On the zero waste subject… my midwife was working for a family who at the time was claiming to be the most “zero waste” / environmentally clean family. I believe they had their house designed that way and we’re on a tv show about it. When the baby was born my midwife was trying to softly encourage them to use paper plates if they needed to- because we all know life with newborns can be hectic! The couple actually informed her that in their research they had found out that actually using paper plates was LESS wasteful/ environmentally destructive than using water and washing dishes. I always remember this when I have to use paper plates! No more guilt! 😅
This really hits home. I have stage 4 cancer and I struggle with just getting out of bed because of pain and exhaustion. Both of you women are so compassionate. I wish more people were like you two.
@@pattyfalls7801 my cancer is rare also. It’s called Neuroendocrine Tumors. It took them over 13 years to find it but I now have answers to my symptoms and that is a great comfort. Wishing you well also!!! 🙏🏻💙🙏🏻
Wonderfully sensitive. THANK YOU! As a chronically ill person, I’ve become very selective about who is “safe” to ask for help. Loneliness is an issue though. Often the act of talking is way too hard, but a cheerful text, card, meme, post it note, invitations with a “no pressure/obligation” etc. is so appreciated. Since I often end up needing to cancel last minute or even in the middle of something I really want to do, I welcome impromptu chats with a friend. $ is really tight on disability, so sitting outside or even inside where you bring your own tea bag, and I supply the hot water feels more enjoyable because you’re contributing but without the load of $.
"They don't know what to do with you." Yes, so much this. So much of not being able to plan ahead for activities with people because you don't know what your pain/mental level will be that day. Now that I have found all these decluttering channels, they give me ideas of small things we can do; if all else fails, look for trash. Look for small things to do, one small thing at a time. Knowing that the small things count toward things we accomplished helps. Dawn, yes, the amount of certain things that you have so you can cope does make a difference. Before I retired, I made sure I had two weeks' worth of clothing (especially underclothes) in my wardrobe because I couldn't count on being able to get laundry done every weekend. (By the time I got home from work, there was literally no physical wherewithal to do laundry on a workday, especially because my washer is down a set of stairs.)
Yes, I have clothes to deal with my health problems. My husband has enough clothes for work for up to 2½ weeks. He has told me not to worry he can wear anything for a week so if needed the clothes would work for more than a month.
A common thing in my culture is bringing a meal or snacks, a freezer meal, jar of soup. Often when you drop off food they’ll invite you to sit down and that would give you an opportunity to have a short chat if they are lonely but hesitant to have you over
She is RIGHT ON!! I've been struggling with MS for 40 years, and have discovered the minimalist attitude. Am now starting the decluttering process with a hoarding husband 🙄 (PRAY FOR ME, LOL). BUT I truly believe this will make my life SO MUCH BETTER AND MANAGEABLE. Guilt has been taking me down, so this will greatly reduce it.
This was very validating. I have something called HHT. It can rear its ugly head once a week or 3 times a day. It’s causes severe anemia, fatigue & usually a mess to clean up with laundry to do. This podcast was truly significant for me as HHT can make a person feel so isolated. Thanks to both of you ladies for shining a light on chronic illness issues. So appreciated!!!
I have chronic depression/anxiety and ADHD. I bought Beddy's Bedding. It zips up like a sleeping bag. It is expensive, but was worth it to me because I now make my bed almost every single day. :)
Dawn, I love this so much! I'm at home recovering from knee replacement surgery, and it has been so hard not to be able to do not only the mundane things but to work on minimizing my house! I'm a go-getter, and this has been so hard! I have been struggling with depression and frustration, but my faith and watching Minimal Mom are getting me through! I love you, Dawn! Thank you for being such a blessing in my life!❤️
I got back from my second total knee replacement in 8 weeks., it's a brutal recovery. It will get better! Hang in there and don't give up. I promise it gets better.
Three things that have helped me most while decluttering with chronic health challenges are 1) Instead of trying to stand or crouch where the clutter's been living, moving a do-able amount of stuff in a bin to where *I'M* comfortable sorting it. Game changing! 😃2) *TEMPTATION BUNDLING for the win!* Sorting a bin of stuff on the couch with the TV on is SO much more pleasant, which means I'm much more likely to want to do it again. : - ) 3) Constantly reminding myself that when I cross my Clutter Threshold things will be *permanently* easier to maintain. That's a gift to myself that's worth working towards! Hugs and good wishes to anyone dealing with chronic challenges of any kind! We got this!❤❤
I love Sarah, she’s so right. I have MS and some other autoimmune diseases- Hashimoto’s for one. Minimalism and reducing the inventory are so important. Using the good days, with a check list of priorities to hit the most important things before I lose the energy.
This is a great podcast. The struggle and grief is real, but I love the idea of the reverse to-do list. Totally agree that dishes and laundry are the priorities, and having back ups/spares of essential items. Amazon prime is also a lifesaver when you can’t easily shop…as is batch cooking one-pot meals and freezing them. We’re so hard on ourselves when we can’t do all the things we used to, or feel we “should” be doing, but we also have an amazing ability to adapt. Crafting/sewing when I’m able to has been a lifeline for me as I’m no longer able to work. Love and hugs to everyone going through similar struggles xx
I couldn't sleep during my second pregnancy when I was starting to have close contractions. My family was coming from out of town and because I was early and it was unexpected, I had no idea who would be consistently with our son. I sat up typing out a "day in the life" type list on schedules, eating habits, etc. Everyone was very thankful! Ps, this is golden. Love love love these concepts!!!
Thank you so much for these podcast. Sarah's and yours Chanel are the two channels which I learned the way to minimize my home. I think it's already nearly 5 years ago when I'm starter my minimal way with your channals. I also have a chronic illness and that's the reason why I minimized my home because my family can do the homework by them selves without my help. We only have the staff we need at home and that makes life easier to help me while I'm in a sick period ore in hospital. Another tip for chronik illness person : I also have startet to boil down meals for the periods I can't cook a meal. They only has to open a glass and warm it and a meal is ready. When I feel good I prepare new meals so it's ready when we need them. But one think I have struggle with is to clean the house ( wash the flour ore clean up the bathroom) and ask family ore friends for help to do these. That's a range I have to learn to be not perfekt. Thank you so much for your surviving tips ;-)
I've never heard of Sarah, but this was a great podcast. As someone who has physical limitations, I liked what she said & some ideas she offered. Great video. 😊
I'm 87 years. , living with a bad back, using a walker. Such a great podcast! For morivation, I often set my timer for 10 minutes or sometime 15 ,20 and I can keep going for 10 min, with grit, and the collapse but you'd be surprised about what u can accomplis in 10 minutes. Rest and the another 10 min, etc.
What a great guest. You’re both so compassionate, and being really seen by people that understand and don’t judge is so helpful and motivating. Thank you.
Thank you for having Sarah on shes so refreshing Dawn 🧡 I have disabled children & I home Ed too, so completely understand what it’s like living with chronic illness, wonderful interview xx🧡
Thank you for this podcast! I am a care giver to my husband and find that a lot of these tips will help me with my limited time to get things done around our house.
Sarah is the absolute best. I have loved her channel for ages. She is so gracious, caring and compassionate. Plus, she has good advice and solid solutions.
@@sharoncooper7381 Sarah's channel is @SmallChanges . Sarah | Small Changes. She's so helpful, especially for those of us with chronic health issues, to hold to minimalism.
This was a real gift - I have 2 chronic illnesses & struggle with asking for help or saying no to offers of going some where. The podcast gave me some excellent ideas for dealing with it. I hope we have more podcasts like this!
So pleased you have spoken about this subject specifically. The social side of things can be really hard. I would add that offering to pop by for ten mins would be nice for a quick catch up, as I miss the chats at the school gates but am not always able to manage an hour of meeting up. Also I may look well but I can’t pick up a kettle and have plastic cups and plates to lighten the load for me. Having visitors who are ok with this and relaxed about it would be nice. I definitely recommend going minimal and the mindset for me was that it was the one thing I could do that if I got worse or remained ill I would be happy I had done it, and if I got better I would have more time for fun things so would be happy I had done it! I wanted to add to anyone struggling that the laundry thing, and having fewer clothes, can feel counter intuitive but give it a go. Yes I have to do washing a couple of times a week but I never have a lot. One last tip for tough times is that we paid for Amazon prime for same day or next day deliveries and this just took some pressure off re shopping stuff, that if I’d forgotten something or needed even just one item quick I could get it delivered. Oh, whoops, sorry this is the last tip! Phone calls and appointments were really hard to do, especially if it was a call where I might be on hold for half an hour plus or if there was a reasonable expectation of having to call and speak to several people to get something done. I had my husband to ask to help out with these but if someone is alone and struggling offering to help with this would be amazing. The appointments don’t need to be all for that week but spaced out over a month or so, but at least they would be scheduled and in the diary.
I have been watching Sarah’s videos and she really understands and my life is changing since then . Thankfully I had decluttered but she has created a way to have a life with several complicated issues. She is amazing and so are you to reaching people like me and others ❤️
I also have a severe physical disability (MS), along wih severe scoliosis and Chronic Fatigue. My family doesn't help much. Husband is physically Disabled too. I feel like a burden. So I don't ask outsiders. I do the best I can.
Bless your heart. My mom has a very bad case of scoliosis. It never seemed to bother her that much though until she was much older. Praying for you and your husband 🙏🏼
Thank you!!! I am home bound with epilepsy. It was late onset and completely turned my life upside down. Grieving the old me is a REAL issue. I have bipolar as well. Trying to push through during the low times was just not possible. Never knowing when a seizure will level you for a couple of days. Thank you for your empathy in how to do my life now. Also love “I made my doctors appointment today! “ yay🎉
LOVE THIS!!! Thankfully my pain is now very manageable but I'd had pain for a decade and a half, plus then became a new mom with babies that did not sleep well, homeschooling aftrr quitting my job, dealing with loss/grief and seeing my parents and in-laws dealing with health challenges, etc. I've been so motivated for the last several years to simplify and minimalize. Dawn has been pivotal in helping with this, and I love her and Sarah's perspective. So helpful!
Such a good video. I’ve been recovering from a brain injury for 18 months. Listening to your videos for most of this time Dawn. I loved this one. It was so relatable for me. Also I have zero support besides my mom and my teenager who has disabilities and special needs. I feel very isolated.
My favorite podcast! I’m so glad you covered chronic illness. I have seizures and brittle bones so I break a lot of bones and being hospitalized and having surgeries and living in pain because of those things and also having Chronic Late Lyme Disease & having therapy to go to, really makes it hard to keep things together. I don’t have the energy or strength and my family doesn’t have the same standards of cleanliness as I do…adhd & Aspergers make it difficult for them to stay on task… I used to be super strict about how things were done but I’ve learned to let some things go because it was causing more stress on me and my family. People that don’t have chronic pain and they have a Type A personality, they really don’t get it sometimes and I find they have a hard time understanding. It makes me not want to let people help because I feel like my house needs to be to my old standards before they can come over since those type of people are so particular about how things are done.
Thank you so much for this grace filled podcast! I’m newly diagnosed with Lupus and POTS and it has been so hard adjusting to my new life. This type of advice and kindness is so needed in the chronic illness community.
Thank you for discussing this subject. It’s something that most people want to gloss over. I have had a lifetime of pretending that I don’t struggle with pain, fatigue and occasional bouts of depression as a result. My mother was in a very serious car accident while pregnant with me. We both almost died. I was born with my skull too tight so have had constant head pain and tinnitus all my life. Add migraines and neck injury at age eight… Also chronic fatigue, adrenal fatigue, POTS and arthritis. I always think I can get lots done but reality is I just can’t. I became a single mom when my kids were small and now live alone since they grew up so there is only me to accomplish everything. The kids did grow into being helpful but now live in different states than me. As a result of the chronic health issues my finances have always been low making hiring people very difficult to do. My actual life is so different from what my brain thinks it should be. I watch your RU-vid channel, Dawn and dream of having the energy to declutter and be minimal and there it stays, a dream. Thank you for the encouragement though. 😍
Lovely conversation. It has not been my life experience to have bandwidth to create a list for a friend when crisis happens. We have literally depended on the Holy Spirit to provide what we could not express.
Dawn, I Loved this so much! I’m retired and have COPD and Asthma. The “asking for help” is So Hard for me! I’ve always been able to do most anything I wanted. Now I struggle to vacuum or clean the tubs. I have to take so many breaks that I just don’t do it very often🤦🏻♀️ If I could afford a cleaning person I would definitely do that! Thank you for all you do!❤
Glad you had an interview with Sarah. I have enjoyed her videos for several years and she is a fellow Aussie 🇦🇺❤ Also I have chronic fatigue so have little energy. I find it difficult to stay on top of tidying my apartment. I am minimalist and only live in a small space so at least that helps.
Awesome ! I just did a 45 min paper declutter today , & a major cupboard declutter that surprisingly only took 5 minutes ! Now what ekse can I do ? I love this Journey !
10:00 I am very particular about my laundry too. My children have had to develop their own way of washing clothes. My youngest is very frustrated with the fact that she hates how complicated, yet she prefers how much her clothes last and are free of stains. Her siblings tell her that, she can still get clean clothes other ways. That, I can remove special stains afterwards or just have things replaced. She is like, the thing I have are expensive and will cost much money to have them replaced. She also has Autism and so do I. I am working on simplifying, to help us both. My husband wants to purchase a washer/dryer for me. I saw how one needs to add soap and other, yes it freezing me out of letting him do that. I would have less control on my laundering.
What is her channel. I’ve watched and keep fall asleep. I don’t have help, my car is full and I haven’t had the strength to drive. I probably have a little bit and it’s done except memory stuff I’ve put away can’t do. I’ll have to hire through an organization but it will be worth it. I love having someone who understands
Thank you so much for this video! Very practical and helpful. I have Stage 4 cancer so my energy and general capacity to do what I used to do, is very limited. What has helped me, is using a timer. I find that I have the most energy in the morning so I put on a timer for a set time and just do what I can in that time frame. What doesn’t get done, doesn’t get done. Also, I have systemically gone through my home and simplified/minimized every cupboard and every process ( from cooking to my skincare). This has been so helpful because keeping on top of things has become so much easier. Dawn, your channel has helped me so much in this process, thank you! Glad to have been introduced to Sarah so I will look up her channel. Love from a fellow Aussie! Blessing to both of you ❤
Thank you for touching on this subject in such a respectful and practical way! I’m an amputee from birth with unpredictable pain and regular daily home care is hard enough with that. And even though i can see how simplifying would make things easier overall actually having time, energy and spoons to actually do it has been difficult.
Thank you so much for this podcast @Dawn! I’m 49, with chronic illness, now having stomach/ kidneys health issues. I also have a daughter with special needs. She has Down syndrome and also is Type 1 diabetic. My husband works long hours as a truck driver. Both my parents have passed away and extended family doesn’t offer any help. I’ve been watching you for a couple years and working on decluttering over time. I live in a single wide mobile home so how I’ve accumulated so much is still a mystery haha You’ve helped me so much. As well as Diana. I also have extreme anxiety and depression. I’ve been stuck for a couple of months and not done what I want to as far as decluttering but this really helped me to not be so hard on myself! ❤️
Thank you so much for this. I have mobility disability which brings its own perspective. But I also live with Chiari 2. So, I don’t know what the day will ever look like.
In this episode you asked what you could help with if someone is chronicly ill. It really depends on what they have and the severness of it. I have cluster headache and migraine and fibromyalgia and the list goes on, but the things I struggle with is sometimes just taking out the trash or get the mail, but sometimes it could be laundry or just tidy the table in the livingroom. I live alone so no one else can do things for me, but there is also just me that make a mess, and I'm really good at making a mess real fast 😂. Someone who has a mental ilness could be much sicker than me having a cluster headache attack 4 times every day for a few weeks or months, you just can't compare it as mental health ilness just exhausts you every single minute of the day, so even though you could do it physically you just can't do it because of the exhaustion. I think I'm a bit of a control freak and I don't like anyone to do my laundry, not even my mother that did it for 24 years or so. I just recently got a dishwashing machine and it's so helpfull for me to just let the machine do it's thing and then I can emty it when I can. I recently also got a robot vacuum cleaner with mopping and it's a game changer for me, now my floors are clean every day and I know that I can not put things on the floor as the robot don't understand (it was a cheap one, expensive models probably can move around clutter) cords and clutter like cat toys. I had to replace my carpet under my sofa table, but it's worth it as I now actually can sit in the sofa and watch the robot clean. It sounds a bit lazy, but when you're sick it's actually like if your mother stoppet by to do it for you. I now can actually have the capacity to do my own laundry but I still might need help with mowing the lawn or showeling snow in the winter and I guess this is the same for everyone that has an illness. If you have a partner and kids that are more than 5 years old they could do it. My brother and mother complains about my clutter, (it was bad for a long time) but my brothers gigantic house is also cluttered and dirty almost all the time even though they have a cleaner that comes every 14 days to clean, they just need to tidy before she comes and they have like a lot of storage like closets and wardrobes, I don't have any closets or wardrobes at all, I do have some storage space under my matress (there's a room there) and the same in my sofa, but everything else has to be stored in the kitchen or in two dressers exept for my craft room, were I have shelves and drawers to store everything and it's so tidy in there when I have not used it and made a mess while crafting, but all the things can be put away in 5 minutes. I think my flat is tidy for not having a lot of storage space, and I just don't understand why people that have big homes with lots of storage space leave a lot of clutter out, especially when they have kids that is old enough to tidy up and even clean their room. I was spoiled as I didn't have to clean my floor in my room until I was 10, but I had to dust all my shelves and such, but I just couldn't get my closet to be tidy and I remember that I hated it and wished that it was tidy, but I just didn't know how to declutter, I was a little horder and just didn't wannt to throw anything away, I remember my grandfather was going to help me and he wanted to throw away a Ken with one leg. He saw him as clutter, I saw him as a handicapped Ken and wanted to keep him, but I think he was thrown away anyway. I also remember as an adult having to throw a big St. Bernhards dog that had a hole in the foot and the stuffing that was like small isopor pearls, was everywhere. I had tried to fix it at one point, but mice in the attick thought it was food and made a new hole right beside the patch. I had won the big dog at a fairground when I was 5 and I was in my twenties when my mother made me throw it away and my friend couldn't stop laughing and she still reminds me every now and then, but they didn't understand how hard it was for me to let that dog go. I guess it was so hard as I had won it when I still was a happy little kid, before everything got bad in school and before I was sick. For my mother it was just taking up a lot of space in the attick. I have since then decluttered a lot of stuff sitting in the attick at my mothers house, and I now have just some clothes and some things that I can't store like my chrismas decorations, but I still have a bin with some memories, but I recently changed the bin to a smaller one, so I'm getting there someday that I can have a minimal life, but I don't think it will ever be minimal in the sense of not having anything that just brings me joy, and I will still have both a hammer and a frying pan, I'm not going full Marie Kondo even though it was her that started my journey to declutter everything, and I even took all the bins from moms attick down and decluttered everything before putting back the things that I couldn't let go at the time, but a lot of it has been decluttered after that too. I moved 2,5 years ago and I lived in a house then and had to move to a small apartment that was half the size and no storage, and in the house it was a lot of storage and I had a lot of things and a lot of just garbage as I had to share my garbage bin with another family and it was always full, and I was very sick when I lived there so I wasn't able to take out all the trash like boxes and such, but I had a lott of space to store it and when I had to move in just a few weeks I didn't have time to get rid of a lot, so it was a lot that had to go, even furniture, so I could fit everything in my new apartment, and it have taken me over two years to get everything organized, but now I think it's as it should be, but I still want to get rid of more just in case I need to move in a hurry again and have to do it by myself as the people who helped me are old and sick now and can't help me and I don't have any friends, so I would have to hire someone to help me, and I would have to pack up all before that. I have small bins in every drawer and such, so it's much easier than last time when everything was just loose and my brother took the drawers and just threw everything into a box, I had just finished cleaning up those drawers, but couldn't afford to buy bins, so it was just organized without any bins or boxes. When I moved my electricity bill was down by a lot even though the prices rised into the sky and I bought boxes and bins for everything. When I open a drawer or kitchen cabinets everything that is not like utensils or plates and such will be in a box, and even the utensils have a tray, so when I move I can just take the tray and put it in a box and put the tray into the drawer in the new kitchen. The food is in boxes and cans and all my soups and such is in bins, so I will just put them into a box, not having to check for anything that expired. Organization with boxes and bins is so clean and tidy, and you can leave the home in just a few days, last time I was packing up my things for two months and on moving day it didn't look like I packed anything. On the like shelf under my sofa table I have baskets with things like medicine and some other stuff that I use regularly. It doesn't look as cluttered as when everything was just out in the open and I had to have a table cloth to hide it, now I just have a table runner and even though you can see right through it as it's glass you still will think it's tidy as everything is in the baskets and is organized inside the baskets so it doesn't look like a hot mess when you look through the glass table top. I do feel much better with things being tidy and organized and clean, even though I can't clean in two months it doesn't look like a pig lives there. I do wipe off the counters in my kitchen and clean like the toilet and sink in the bathroom, but I don't always clean the floor and bathtub at the same time, and I sometimes use just disposable wipes when I have cluster headache attacks as I can't have anything that smells as it triggers attacks with both cluster and migraine at the same time, so I think it's better to just take a wipe or just a microfibercloth without soap and just wipe off, but sometimes it's not clean and I just hope that my landlord doesn't step by as it would be embarrassing even though he would understand that I'm to sick to do it, you can tell as my face looks like I have a stroke and he would most likely call his wife (she's a nurse) or something instead of yelling and tell me to move out. (It never looks like it does in the tv shows with hoarders or anything, it just feels dirty, you couldn't actually be able to see the dirt, maybe a little on the sink just around the tap, but I don't think he would see it, he is a man, and men don't see things like that. When my mom comes to help me I always run around and move stuff out of the way and even sometimes clean before she comes to help me clean, I know it's stupid, but it's better than your mother yelling about clutter and dirty floors when you're an adult. 😂 Why are we so afraid of our mothers, she's is like the most loving and caring mother and she's very nice, so I don't know why I do it.
Under normal circumstances I struggle with the thought of visitors turning up unannounced, but…. After my husband died, so many friends just turned up to spend time with me. At that time, that was exactly what I needed because if they’d called first, I probably would have said I’m not feeling up to having visitors. Good, understanding friends are so important to have (and to try to be that friend for others too)
Thank you so much for sharing this. I needed to hear this today. A doer having fibromyalgia and anxiety, it's crazy tough somedays. Thank you so so much ❤
Thank you so much for this. I've been dealing with chronic pain for two years. I was active, fit and the go-to gal for physical help (dig a hole, help you move). It's now painful to stand and worship at church (one of my favorite things). Grieve that person? Yes.
You answering a ? I called about and you are so caring. When I moved here I was already sick I never made friends to call on or family nearby but just hearing that I’m not all alone. I have almost decluttered, my car is ready but I haven’t been able to get there…yet. Thank you Sarah!
I've been following Sarah for years. I love her. Thank you for these tips! Simplifying processes can help us all, even without the ADHD brain or chronic health issues! I get chronic migraines, I also wonder if I have chronic fatigue - we are trying to figure things out. So grateful for Sarah's perspective. Appreciate her reminder to grieve the person you over were, grieve the things you aren't able to do (as much as before). Acceptance is a huge issue with chronic pain. Thank you!! 🙏🙏❤️Love you both.
Thank you for such wonderful advice! I had my gallbladder removed a year and a half ago, and have since been diagnosed with Hashimoto's. Having less to manage and simple routines is so helpful mentally and physically. I totally get the part of having to grieve the person you were. Thank you ladies for your compassion and encouragement.
This is so good and so timely for this Aussie ‘do-er’ who is currently struggling with a body and to do list that are way out of sync. Thankyou both so much xxx
I had brain surgery in February of this year. I had a lot of help for the first week or so after getting home from 8 days in the hospital. Now it's a few months later. I'm still trying to recuperate. I still can't drive, it's still hard to walk, etc. so I'm stuck at home. I also have type 1 diabetes, Sjogrens, and rheumatoid arthritis. I absolutely HATE asking for help, but sometimes I just need something at the store. Sometimes I just want some new scenery for a few minutes. I would love to have someone call or text and ask if they could come pick me up, or if they're going to the store to ask if I need something. You two are wonderful. xo
I know this is ridiculous, but I guess I was hoping this video would be the magic elixir that would help me stay upright today and keep my arms working 😂. I know it's important to ask for help, but ugh I HATE doing it 😔. I just wanna be strong, independent, and productive again.
