Tips To Make Your ‘Pit’ Easier To Tidy Up

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When people are struggling with their mental health, keeping things clean and tidy can become a hard thing to do. Everyday tasks can require too much energy and become an overwhelming thing to tackle. You might even have heard of your bedroom, or where you spend your time, being referred to as a ‘pit’ before. 

So what can you do to manage your energy, feel less overwhelmed, and make your room feel a little less pit-like?

Make time your friend

Taking everything on at once can feel even more overwhelming, so, just start small. Decide on a time of day, and a time period - so, 10am, every day, for ten minutes - which is dedicated to cleaning up. When the time comes, keep an eye on the clock and stick to your plan. This will help you stay focused and will help you understand how you work best. Maybe you’re a morning person, so waking up and being productive is helpful. Or maybe you’re a night owl and 2am is the perfect time to put some clothes away. Sometimes, all it takes is a small, consistent short burst to get things rolling!

Start where you spend your time

Do you spend most of your time in bed? Or are you sat at a desk? Do you have a favourite corner to cotch in? Wherever it is that you find yourself most, start there. Remove any empty food packets, change your sheets, pick up some clothes, or just straighten up the papers and pens that hide the surface of your desk. Starting where you feel most comfortable might give you the motivation to move on to other areas of your room too.

Manage your expectations

Some mental health days are better than others. So remember to give yourself a break when you need to and take advantage of the good days when you can. No one expects a (physically) sick person to be running around all day, and you shouldn’t expect the same from yourself when your mental energy and capacity is at a zero. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself, take it a day at a time, and when you do feel good, pick something small to work on, whether it’s tidying up your space, or doing something like having a long shower and washing your hair.

Make it a game

Sometimes you might have the motivation to start tidying up, but just not know where to start. So why not gamify it a bit? Whack on some cheesy music (or even look for a gameshow vibe type playlist) that you can sing along to and get the endorphins moving, and start with something like picking up all your socks, or trying to find the pairs that match. Or tidying up anything with the colour red in it, then the colour yellow and so on, until you’ve done the whole rainbow! Or find items that go together, like picking up all the hair ties you can see and putting them with your hairbrush/comb. By making it feel a little bit more ‘fun’ it can take the edge off the overwhelming feelings when you’re not feeling your best. 

Let the light in

Keeping the curtains closed is something a lot of people do when they’re not feeling their best - like literally blocking out the ‘real’ world. But by simply opening your curtains or blinds every morning, and even cracking open the window too, you’ll shed new light, and perhaps a new perspective, on your day. It might also help you see where to start tidying up better, or highlight a specific area to tackle. 

Reward yourself

Being motivated on your worst days can be really hard. So, make sure you give yourself your dues when you do complete tasks. Show yourself some love alongside your cleaned up space, whether that's eating some yummy snacks, watching your favourite movie, or doing a skincare routine that’ll make you glow. Whatever it is that makes you feel good, be sure to embrace it!