How you keep your home reflects state of mind.

[Fluffy]

I've been noticing my patterns in cleaning and general care and presentation of my home and it's things.
I fluctuate with almost everything I do. I get gung-ho about something and then it fizzles for a while then it returns then fizzles - pattern I've noticed for long time, pretty inconsistent like manic depression and may be a less exaggerated form of this.

My house is tidy, a little disjointed at times because of kids but everything has a place it goes to.

If my thoughts are scattered and I feel a bit low or too high I can totally overlook that the toilet needs a scrub and not care, if I'm feeling balanced and focussed then I work systematically and just do what needs to be done. The times in my life where things were totally out of order in the house were when I was using drugs and when I was suffering from severe depression.

Right now though everything is done, but kind of at a bare minimum. Our home is very very simple, hardly any things hung on the walls, minimal ornaments and trinkets, nothing interesting at all, just what we need. It lacks creativity and warmth.. It just exists.

Well that is exactly how the inside of my head feels- minimal, uninteresting, fluctuating levels of care, disjointed then focussed. Sometimes I just could not be bothered doing anything, other times I try to cram so much in in one day I get overwhelmed and nothing gets completed.. I'm so unbalanced.

I need to break the cycle and just do things instead of letting my moods dictate what I get up to.

If I force myself to put pride into my living space then may be it will reflect back onto my mind instead of my mind dictating what my house will be like because of how I am feeling.

This might be a useless tool to work with but my house and my mind both need some love and care.

Some people say that they aren't there cleaning type- I'm one of those, but I think I've changed my stance on that. If I can't keep my house clean, presentable, welcoming, personalised and organised then how on earth do I start to work on my thoughts?

 

[Minas Tirith]

Yeah, I definitely think there is a correlation. In a way your house is your extended body, your territory. For me, when out of synch it helps to do housework, get things clean and in order, everything in its place, after that I feel better, too, and internally everything is more in place as well. It can go into the other direction, getting too fussy. There are times I get restless when I feel I should vaccuum and I know there's no time. Must be my German roots ;D

I'm so unbalanced.

I need to break the cycle and just do things instead of letting my moods dictate what I get up to.

I might sound like a broken record, but a good diet WILL help with that.

M.T.

 

[loreta]

There is order and order. I had an aunt that was obsessed by order and cleanliness, we know now that this is a sort of illness. She died of bones cancer and I can smell that all the cleaning products that she was using are in part the culprits. I know another woman that was also a maniatic of cleanliness and that also died of cancer, another victim I am sure of the cleaning products. I think order is important and our house is a small mirror of us, a sort of body language. It is very interesting to go to visit people and see, without judging, how is the house. I like to feel the rooms. How the energy goes or not. Are the windows open? Is there air in the house? Is there light? This is for me important. Personally I am also a not an obsessed cleaning person but when I see dis-order in my room or in my kitchen I know that I am not "present". So cleaning the toilets or the kitchen, putting order in my room is a sort of putting me in presence. After that I am more happy.

People that are depress don't do cleaning, they don't take care of their surrounding nor of their bodies. But I think that people that are obsessed by cleaning, like my aunt was, are also depress but are unable to stop and take care of themselves.

Cleaning is also a sort of meditation. You can concentrate your mind on the gestures of the body, the sounds, your hands, your back, your legs.

I want to see my house like a friend, a good friend that when I arrive in it, I can feel a sort of embrace. The objects or the amount of them are not important, what is important is the harmony, the atmosphere.

I hope my comments are not noise. But I think this subject is very interesting.

 

[Miss.K]

Though I keep my place clean unless I am sick or working too much overtime, it can get very messy when one of those things happen.

The thing is that when it's messy/dirty, I can't think clearly. So cleaning is the first on the list when possible.
For me there is a huge change in energy with cleaning. Even things that are hidden, like stuff in drawers and such, makes a difference.
It feels like the air get's clearer (and my head) when everything is in order and clean.

I sometimes look up feng shui for inspiration. Though I'm not a believer, and don't buy the merchandise (and I don't go crazy trying to have it perfect). -A lot of it is just common sense.
Like it feels safer and calmer to have a wall in the back when sitting at the desk, than to have a door or a window in the back.

And dividing the living space into areas of life, and then thinking about doing something to better that part of life, while cleaning that space is kind of therapeutic to me.
Sometimes I can feel a big difference in the "air" from moving an object to another place. Little changes can improve the feel of the room a lot I think.

I do agree with Loreta that there is order and order. One can definitely abuse cleaning, and so the cleaning becomes the goal instead of all the things that one wants to do, or have clear head for, that the cleaning was just meant to facilitate.

But I also think that our environment reflects our inside, and that it is possible to make changes to the inside by consciously working on making the environment reflect the inside we want to achieve, and by that helping the inside to be more open to the change we want to make...and not only the other way around.

 

[Canard]

I think I remember a long time ago coming accost a study done on people to try and figure out a correlation between the neatness of a room and its occupants. I can't remember specifics or where I came across it, though. A very short summary of the study shown that people with neat and tidy spaces tend to be more on top of things while people who had more of an unorganized space tended to be more creative. I came across the article a very long time ago so I can't remember any helpful specifics. You may be able to find something on it somewhere, I know it or something like it exists.

I personally agree to an extent though. My rooms a mess, I still have boxes around and I need to take out the trash, but I'm a bit lazy so it's not very presentable at the moment. I sort of feel similarly about my inner space. Though now that I think on it, I can't tell why. Sleep deprivation perhaps, I should probably restrain posts until I'm rested. But then there's my fathers room at his house. He keeps a room for himself and he keeps a TV and a few computers and a bunch of movies and random stuff in. Some things are neatly squared away while others just pile up. He can be a bit of a sloucher I suppose but if there's something important he needs done he does it right away and usually has the stuff to back it up. So in a way it kind of fits almost. Then there's his wife, shes suffering from a disorder and as a symptom cleans all the time, even at the cost of her health. Everywhere but my dads own room was spotless and everything had its place. I haven't visited my dads house lately but according to him the house is gradually getting messier as shes running out of things to clean and mental ability to clean them.

 

[davey72]

Interesting. I keep my house very clean. Except for my room that is closed off to company. It is always extremely messy.

 

[Dave_P]

The thing is that when it's messy/dirty, I can't think clearly. So cleaning is the first on the list when possible.
For me there is a huge change in energy with cleaning. Even things that are hidden, like stuff in drawers and such, makes a difference.
It feels like the air get's clearer (and my head) when everything is in order and clean.

yep, I think the same. Home is the place where we reflect ourselves.
Something that perhaps can help (at least works for me) is to draw / paint your own pictures to hang on the wall, you don´t be a professional artist (all we are, depend the perception) just something that can be captured on paper and is of a personal value.
Also you can produce your own furniture, chair, shelves, etc. But if you're not very skilled at building things you can buy, say, a chair and paint it yourself, there are many tecnics to apply, so there surely one in particular that you may feel more identified.

 

[lainey]

Fluffy, if you feel like you fluctuate, how about writing a list for each day and have a weekly cleaning rota? That way all you have to do is focus on one day at a time. You could even break it up into morning and afternoon. I get a lot of satisfaction from finishing all the tasks on a list. Then once your done you can relax with a nice cup of tea.
http://listproducer.com/2012/01/5-health-benefits-of-list-making/

 

[Chad]

I've been noticing my patterns in cleaning and general care and presentation of my home and it's things.
I fluctuate with almost everything I do. I get gung-ho about something and then it fizzles for a while then it returns then fizzles - pattern I've noticed for long time, pretty inconsistent like manic depression and may be a less exaggerated form of this.

I'm very much the same Fluffy, and there was one point where my room really was a reflection of the clutter and lack of care in my life. This cartoon, for me, represents how i sometimes feel about cleaning et al - i highly recommended checking out the comic:
_http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/this-is-why-ill-never-be-adult.html

[...]
If my thoughts are scattered and I feel a bit low or too high I can totally overlook that the toilet needs a scrub and not care, if I'm feeling balanced and focussed then I work systematically and just do what needs to be done. The times in my life where things were totally out of order in the house were when I was using drugs and when I was suffering from severe depression.

Right now though everything is done, but kind of at a bare minimum. Our home is very very simple, hardly any things hung on the walls, minimal ornaments and trinkets, nothing interesting at all, just what we need. It lacks creativity and warmth.. It just exists.

Well that is exactly how the inside of my head feels- minimal, uninteresting, fluctuating levels of care, disjointed then focussed. Sometimes I just could not be bothered doing anything, other times I try to cram so much in in one day I get overwhelmed and nothing gets completed.. I'm so unbalanced.

I need to break the cycle and just do things instead of letting my moods dictate what I get up to.

If I force myself to put pride into my living space then may be it will reflect back onto my mind instead of my mind dictating what my house will be like because of how I am feeling.

This might be a useless tool to work with but my house and my mind both need some love and care.

Some people say that they aren't there cleaning type- I'm one of those, but I think I've changed my stance on that. If I can't keep my house clean, presentable, welcoming, personalised and organised then how on earth do I start to work on my thoughts?

I think a routine and an effort to view it as a positive, and even meditative, constructive activity helps. For me it replaces the idea of cleaning as either a) boring b) something i resent doing! Also, if historically you have neglected this area, it will be a struggle to incorporate the new thinking. For me this is the case. And like Lainey says, it does feel satisfying to check things off! (just don't get too enthusiastic when making the list... ;)

There is order and order. I had an aunt that was obsessed by order and cleanliness, we know now that this is a sort of illness. [...]

Very true. And i think some of my own reluctance comes from my mother who was obsessed with how things appeared... but no how they actually were. Not to blame her though - it's my own laziness and perhaps lack of organisation.

[...]
Cleaning is also a sort of meditation. You can concentrate your mind on the gestures of the body, the sounds, your hands, your back, your legs.

I want to see my house like a friend, a good friend that when I arrive in it, I can feel a sort of embrace. The objects or the amount of them are not important, what is important is the harmony, the atmosphere.

I hope my comments are not noise. But I think this subject is very interesting.

I think you made some very good points.

Though I keep my place clean unless I am sick or working too much overtime, it can get very messy when one of those things happen.

Same for me, it's the first thing to go! And yet it then hinders me in my day to day routine... i used to think that it should be the first thing to go, because it's only me who's going to see it. I still live like this, but, like others have said, it's a daily challenge.

The thing is that when it's messy/dirty, I can't think clearly. So cleaning is the first on the list when possible.
For me there is a huge change in energy with cleaning. Even things that are hidden, like stuff in drawers and such, makes a difference.
It feels like the air get's clearer (and my head) when everything is in order and clean.

SO true. Even if i've been keeping to a regular enough cleaning schedule, everytime the air is just fresher and i feel clearer - i think the meditative effects of doing something physical, whilst my mind processes all the ... similarly difficult issues in life, is one of the best things i can do to clear my head. Or at least calm down.

And dividing the living space into areas of life, and then thinking about doing something to better that part of life, while cleaning that space is kind of therapeutic to me.

I think this is a lovely metaphor.

Sometimes I can feel a big difference in the "air" from moving an object to another place. Little changes can improve the feel of the room a lot I think.

I do agree with Loreta that there is order and order. One can definitely abuse cleaning, and so the cleaning becomes the goal instead of all the things that one wants to do, or have clear head for, that the cleaning was just meant to facilitate.

But I also think that our environment reflects our inside, and that it is possible to make changes to the inside by consciously working on making the environment reflect the inside we want to achieve, and by that helping the inside to be more open to the change we want to make...and not only the other way around.

I quite agree, and this discussion is probably what is meant by being a good Obyvatel? A good housekeeper?

One of the reasons i felt i had to reply is because currently i have a few things going on in my life and my room seems to be the absolute reflection of it - it's a complete mess - and today, because i have a difficult day tomorrow, it must be clean. And i think the effort will clear my mind, just a little. Having always had a messy room, it really is something i struggle with, even if i couldn't help but chuckle reading this thread :) having felt and thought similar things.

 

[theos]

The thing is that when it's messy/dirty, I can't think clearly. So cleaning is the first on the list when possible.
For me there is a huge change in energy with cleaning. Even things that are hidden, like stuff in drawers and such, makes a difference.
It feels like the air get's clearer (and my head) when everything is in order and clean.

I feel the same way. I'm not obsessive about it in that my space has to pass the white glove test but I do appreciate basic cleanliness and orderliness. For example, I could never cook in a kitchen that is disordered. When spaces get cluttered I keep thinking of tidying up. Once I do, I can stop thinking of cleaning and focus on other things that need to be done.

I've found that the same thing goes for my car. I cleaned out the inside of my car two days ago (next is the outside ) and it even seemed as if the car ran better. I know this is not really the case, but since my mental focus shifted away from thinking about the cleanliness of my car I was more aware or able to focus on the mechanics of driving.

 

[Xico]

I've been noticing my patterns in cleaning and general care and presentation of my home and it's things.
I fluctuate with almost everything I do. I get gung-ho about something and then it fizzles for a while then it returns then fizzles - pattern I've noticed for long time, pretty inconsistent like manic depression and may be a less exaggerated form of this.

My house is tidy, a little disjointed at times because of kids but everything has a place it goes to.

If my thoughts are scattered and I feel a bit low or too high I can totally overlook that the toilet needs a scrub and not care, if I'm feeling balanced and focussed then I work systematically and just do what needs to be done. The times in my life where things were totally out of order in the house were when I was using drugs and when I was suffering from severe depression.

Right now though everything is done, but kind of at a bare minimum. Our home is very very simple, hardly any things hung on the walls, minimal ornaments and trinkets, nothing interesting at all, just what we need. It lacks creativity and warmth.. It just exists.

Well that is exactly how the inside of my head feels- minimal, uninteresting, fluctuating levels of care, disjointed then focussed. Sometimes I just could not be bothered doing anything, other times I try to cram so much in in one day I get overwhelmed and nothing gets completed.. I'm so unbalanced.

I need to break the cycle and just do things instead of letting my moods dictate what I get up to.

If I force myself to put pride into my living space then may be it will reflect back onto my mind instead of my mind dictating what my house will be like because of how I am feeling.

This might be a useless tool to work with but my house and my mind both need some love and care.

Some people say that they aren't there cleaning type- I'm one of those, but I think I've changed my stance on that. If I can't keep my house clean, presentable, welcoming, personalised and organised then how on earth do I start to work on my thoughts?

hello Fluffy:

the best way to work on ones thought is by doing some EE program, this will help you release any past traumas as well as present and it will give you a clear mind to keep on working on your self.

 

[SummerLite]

Hello! So interesting to read everyone's take on their homes and how this affects ones sense of self and as a reflection of ones internal landscape. Its not something thats spoken of much but yet its something we all deal with everyday. This seems to be such a "human" aspect of life, although maybe 2d beings do the same in some ways, certainly hobbits love their homes :).

I also have a whole complex of issues that center around my home and change depending upon my mood. I have to much little stuff and "trinkets" all over unlike you Fluffy. There is something to be said for the minimalist approach. My house cleaning seems to often be time consumed arranging, organizing all this little stuff! So off and on I get rid of some. I always loved George Carlin's monologue about people and their stuff .

I also think this is quite nice and a useful thought:

Quote from: Miss.K

"And dividing the living space into areas of life, and then thinking about doing something to better that part of life, while cleaning that space is kind of therapeutic to me".

Also I like this idea very much from Dave_posse:

"Something that perhaps can help (at least works for me) is to draw / paint your own pictures to hang on the wall, you don´t be a professional artist (all we are, depend the perception) just something that can be captured on paper and is of a personal value.
Also you can produce your own furniture, chair, shelves, etc. But if you're not very skilled at building things you can buy, say, a chair and paint it yourself, there are many tecnics to apply, so there surely one in particular that you may feel more identified".

I am in the process of creating 2 paintings for a few bare walls. One of the main reasons for doing this is to nourish the expression of creativity in my life. Creativity is one of those beautiful qualities of STO and I would like to experience that more. I'm finding this is expressed in other ways not just the usual "art work" but in learning new things such as the keto diet. My creativity was pretty well squashed over the years working at a 8 to 5 job. All my creative energy was diverted and I'm working on getting that back.

Hope this is helpful in some way to you. I'm a little fuzzy on the making noise area. Everything shared here by others seems to be saying pretty much the same in how we all see our homes, your not alone.

 

[davey72]

Im not sure what type of state of mind this would portray but all my life as long as im living alone i like to let my place get really messy before cleaning up as i like to see the difference. It always makes me feel good to see such a drastic difference.