I just realized that I got so tired of the laundry basket that's been in front of my dryer... for ever... that I dumped out the whole basket on my bed...

Now what? I really don't want to deal with it!

Heck we've lived without whatever is in there for what... 6 months or so... maybe I should just bag it and... ????

I'll do your laundry folding if you do my dishes!

I hate doing dishes... by hand... NO DISHWASHER in this tiny place. Grumble... Grumble...

I experienced the same thing when I left my news job for a stress-free work-from-home writing job. I had flashbacks of various crises in the newsroom for months. It'll fade. You'll feel the calm invade your soul. Trust me.

It's not about the laundry..it is about finding new ways to define who you are beyond the role of wife and mother. That will come in time. Journaling/blogging is a good way to sort through it all. I recently shut down a business that was my heart and soul for close to nine years...it defined who I was every waking moment...now I have been blessed with an even better opportunity...an opportunity to come up for air and gain a new/fresh perspective on the person I truly want to be. Good luck - you will be fine.

You are not alone. When I lost my job, it took about six weeks to get my bearings. I felt completely adrift and spent until 10 or noon most mornings in crying jags, and then feeling guilty that I had wasted so much time that could have been productively spent in my job search. Guess what? Those crying jags? Incredibly productive. I got the poison out in that first month and a half and was able to throw my efforts wholeheartedly into the future.

In another two weeks after that I started to find work, and haven't looked back since. As much as I clung to that job, I am WAY better off both professionally and personally because I lost it.

As far as laundry goes....I hear you, sister. I am famous for washing, but not folding, my laundry. I don't know what it is about it but once they are clean I get distracted by other things and just never get around to it...the prospect of 16 bags to sit and fold is unnerving! My best advice there is...one bag at a time, no more than one bag at a time. Good luck.

You'll find your grove soon, at your own pace. For me it was about 12 weeks. I was just getting good at being home when I had to return to work. Contrary to popular belief, you actually need to be very organize to stay home or you'll lose entire days. And you'll be left sitting there on the couch with a mountain of laundry wondering what you've been doing for 4 days.

You'll figure it out. True you'll be miserable till you get there but once there it's pretty great.

Hi! I think I need to let you in on a mommy secret... No one folds laundry. Uh-uh. Most people just leave it in the laundry basket, but I personally create a neat pile on the sofa in my bedroom. Why would you waste time putting something away, when you're probably going to wear it tomorrow? Right?? It actually saves a lot of time when you're getting dressed in the morning.

Also, ironing? Uh-uh. The dry cleaner will do that for a dollar a shirt, which trust me is a bargain at twice the price. Otherwise, Nordstrom sells these wonderful wrinkle-free shirts which are actually wrinkle-free! I haven't ironed anything in the five years that I've been married. I'm sure that was in the vows somewhere...

And, I know it's hard, but try not to rub CD's nose in the 16 loads of laundry. One day in the not too distant future, you might find yourself the cause of a 16-load laundry pile-up, and the only thing worse than doing that much laundry is eating crow while you're doing it.

P.S. anectdote was supposed to be antitdote. sorry...

OMG! Do you have any where to put all that laundry? I did that once and found I couldn't fit it all in my house if it was all simultaneously clean!

As for the other - it's called a period of adjustment and honey, this too shall pass! The only minor anectdote is when the downer gets too intense put on some really stupid disco music and jump around the house. Challenging bear to a dance off can reallt brighten your day!

Goodluck - I continue to be proud of your resilience and your sheer determination! xxxx

Laundry is evil and it wont go away!
Endless cycle...

Well thats good you got all that laundry done! I know words wont make anything better but I feel compelled to say you are truly blessed. Youre married to someone who loves you. YOu have a wonderful child. You dont have to go out fight traffic, fight deadlines ect. You can play with your child, take trips together some women who have to work would do anything to be in your position. You are blessed woman! If it seems like you arent doing enough and miss being out there you could always volunteer somewhere.

I do like to fold laundry, as it is one of the few tasks I can still accomplish, so if could, I'd lend you my hands.

I think these brilliant ladies are all correct. You need to find something else to occupy your mind while you're doing the folding, and you need to realize that you are doing something. Each folded item is one less in the bag. 16 bags is gonna take a while....

I hear you. But as I sit in my large law firm-office, I would love to be sitting, instead, in front of a tv, or next to a radio, folding laundry. I am overwhelmed with stress - the kind that, in a cruel twist of fate, paralyzes you and renders you unable to be productive. I've been sitting here thinking, what can I do to relieve the stress? I would love to smoke a carton of Marlboro Lights, but that is a no-no in my
Mommy-world. Tomorrow's 5:30 a.m. gym class seems too far away. Maybe folding laundry - especially those tiny, little items belonging to my children - would do the trick.

Well, it's taken me several months to learn how to not long for another job. I have definately found happiness and peace...but I frequently consume my thoughts with the What If's. Which drives me into hypermode in finding a new job. So every day, I have to pinch myself to stay in the moment. I am safe. We are fine. I will work again someday but before that happens, I will heal. My hope for you is that you will be able to do the same. Hang in there and best wishes.

I would hate laundry (more!) if I had 16 bags of it, too!
This isn't really about the laundry, though, is it? More about what needs work now that you are there, staring it in the face, over the piles of un-done laundry.
Or perhaps I am losing MY mind in MY laundry, too!

Ahh, the point when there's nothing for your busy mind to focus on other than the simple misery of the daily grind. And here you are doing something (the laundry) but thinking "I should be doing something". I'm betting soon you'll be so happy that you'll wonder why this transition was so hard. In the meantime I recommend you list your personal goals, NOT to be confused with career goals, and tackle one or two of them. For me it was first learn to cook and meal plan. Soon, I hope to tackle learning to sew. I know that all sounds very domestic but it's stuff I truly want to know how to do. Maybe you've always wanted to write a book, or knit, or some other art...you pick. Now's your chance, jump on it!