Would being Bipolar have anything to do with me never getting the house clean enough?

Question

I use to have no energy--for about three months after being in the hospital. Finally got my meds adjusted again and I don't want to sleep all the time now. I have four pets and a husband. He does not know how to clean, but he will pick up the house and do the dishes. I have to deal with all the dirty chores and laundry if I want it done. I have 14 rooms and they are never all clean anymore at the same time. I just had a yardsale recently and got rid of all my junk possible at this time. I am trying. Any advice for me? And tell me--is your house spotless and tidy a lot?

Oh and I work 5 days per week. I am a teacher.

Answer 1

Definately, I am the same way. I just happen to be bipolar too and I go crazy trying to get my house clean and my laundry done. I have absolutely no energy when I get off of work, but somehow I am still up doing chores and other stuff. For a while I went through a period of getting no sleep and feeling like a zombie when I go to work.Wow 14 rooms! That would drive me crazy!!!!! You poor thing. Is there any one in your family that you are close with that might be able to help you out? That is a lot for just one person to deal with!!!! Or perhaps hire some one to help you out maybe a few times a week. Good luck!!!!!

Answer 2

actually, having a clean and tidy house will help you w/ your bipolar. chaos breeds mood swings and bipolar "symptoms". it's good to have a yard sale and keep a clean house.
however, if you are obsessed with it and not sleeping, you might be in a hypomanic state and should talk to your doctor about it and your medicine.
keep taking your medicine;
go to sleep at the same time every night;
eat only healthy food;
do not drink alcohol or caffeine;
exercise daily.
if you are feeling overwhelmed, talk to your doctor. also, talk to your husband and kindly ask him to help out. maybe he can take care of one thing in each room (or maybe just one room--he is a man) and you'll not feel so overwhelmed.

by the way, great job on working 5 days a week. teaching is stressful; adding bipolar to the mix of 30 children and their chaos has got to be trying.

i live with someone who has bipolar. she is a neat freak. everything has to be clean and tidy. when we moved, everything was put away within 12 hours. some of those things were thrown into closets and drawers and were lost for a year b/c she didn't know where she put them. but, the house looked clean and she was stressed until all the boxes were gone. she is a wreck mentally when the house is not clean. even a dish in the sink upsets her. an unmade bed. mail on the table. however, her meds have calmed her down a little. she cleans her mom's house when she visits, or she leaves and stays in a hotel b/c it's too cluttered & dirty.

my advice: don't think that just meds is all you need. a holistic approach is best.

medicine
talking w/ a psychiatrist
nutrition
exercise
chiropractor (www.activator.com)
yoga
aromatherapy


a book with good pointers: "loving someone with bipolar disorder"

Answer 3

Here's a thought for you. If the president had to clean the white house, there would be very messy rooms there too. You work more than full time if you are a teacher. I work on school paperwork and lesson plans seven days a week and I'm always behind on something anyway. It is difficult to keep up with housework while doing any full time job.

I stop clutter before it stops at home by putting things away immediately after using them. Laundry sometimes piles up, but if I do it a couple times a week it is managable. Fitting in grocery shopping and the like is a challenge. Sometimes you just have to make time for yourself.
Make sure your are not behaving obsessive-compulsively about the house. A home should look "lived-in" because it is!

Answer 4

my house is never clean. i got into such a deep depression at one time that the dishes sat in my sink for so long and they got moldy and even go maggots. gross yes i know. i vowed from that moment forward that would never happen. it seems like i am always doing laundry and dishes and the living room is always cluttered with toys and such, i am always having to make rules for the kids and then they don't always follow them. so yes i know what you are feeling. it feels like you can never get on top of things. what i try to do every day is accopmplish only so much so that i don't overwhelm myslelf and have my husband help. and when you are working it is hard so have your husband help too. have him do certain chores that help you out and make a deep cleaning day once a week or every two weeks. as for the not wanting to sleep you might want to contact your doc and see what is going on because you could be in a mania and that is not good for you. especially when you just got out of the hospital and you work full time and deal with children everyday. hope that this helps

Answer 5

I don't think its bi-polar, I just think your too busy! and no one is helping you!
Since my disability they are gonna condemn my house, there is only so much one person can do. And I know how you feel, if I take a room a day and scour it, by the end of the week you can't tell I've busted my *** to clean, I have gotten rid of all my clutter too and you Will see this does help alot!!
just do the best you can, and learn to let the anxiety of not having your house **** and span go.
I use to freak out, especially if someone would come over, but realized my true friends never cared what my house looked like they just want to see me.
Are you in the position to hire someone to come help do the major cleaning a few times a month, there are plenty of people that clean houses, avg. 10.00 an hour have them come in a few hours a month to do the scouring, floors etc.

Answer 6

I advise you to simplify your life and move into a smaller house.

Also, hire a professional housecleaner to come in twice a month. If you don't move, you should have her clean 1/2 of the house and you could clean the other 1/2. Depending on your financial situation, she could do the whole house for about $10.00 an hour at a cost of about $50.00 every two weeks.

Answer 7

I used to be an assistant building custodian for a school administration building with lots of offices. We had a routine and the truth when we left and locked up at night small amounts of dust were already collecting. You are never through cleaning just set you what rooms get cleaned on what days and when complete start over.

Answer 8

my house isnt (spotless...HAHAHAHAH) <

Answer 9

1) Use fewer rooms. 2) Sell up and get something easier to manage. 3.) Change your attitude and learn to tolerate the place being less than spotless, and clean those you spend less time in, less often.

Answer 10

Sounds to me like a bipolar high mixed with OCD.