Organizing to quell anxiety

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Does anyone else do this? I suppose this could be an anxiety/OCD thing, but I actually think it might be Autism-related, as an attempt to control and organize my environment. When I am feeling anxious or overstimulated I like to clean/organize, almost in an OCD way (I am not diagnosed with OCD, and I'm not usually a "neat freak"). I live in a small apartment and my boyfriend stays here, too. There isn't much room, so I really have to make an effort to keep it tidy so we don't trip over things. It isn't just physical stuff, though. I really get comfort in making lists. Anything from life goals to grocery lists helps me relax.

I can enjoy list making and I also like to organise things to relieve tension.

Sorting out clutter or removing clutter from my environment can also help...I tend to find that if my outside world feels less cluttered then so does my internal one.

I love organizing things too! I don't think it's OCD in my case either – I don't feel compelled to do it, I just really enjoy it. Making lists and categorizing stuff is great fun!

Yes I've always organized stuff when I get anxious. I tend to want to control everything but in order to do so I have to get everything I want to done, and in place. If something is missing or incomplete then it really crushes my motivation and sends me plummeting back into a rut.

I've always said, it's quite logical to expect people who are easily overwhelmed by sudden changes in the environment or the type, manner and density of sensory stimuli to keep as organized as possible and stick to strict routines, because the more stable you keep the things you do have control over, the fewer stressful surprises you have to deal with.

Willard has said exactly how I feel. When my living situation and my things are organized, I feel less anxious because at least in that one environment I know I have controlled my situation and I know where things physically are.

On the other hand, when I am anxious about other stuff that has happened, I can't, in fact, do any cleaning or organizing. You can always tell if I've had a particularly stressful, upsetting day or week just in general, by looking around my apartment -- it will be much messier, because I fall to pieces and can't even START to clean or keep up with anything.

Which in turn makes me even more anxious and depressed. My best functioning definitely happens when I've got my apartment orderly. Yet I can only do that when...I'm functioning well to begin with. A very awkward chicken and egg situation for me.


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This. I have difficulties coping with sudden change and even when it isn't difficult, I don't like suddenly having to make effort, nor having outstanding tasks hanging over me. Or, to put it in a more traditional way: "A stitch in time, saves nine" / "Prevention is better than cure".

Plus I do enjoy creating order out of disorder, it's a pleasure to see a job well done and can be cathartic when I am stressed.