-oh-boy did that article hit home. I don’t know if you’ve seen the study by Dr. Sherrie Carte, but somehow she got right into my brain when she wrote this article. I’ve put the link (if it doesn’t work, do the right-click/Go To option) at the end of this blog, but thought I’d list the eight reasons, add a comment (mini-vent is more like it)…and then go from there:
- Clutter over-stimulates the senses – true, sometimes I think my dyslexia has some effect on how much I can look at any given time.
- Clutter takes a big part of your attention – yes, it does, because I want it all fixed right away.
- Relaxation cannot be equated with clutter – true, I can’t sit still and take time for myself until everything is back in order.
- Clutter manipulates the mind into thinking that work is never done – true, I feel like it’s never going to be clean enough, or organized enough.
- Disorganization causes anxiety – true, again, my anxiety is a daily battle when things are out of order.
- Clutter causes guilt and embarrassment – of course, I don’t want anyone else to see a mess.
- Clutter restricts your mind from being creative and productive – very true, I don’t feel like I deserve to sit and do what I really want to do, like writing, when I have a mess around me.
- Clutter causes feelings of anger and frustration – OH, YEAH….how many times have I wanted to start throwing things in the garbage to get them out of my sight (not necessarily my stuff, either).
As part of a large family, in one house, I learned quickly that I couldn’t stop the clutter. I was able to keep one little area as clutter free as possible, my bed. As I got older, married, and had children life wasn’t always neat and orderly. Thinking it would be was being naive…maybe hopeful, but certainly not realistic. I had to work hard to keep order and neatness in my home. I was told by more than one person that my home didn’t feel “lived in” – it was like walking into a hospital. In reality, I agreed, however, that is how I managed my OCD, anxiety, and stress. I could not do anything outside of my surroundings, but I could about my own home. That became my true “medication” if you want to call it that. Like self-medicating, but in a healthy way. I’ve always handled my anxiety and the depression that came along with it through work and staying busy. I’m a left-handed person. I am controlled more by the emotional side of my brain, so I have always been lucky my laughter covers a multitude of issues I carry inside.
Needless to say, life has managed to be just that…life, so I’ve had to learn not to be as OCD about things. If someone moves the table a half an inch over I may be tormented inside, but I can usually reel those feelings in to keep myself from putting the table where it belongs. I have always loved decorating my home with items. To someone like my daughter, who is a minimalist, it seems cluttered…out of her comfort zone, but to me, there is a place for everything and everything in its place. Now, living in a travel trailer for a year, I’ve learned the minimalistic way of life is looking better all the time. Still, I battle with myself because if one item is out of place I feel my shoulders tighten, and realize I’m gritting my teeth.
I wish I wasn’t this way, but that is who I am. I always thought that, perhaps, my issues stemmed from the chaos my childhood held, and maybe that is the case…but regardless of the reason, each one of the points in that study might well have come out of my own mouth, because I couldn’t agree more. I’ve worked hard to get where I am today – truly, I am leaps and bounds better than years before. My husband works with me by not laying the playing cards out as I like them, but he lets me straighten them a little. I had a doctor tell me when I was pregnant with one of my children that I was to wait thirty minutes after dinner before doing the dishes. “Sit and relax,” he says…right!!! I would watch that clock and hear the ticking of that second hand as if someone was hammering inside my brain. I could feel the anxiety climbing with every minute. Then I would shoot up out of my chair and clean, clean, clean. Now, though it doesn’t happen often, there are times I don’t even do the dishes until the next morning. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is amazing progress for me.
Will I ever be cured of this ailment we call anxiety? I doubt it, but I’m learning to live with it. In the meantime, I will continue to find ways to “adjust” and “let go” of the control. Because I really never had control at all…anxiety was (is) controlling me. Though I don’t have the same ways to self-medicate myself, I’ve resorted to taking medication off and on…currently on. It does help, but the work to change me is still up to me. The medication simply gives me the opportunity to try.
Being open about who/what/why I am has helped me become stronger and more understanding to myself because I have had to come to terms with who I am. Now I share often in hopes that something I write someone will read and think “I’m not alone, after all…and I’m not crazy.”
Here is the link if you are interested in reading the full article – https://positiveoutlooksblog.com/2018/05/14/8-scientific-reasons-why-clutter-causes-anxiety-and-stress/
As always, thank you for reading my ramblings. I hope you enjoy a lot of holiday parties, the shopping, the hot chocolate, and the eggnog…tis the season to be jolly.
As Thanksgiving arrives, I find many people posting on Facebook all the things they are thankful for. And though we are naturally thankful more often than the holiday season, I sure enjoy the extra (and cheerful) posts. Growing up it didn’t have a lot of meaning to me because of our home life. As a young adult, my siblings and I made a new tradition. Thanksgiving became very special. We all gathered in one of our homes. 
The hosting home did the turkey and potatoes and everyone else picked something to bring. With spouses and children in tow, we filled someone’s home and spent the day having a blast. The men usually gathered in the room with the biggest TV and the football game they agreed on. The women found a room (yes, it was mainly the kitchen) and in between chatting about whatever we could think of, we sipped wine, pop, tea, or coffee and found we couldn’t get enough of each other. 
The children found a spot where they could giggle, watch and play videos, or tease each other…yet, never enough to bring tears. 
After dinner it was full on game night…there were a few that preferred to be cheerleaders, but for the most part, everyone joined in.
Then life events changed everything. I won’t go into what happened since this isn’t a confessional. Though everyone did their best to keep the tradition alive after the events our special day never fully bloomed again. It had lost its sweet scent, its vibrant color. Never completely wilted, but never caressing life as before. There was simply too much missing. Now, everyone does their own thing. Some stay home in their pajamas eating pizza while binge-watching their favorite show. Others are off to a spouse or mates side of the family. All good alternatives, but nothing will ever compare to the years of my daughter and niece snitching the chocolate pie from the refrigerator and running off to a bedroom to eat themselves sick. Memories of laughing with my siblings until my stomach ached, or enjoying a little more wine than normal and being thankful for the next day off. Realizing that we spent hours preparing a meal that was gobbled up in about fifteen minutes, but left smiles on everyone’s face. Remembering Thanksgiving, November 22, 1979…I was in labor and was stuffing my face in anticipation that my little girl, Kristin, would make her appearance. She waited two more days and came into the world on the 24th…so she has always been, lovingly, referred to as my “Turkey Baby” – and always will be.
Would I love to recreate that almost Rockwell day…you bet, but until then, should that day ever come, I will be always, and forever, thankful for some of my most precious memories.
I hope all of you have memories to cherish, new ones to make, and someone you love to share them with. Thank you for reading my ramblings, and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.
It’s been over a month since my last blog…wow, how time flies. Towards the end of October, I (sadly) left my family in Washington and flew into Denver, Colorado to meet up (happily) with Dan after his hunt. We spent another week with more family and friends before starting the journey to Cornell, Michigan. It’s a two or three-day drive depending on how many stops we make, or the road conditions. We were quite lucky this trip and didn’t even encounter rain.
As I sat down to write this blog I thought why not share what have I learned about getting through a snowy season while in a travel trailer. Being married to a Yooper (someone born and raised in Upper Michigan) helps. My husband looks at snow like it’s his best friend. I teasingly say he was born with snowshoes for feet. As the temperature drops to the teens, it has been his priority to keep us warm. Dan says the snow has made an early appearance…not that it doesn’t snow in November…this is the UP after all…but it’s colder so it’s sticking around. Now that I am retired and don’t have to struggle along the roads driving to work, snow doesn’t affect me as negatively as it once did. I do use every excuse possible to stay off the roads, but I still enjoy my morning walks. We have a wood stove to keep us warm (sheepherder version), a must for anyone who doesn’t want to go broke buying propane. But it isn’t just the cozy burning of wood that I enjoy this time of year, toasty as that is, but it’s how the snow seems to bring a different kind of quiet. At least, out here in the “somewhat” wilderness. Previously off the grid before, I am excited to say we now have a satellite dish for internet…YAY. At least when the generator is running. We still have no water, electricity, or plumbing…but, hey, one step at a time.
We’ve been at this travel trailer life for almost a year now, so I thought I’d share a couple of things I’ve learned along the way…and life in general…
First – I like to keep a tea kettle or a pot of water on the wood stove for moisture. As we turn on those furnaces, electric baseboard heaters, and/or build those fires in the fireplace or wood stove, the moisture seems to dwindle away. Suddenly, you notice your hair seems lighter than air, and your skin feels like…well, not so good. Looking at my gauge right now we are at 29% humidity…pretty good for our small space with wood heat. 
Without the tea kettle on the wood stove we have dropped to below 16%, so every little bit helps. You may remember my blog from January this year when we were still in the PNW we battled condensation as I’d never seen before. So, now I’m telling you to put moisture in the air? Yep, everything in moderation…humidity included. I prefer between 45-50%. Before we started our travel adventure and lived in real homes, periodically, I would put a pan on the stove, but I added cloves. A wonderful aroma filled the air bringing in the fall/winter season for me along with some moisture. Then there are the cinnamon pines cones I’d bring home from the store.
Second – Another tip, regardless of snow, is an item that has quickly become a necessity…and deserves a moment in the limelight. 
Let me explain where the “travel trailer” fits into this tip. We don’t have any hanging clothes closets. There is one small hanger rod in one small closet, but if I used that I would lose space for other items. That means all my shirts, blouses, and sweaters are folded. Now, I do take time to fold them nicely, but the bumps in the road have a way of shifting everything to one side or the other or just all over. This small steamer has helped me many times when we had somewhere nice to go. It takes only a minute for the steam to start calling out for every little wrinkle it can find, and in no time you are on your way. I picked this little baby up at Bed Bath & Beyond for around $20, so not a huge investment for the return.
Third – If you enjoy watching wildlife, as in deer and birds, you can provide a few goodies for them. Deer love cracked corn, carrots, potato peelings, and beets…for starters. 
They will graze off and on through the day bringing hours of entertainment. For the birds, though seeds are great, this time of year they need a little bit more so why not pick up some suet (the real stuff) at your local meat market. We are fortunate enough to be close to a meat processor and they have lots for free. Dan put some in an old orange bag and hung it from the tree. 
It helps the birds keep warm in the cold weather. It may not be the most attractive feeder, but aesthetics are something we appreciate, thankfully the birds aren’t into looks…lol.
So, there you have it…small tidbits of information I wanted to share with you. I love sharing any and all information I can through my blogs, and I hope you enjoy reading and maybe learning something along the way.
Wrapping up I’d like to say every season has it’s good elements, snow included. While I was on my walk this morning, about a mile from home, I met a neighbor. Donna and her dog, Sandy, were making their way across the icy road to her mailbox. When Sandy alerted Donna that someone was walking down the road towards them, Donna waited. As I approached I, lovely, let Sandy know that I wasn’t really a big orange monster. I was no one to fear or protect his owner, Donna, from…just an old lady walking. 
Donna and I introduced ourselves and had a great get-to-know-you conversation. Unfortunately, in this cold weather…even bundled up…you start feeling the chill when you are standing still. After about twenty minutes we both realized we needed to get moving, so we said our goodbyes and headed on our way. So, today, I’d like to thank Donna for not hurrying back into her warm house, but instead, waiting while I dodged the ice under my feet another 100 yards and made my way to her little corner of the world.
Life’s little blessings…have a wonderful day, everyone.