After going along for several weeks feeling more or less okay - and even semi-enjoying my little homemaker gig - I suddenly find myself in a near-constant state of "had it up to here."
I have developed a serious case of the "don't wannas." Even my more enjoyable chores, like meal planning and cooking, suddenly feel oppressive and stale. What, think about food again? Didn't I just make dinner last night? And that laundry in the corner is just going to stay in a giant, unsorted pile for the time being, because, well...ugh.
Naturally, I don't expect to love every minute of my day as a homemaker, every day. Especially when I notice that the bathroom desperately needs a total scrub-down and I already have 12 other things on my to-do list. But I believe that the work I'm doing is valuable. As my mother is fond of saying, "More homes need to be made." My "don't wannas" aren't so much housewife burn-out as they are an emotional tick. Depression Lite, perhaps.
The biggest problem with the "don't wannas" is that they quickly extend to things that actually help jog me back to the world of useful, basically happy stay-at-home-ness. Exercise, for instance. When I "don't wanna," there's nothing I don't wanna do more than exercise. Never mind that, post-workout, I always feel more rested and refreshed than I do after a nap!
You need to find something fun to do, I tell myself. That'll get you back on track.
But coming up with something fun, and then actually doing it seems unbelievably difficult. Even "fun" feels like too much work.
Ugh.
