NLD, Being Tidy, and Cleaning
Today’s episode is about NLD and cleaning, being tidy. I have challenges with keeping my room tidy while growing up and I still do as an adult. I did better in college because I had to keep my room clean because of roommates or apartment-mates. I also have done better lately around the house than I used because I have had too many meltdowns with cleaning to count.
The last time I decided to make a plan and do a better job with cleaning than I used to. I’m using my eye for details to be able to clean better so I can do a more thorough job. Here’s a quote from an article about: “6 Surprising Ways Nonverbal Learning Disability Affects Me as a Young Adult” by Michaela Hearst, MSW on Nov 16, 2017.
“Over the years, my bedroom has always been messy. When I was in college, my mother, who is phenomenal with cleaning and organizing, would help me make my room spotless at the beginning of every semester. However, by the end of every term, my room was, put simply, a mess. Now that I’m older, I know the standards for cleanliness are much higher. So I’ve learned ways to be neater and cleaner. The best strategy for my NVLD: Everything has its proper place. After I use something, I promptly put it back where it belongs.”
I agree with Michaela. I try to put everything back in place after using it. It would be great if I could get some things to help organize my clothing in drawers because sometimes I can’t find a sock when I need it. Being tidy is a good practice in life though because it does help you with being organized too.
I remember in college when I lived in the co-ops we were required to do house improvement hours. One of the things we could do is to help clean at an assisted living place, Clark Kerr, one of the dorms. It felt so good to help a woman who had recently gone through some surgeries because she couldn’t move some of her muscles anymore. She was allergic to dust so she couldn’t clean and we threw away the rags we were using to clean with. We made her bed and did her laundry. Told her stories and helped with dishes. We vacuumed and dusted too. When we were all done she was so happy that she asked if she hugged us and we said yes. I miss doing those kinds of things.
Here’s another article about NLD and housecleaning by someone I’ve interviewed for the podcast Anna, “House Cleaning and Reminiscing: Part 1” from January 15, 2021. Anna “has dreamed about making the world a better place for people who think differently her whole life. She has worked as a newspaper reporter and supported employment within community mental health to achieve these goals. When not writing her blog, This NVLD Life, she enjoys going on adventures with her husband and their cat, Mia. Anna is a Project Social Ambassador for The NVLD Project.”
“A few months back my husband and I took a stay-cation vacation week. We started that week off by cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of things we no longer need. As is the case whenever I move my belongings around for a clean-up. I resurfaced papers I have saved from my NVLD journey and I revisited them. These documents are important to me throughout my path. The first that I found is my three-year evaluation when I was in 8th grade. As a child with a diagnosis, I would get retested and evaluated every three years to gauge my learning improvements and my qualifications for continued special education services. My 8th-grade evaluation is a favorite of mine. Although there was no diagnosis of NVLD in any of my evaluations until I was 28 years old, my 8th-grade testing makes it very clear that NVLD is what I had been managing all along.”
I can relate to Anna because I remember cleaning the “junk” drawer in my room several times. After all, it had too much “junk” in it. I probably need to do that again soon. I like doing it because it helps me see parts of my life that I used to not like and how far I've come since then.
I also think of how long it used to take me to clean at The Unity Center when I was starting to sanitize areas the staff used after COVID-19 started. It probably took me a few hours. Now it only takes an hour depending on how much I’m doing each time. I usually mop the tile floors, clean bathrooms, vacuum the hallways, sanctuary, stairs, offices, and sanitize anything that someone would have touched with a tougher or disinfectant. I do this twice a week.
I also think of organizing things digitally as cleaning. I have so many files for emails that it is comical. I have many ones in google drive for work and personal things. This helps me know where to put documents that I work on for the podcast, personal, financial, and work-related things. It also helps me find documents more easily when I want to use them in the future if necessary.
I would like to hear from you my audience on how you struggle with cleaning and being tidy. Please email me at livingwithnld@gmail.com or comment on youtube with an answer. Or on my blog with the answer thank you.
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