When living becomes a struggle- by Addict to Athlete

I had saved this post before Thanksgiving last year, when life felt overwhelming; when I, too, struggled with where to even begin in talking with my counselor.
It’s from a local non- profit who works with addicted people and their families. The idea that “you’re not supposed to run the dishwasher twice” and every other pre-conceived notion of society that bogs us down to keep us in some sort of expectational nightmare; needs to be washed out of our hair.
Just like the the old jingle commercial:
đ¶”I’m gonna wash that gray right outta my hair”.đ¶
I thought it might be helpful now with whatever is draining your energy that makes even the simplest tasks seem huge.

The Holidays are not always happy for those who have lost a loved one or friend to overdose. They are also extremely hard if you have a child, friend or loved one in active addiction or struggling with depression. And remember sometimes you’ve just gotta run the dishwasher twice.
When I was at one of my lowest (mental) points in life, I couldnât get out of bed some days. I had no energy or motivation and was barely getting by.
I had therapy once per week, and on this particular week I didnât have much to âbringâ to the session. He asked how my week was and I really had nothing to say.
âWhat are you struggling with?â he asked.
I gestured around me and said âI dunno man. Life.â
Not satisfied with my answer, he said âNo, what exactly are you worried about right now? What feels overwhelming? When you go home after this session, what issue will be staring at you”?
I knew the answer, but it was so ridiculous that I didnât want to say it. I wanted to have something more substantial.Something more profound. But I didnât.
So I told him, âHonestly? The dishes. Itâs stupid, I know, but the more I look at them the more I CANâT do them because Iâll have to scrub them before I put them in the dishwasher, because the dishwasher sucks, and I just canât stand and scrub the dishes.â I felt like an idiot even saying it.
What kind of grown ass woman is undone by a stack of dishes? There are people out there with actual problems, and Iâm whining to my therapist about dishes?
But he nodded in understanding and then said:
âRun the dishwasher twice.â
I began to tell him that youâre not supposed to, but he stopped me.
âWhy the hell arenât you supposed to? If you donât want to scrub the dishes and your dishwasher sucks, run it twice. Run it three times, who cares?! Rules do not exist.â
It blew my mind in a way that I donât think I can properly express.
That day, I went home and tossed my smelly dishes haphazardly into the dishwasher and ran it three times. I felt like I had conquered a dragon. The next day, I took a shower lying down.
A few days later. I folded my laundry and put them wherever the hell they fit. There were no longer arbitrary rules I had to follow it gave me the freedom to make accomplishments again.
Now that Iâm in a healthier place, I rinse off my dishes and put them in the dishwasher properly. I shower standing up. I sort my laundry.
But at a time when living was a struggle instead of a blessing, I learned an incredibly important lesson: There are no rules. Run the dishwasher twice. Credit: Kate Scott (Quora)
Original post can be seen on addict to athlete Instagram. Or on their Facebook page.
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