Hey there, busy moms and fellow cleaners! 👋 I get it — sometimes, cleaning your home feels like an impossible task, especially when you’re dealing with ADHD, depression, or just plain executive dysfunction. The struggle is real! I’ve been there, and today I want to share a cleaning hack that’s been a game changer for me. And if you’re like me — a mom balancing a million things while feeling a little overwhelmed by the state of the house — this might just help you too.
1. The Cleaning Struggles of ADHD and Depression 🧠💔
If you suffer from ADHD or depression, you probably know the feeling: you KNOW the house needs a good scrub, but actually getting yourself to do it feels like moving mountains. It’s not laziness, it’s something called executive dysfunction. It’s like having a permanent mental block — no matter how much I want to clean, I just can’t bring myself to start. 😣
Here’s the worst part: that guilt and shame starts creeping in. You look at the dishes piled up, or the dust on the shelves, and you start telling yourself that you’re failing as a mom, a person, a homeowner. Spoiler alert: You’re not! This emotional baggage around cleaning is what makes it so much harder for many of us.
2. A Professional Cleaner’s Insight that Changed My Mindset 🧼🧽
A professional cleaner (bless her heart ❤️) dropped a bombshell of a tip:
Professional cleaners don’t have emotional attachments to your home. 🏠
They don’t stand there, staring at the crumbs on the floor thinking, “Gosh, I’m such a slob for letting it get this bad.” Nope! They see the mess, acknowledge it, and clean it without that emotional weight we tend to carry. They simply do the job because it’s a task, not a reflection of their self-worth. And that’s when it clicked for me! 💡
3. The Shame Spiral 😞🚫 How It Holds Us Back
For many of us, shame is the biggest obstacle. It’s like this dark cloud hanging over our heads, making us feel like we’re not good enough. Every time I cleaned, I’d berate myself: “How did I let it get this bad?” This kind of negative self-talk makes cleaning feel like punishment instead of progress. It’s no wonder there’s no dopamine hit after cleaning when you’re emotionally drained! 😔
4. The Breakthrough: Pretend You’re a Professional! 👩🔧🏠
Here’s the magic trick that helped me: pretend you’re a professional cleaner in someone else’s house. 🎩✨
Yup, that’s right! When I clean now, I imagine that I’m just there to do a job. I walk into a room, I see the mess, and instead of feeling guilt or shame, I say to myself, “That’s a mess, let’s clean it.” No emotional baggage. No drama. Just a task to be done. ✅
I also set a timer ⏲️ for 20-30 minutes. I tell myself, “You’re only here for this long, do what you can.” By the time the timer goes off, I’ve usually tackled a good chunk of the mess and feel much better about it. This trick doesn’t magically make me a cleaning wizard overnight, but it’s shifted my whole attitude toward cleaning!
5. Progress Over Perfection 🎉💪
Listen, mamas, this isn’t about cleaning your whole house in one go. Small wins matter. Little by little, you’ll start to feel that cleaning isn’t this huge emotional battle anymore. It’s just part of the day, and you’re doing the best you can. This new approach helps reduce that shame and turns cleaning into something much more manageable. 😊
6. For My Fellow Moms with Executive Dysfunction 👩👧👦💖
I know so many of you are in the same boat as I am — juggling motherhood, a household, and sometimes battling depression or ADHD. If this sounds like you, just know that you’re not alone. You don’t have to clean your whole house at once, and you don’t have to carry the weight of guilt.
The trick is to step back, remove the emotions, and clean like a professional. You’ll be surprised at how much lighter you feel — and how much more you can get done. 🌟
Conclusion: You Got This, One Mess at a Time!
At the end of the day, we’re all just doing our best. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the mess, take a deep breath, pretend you’re a professional cleaner, and tackle it one bit at a time. 💖 You’ll feel less weighed down, and cleaning won’t seem like such a scary, emotional mountain to climb.