My House Must Be Tidy Every Day (or My Anxiety Kicks In)

Alternate title: If my house is a hot mess, I’m a hot mess.

I know what you’re thinking: If she has time to pick up her house every day, she must have a lot of time on her hands. Wrong. I am no different than most. Two kids (including a toddler), full-time mom, blogger, soccer parent, do-gooder, room parent, etc. Time is the last thing I have a lot of. Yet, I choose to use what little time I have to myself throughout the day to tidy up my house.

I’m not a neat freak, honestly. My husband complains what a mess my car is (although I need everything in it!). I can’t stand folding laundry, so if it’s in a pile in the closet, that’s okay with me. It’s the things I can see in out in the open that must be tidy. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.

I vacuum every day, sometimes twice a day. The site of crumbs alone sends me into a cleaning frenzy. I can spot them from a mile away. When the sun is setting, my floors bask in the glow, and I cringe when I see just how much dust and crap has accumulated so quickly. My older son drops more on the floor than he gets in his mouth, and I psychically can’t let it be there for long. I wait and see if anyone else picks up pieces of granola bar, sandwich crust, or blueberries. But, after about 10 minutes, I can’t help myself. It’s the reason my brother labelled me “the crumb Nazi.”

Having a messy house is bad for my sanity. Maybe because I’m home more than my family that I feel surrounded by things that make me uneasy, and I have the power to change that feeling. I constantly shuffle things from place to place. Empty soda cans, cords strewed about the countertops — I’d rather them be in the drawer when not in use. Can’t the keys stay on the kitchen island until morning? No. Can’t the empty cereal box be left on the counter because the trashcan is full? I will go through the effort of putting on shoes, opening the garage, and taking it out to the recycle bin on the side of the house, instead of leaving it all night to stew on and then seeing it again in the morning. Can I wait for someone else to shut the pantry door that I already closed four times that day? No, my anxiety doesn’t allow it. I can’t help myself.

Keeping our house tidy makes a difference to my sanity and my family’s sanity. If mama ain’t happy — ain’t nobody happy! Therefore, I must tidy up every night. I don’t mean mopping the floors and dusting, etc. I mean, everything has a place, and it needs to be put there before I can get in bed and close my eyes. The blanket needs to be folded neatly on the couch instead of crumpled up on the floor. The toys and books need to be put in their bins. The dishes in the sink need to be clean. You get it. It doesn’t take very long since I did it the night before, and probably a few times earlier that day. I now get my oldest son to help me as part of his chores so that saves a few minutes, too.

Simply put, when my house is a hot mess, I’m a hot mess. Tidying up at the end of another long day may not be worth it to some, but it’s a necessity for me.

What causes you everyday anxiety?