Posted by lando68 on December 17, 2007, at 18:34:35
In reply to Re: Self Esteem in re Apathy/Inertia/Anhedonia » lando68, posted by ClearSkies on December 17, 2007, at 8:55:21
> It sounds to me like depression rather than a problem with self esteem. You're clearing a path so you can get out the door and function - showering, cleaning the clothes you need to wear, and keeping the plants alive (that's pretty major in itself!), but there's nothing left, as it were, for the rest of your surroundings. I do know this feeling well, and the only way I've been able to keep from feeling overwhelmed by it is to tackle a very small slice of it at a time.
>
> So, say, if the dining room table is piled a foot high with all sorts of stuff, and you don't even know what sorts of stuff it is, instead of making it a job to clear the entire table one evening, tackle instead just one quarter of it. (Just enough to give you a spot to eat off of if you wanted to.) It's not the whole enchilada; if you get stuck, you can actually put the stuff you clear on top of the other stuff on the table (!), and it will give you an inroad to getting the rest of the table cleared.
>
> Or, another tactic is to set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes, and do nothing but tidy up for those fifteen minutes. When the timer goes off, you're done - off the hook. For me, it's been crucial to put the insurmountable tasks into portions that are possible for me to succeed at. A whole day of cleaning is NOT possible. 15 minutes definitely IS. By setting small and attainable goals for myself, I was able to start regaining some control over the mess and chaos in my house. And now I don't get quite as freaked out if I see bits of it getting messed up again, because I know I'll be able to schnibble away at it if it gets too bad.
>
> I don't know if this helps you at all, but it's where I ended up.
> ClearSkiesThanks - it actually does help. It's good advice. And 'schnibble' is a good word. :-)
poster:lando68
thread:801009
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/esteem/20071011/msgs/801343.html