Alex's Answer

Hi, and thank you for contacting Ask Alex. 

Thank you for talking to us about your thoughts of panic when you are cleaning your room. It can be hard for someone to open up and chat about their worries and their fears; it’s so helpful to talk about these things and get the support needed. 

We are sorry to hear how you feel overwhelmed and anxious when you are cleaning your room. Feeling overwhelmed can be a normal reaction to life’s stressors but it becomes a problem when it lasts longer than it should and is more intense than it should be, and it is very understandable you find this worrying. 

Have you felt anxious like this before? If so, was there anything you did then that you can do now to help you manage your anxiety? Have you ever tried grounding and/or breathing exercises? You might find the following articles helpful: https://livingwell.org.au/well-being/mental-health/grounding-exercises/; https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-article/grounding-techniques. Another useful website is  https://jigsaw.ie/, they are a mental health organization and do work around anxiety and young people. You are not alone in dealing with these difficulties, it’s very common for young people and adults to need some help and support when dealing with difficult emotions. Remember, there are many groups and organizations out there that can help you. 

You have identified one situation that triggers these difficult emotions for you – when your room is messy, and you need to clean it. It could be helpful to see if there are any other situations or events that make you feel the same way. If you are aware of these triggers, then it can make it easier for you to make helpful changes in managing your feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed. 

It can often be very helpful to talk to friends and family when we are experiencing difficult emotions. Opening up and talking about our challenges is often relieving in and of itself and in addition, sometimes the adult we reach out to may have gone through these feelings themselves at some point in their lives and they could give you really helpful advice. They could also help you to get any professional support you may need (from your family GP for instance). 

Sometimes people don’t always have an adult in their family or a trusted adult that they feel comfortable discussing these feelings with and this is okay too as Childline is here and ready to listen to any concerns or issues you may have.  Childline is a free and confidential listening service which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can contact Childline through our telephone service on  1800 66 66 66  or text service on  50101  or by web chat which you can access at  https://www.childline.ie/. 

We really hope that this answer helps you to find a way of coping with your feelings and you know there is support for you when you need it. Feel free to contact us at any point in the future. 

Mind yourself,  

Alex.