Sunday, February 1, 2009

Someone Diagnose Me Please

I'm feeling overwhelmed this weekend. I sure there is probably some diagnosis a mental health doctor could give me. I'm not ready to go there yet, so I thought I would let you all take a stab at diagnosing my disorder.

Here's my problem. I overextend myself and then get so overwhelmed that I just don't do anything. It's like I go on strike from my life. I quit worrying about housework. I quit all my projects. I just sort of drift while chastising myself for being so behind, yet I don't actually do anything about it. Eventually I snap out of it, and then I go to the extreme in getting everything back on track. I'm the type that just can't bring myself to do chores on a daily basis. I wait until I can't stand it anymore and then I go on a cleaning spree. Same with projects...totally procrastinator. I've been like this for as long as I can remember. When I was little I would wait until my room was a complete disaster and then one day I would just go crazy cleaning....and rearranging furniture. When I was in college I would wait until the night before a big project was due and then pull an all-nighter. It always worked for me. I got A's in school. But now that I'm in real life with kids, a husband, a job and tons of other stuff, it's getting to be too much. How do I make myself be motivated all the time instead of just sporadically? Intellectually, I know that doing one load of laundry a day is much easier than doing 7 on the weekend. Still I put it off. I've thought about this all weekend (instead of cleaning) and I still can't figure out why I'm like this.

Any suggestions? Are any of you like this?

4 comments:

Lilly said...

Um because you are just like the rest of us. I am so much the same and have always been. A nothing or everything kind of person! Sorry I cant give you any good advice...except to say you do have a lot on your plate and may need a rest.

A New Yorker said...

First you stop beating yourself up!
Second, you make a list for each day. You only put a few things on them that you can commit to and that is that. Otherwise you'll always feel overwhelmed and nothing will ever get done. I'm like you as well btw.

Aleta said...

I'm with Lauren on the list. I find that it helps me to concentrate if I have a list going. Then you feel a sense of accomplishment as you mark things off the list.

Julie said...

Honey, I am so with you on this one. Just read my latest post and you'll get a feel for it. I'll let you know when I figure it out for myself.

Dig in...