Cleaning as therapy.

Okay, I really don't think I'm the only person in the world who does this - I've actually heard of other people who do the same thing - so don't laugh at me.
Yes, I can barely keep my house clean on a regular week. I can barely manage to get our clothes washed, our dishes done, the floors swept and vacuumed, the counters cleaned, the mail sorted and dealt with, the bathrooms clean, the yard in order, etc. - it rarely, if ever, is all done at the same time. I can never catch up. Until I get really really really stressed and am just about to my breaking point - then the cleaning kicks it. Some sleep, some drink, some have actual productive means of coping with seemingly unmanageable stress - I clean. I guess I just never learned real stress management tools, because I pretty much stress, stress, stress, until I almost break - and then I clean - a lot - until all hours of the night/morning.
So that was today. I left work early because I just couldn't deal with it anymore. Ran some errands. Came home - and cleaned. I started out cleaning in my work clothes and then eventually changed into appropriate cleaning clothes. I cleaned our bedroom like it has never been cleaned before. I took all the clothes out of my closet (yes, I'm crazy, impulsive and I know this did nothing to solve the source of my stresses but it helps) - even the boxes and boxes that were still packed up from when we moved almost 2 years ago. I took them ALL out - and went through them. I managed to get rid of tons of clothes (Donna - you'd be proud!). The biggest victory of the day was that I found I can finally fit back into the jeans I had in the 8th grade. I know that's not a big deal for some people - but it meant a lot to me - and now I can finally get rid of the 8 pairs of jeans that I had been hanging on since middle/high school. They're hidious jeans - well before low waist was in style - some are even tapered - so they needed to go but I couldn't get rid of them until I could get back into them. I admit, however, that I did save one pair for posterities sake - and to keep me on track in case I ever need to lose some weight again. :)
So after going through every bit of clothes in my closet, I finished cleaning our room (I might like to add that I'm not TOTALLY insane because I did not drag every item of clothing out of my drawers - I let those be -for now). Then I moved on to the hallway - same deal - clean clean clean - viciously clean. Then the bathroom. The tub was scrubbed like it was never scrubbed before - stress and aggression taken out on a tub is better then it taken out on my friends, family, loved ones. :) Then the stairs (I skipped the spare room because that was just too much). Then the Boy Room. Then onto the rest of downstairs. Then I decided that I just HAD to go to Wal-Mart TONIGHT to get some thread for my bridesmaid dresses - yes, I thought that it honestly needed to be done NOW and couldn't wait. So now I have thread.
Needless to say, I got a ton of stress out. I didn't actually deal with any tiny bit of the stuff that was causing the stress - that will still all be there tomorrow - but I at least got some housework done. :)
On another note, my stress was also all put in perspective by an unfortunate event in Cody's family. His cousin (pregnant with twins) was put in the hospital because she was having some problems. I'm not sure on all the details yet, but it certainly put my life and stress in major perspective. Here I was totally stressing like a mad person about the wedding and this and that and she had such bigger things to deal with! I can't believe I was going insane over a wedding, when, at the end of the day as long as we're married, we succeeded when she has her two little babies to worry with. We wish her (and the babies) all the best and want nothing more then to see them born safe and healthy and happy - when they are ready.