Married to an OCD guy

So we all know ADHD can make us kind of… messy? Not in a “oh my god is that mold!?” Kind of way but in a “how do you find anything to wear when all of your clothes are in a pile?” Kind of way. Well I’m ok living out of a pile. If my coffee table is covered with papers, books, and my laptop because object permanence demands it that’s cool with me! If my counter has boxes of cereal on it because if I can’t see them in the morning I won’t actually eat breakfast then so be it. And if my hobby items have to be on display or I’ll actually forget they exist that’s fine with me. HOWEVER, none of these things sit well with my OCD having husband. He LOATHS clutter and is constantly cleaning my “messes” and throwing away papers I left out for a reason and complaining about my clothes and laundry. It causes such a strain in our relationship and we’ve made compromises but I wanna know what you guys may say about this. Any advice on being more organized as someone with ADHD? And no, doom bags are not the solution (not to mention I’m out of bags and places to hide them.)

Jbird

4mo

I find that I become more organized when I look at it as a form of art... form and function as a priority. I think we tend to lie to ourselves that living in chaos is okay.... chaos only brings more chaos. Doing hard things is never easy... overcoming obstacles is never easy.... and clearly this has now become something of an obstacle for you. Take it slow and try to make a plan... I literally sketch things out or take pictures with a Polaroid so I have an easy visual reference for quick clean up. But again, making it into something pleasing for yourself or adding a creative element to it helps a lot....

jacksan_rn

4mo

My husband also has OCD tendances (no official diagnosis). I too forget to eat if I don't see my food - for the cereal, we got those air tight, clear, pop-top containers and I dump the cereal into them. I see my food better/cereal stays fresher longer/it's more visually pleasing for him and creates less clutter ☺️

Incognita

4mo

Well, my personal solution to a similar problem was to create a sanctuary where my messes can live and prosper! I use my office as a place where things can stay messy and no one cares!

Add comment