Do you rage clean?

[Carol in Cal.]

16 minutes ago, Spryte said:

If there are any rage cleaners who need to clean today, I’d like to volunteer my home.

Making the sacrifice!

[Spryte]

Just now, Carol in Cal. said:

Making the sacrifice!

Anything to help a friend!

[Clarita]

In order to clean everything needs to be right in my life. If I'm raging cleaning is not happening. I do not rage productively. 

[Grace Hopper]

1 hour ago, Ditto said:

Teach me how to do this please.

Turn the thermostat down low, find a bed or recliner in a dark room, pull a cushy throw over myself and start with deep breathing exercises. 
 

It doesn’t always get me to sleep but it’s enough to make anyone annoying me think I’m asleep so they leave me alone. 

[Terabith]

1 hour ago, Indigo Blue said:

I just realized I just rage exercised recently! I posted about it, too! 
 

I am imagining what one must look like while rage cleaning. Schlupping around, slamming down pillows, slamming cabinets when putting things away, toilet rage-cleaning…sloshing water everywhere? 

That's pretty much what it looks like.  

[Ditto]

56 minutes ago, Grace Hopper said:

Turn the thermostat down low, find a bed or recliner in a dark room, pull a cushy throw over myself and start with deep breathing exercises. 
 

It doesn’t always get me to sleep but it’s enough to make anyone annoying me think I’m asleep so they leave me alone. 

This is brilliant.  Thank you very much.

[-----]

nm

Edited September 1 by kathyl

[Scarlett]

6 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

I wish.

 

 

 

 

 

(I don't actually DO it of course, but when I'm ragey the impulse is much closer to smashing plates and burning the possessions of people who are p!ssing me off, LOL.)

Having done  both I can say rage/stress cleaning is much better. 

[Scarlett]

2 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

I just realized I just rage exercised recently! I posted about it, too! 
 

I am imagining what one must look like while rage cleaning. Schlupping around, slamming down pillows, slamming cabinets when putting things away, toilet rage-cleaning…sloshing water everywhere? 

Oh no, no. I don’t do that. I just clean, clean, clean. 

[QueenCat]

2 hours ago, Ditto said:

In addition to needing to learn how to rage nap,  I need to learn how to rage exercise.   Please teach me how to do this.

LOL.. When I'm mad, my walks are A LOT longer. 

[ScoutTN]

4 hours ago, SHP said:

This. 

Stress cleaning gives me a physical outlet and something I can control when facing a stressful situation where I have limited control. 

This.

I am not focused enough in rage to accomplish anything very productive. 

[MEmama]

3 hours ago, Ditto said:

Teach me how to do this please.

Sleeping is my superpower. I can sleep any time, anywhere. If I'm angry (or honestly, any other emotion at all), naps are the perfect antidote. I especially like it when the sunshine hits my eyes when I sleep, such bliss.

If you're having trouble, I suggest getting a cat or several. 🙂 

 

[Rosie_0801]

I rage prune.

Previous owners planted plumbago along the front fence because they had no respect for the future.

Rage cleaning would be awesome, but I can't do it because of some kind of stupid sensory overwhelm thing. So I go outside, prune stuff and get my hands all scratched  because my hands would be claustrophobic if I wore gloves. 

[Melissa Louise]

Yes. I particularly like sweeping as a rage-outlet. You can put your whole body into it..

[SKL]

You have me wishing that even just one person here were the rage-clean type.

Productive raging ... who knew it was a life skill ....

[dirty ethel rackham]

Sometimes I rage clean ... usually making lots of noise so that everyone knows I'm rage cleaning.  Probably learned that from my mom - a huge rage-cleaner.

But mostly I rage eat chocolate chips.  Cleaning would be healthier. 

[Shoeless]

I rage declutter, which is a sort of cleaning. 

[Katy]

Yes to rage cleaning, sometimes. Or rage declutter even more. Especially when tripping over the same thing for days on end, no matter how often I put it away. 

I try to reign it in a bit if my rage has anything to do with DH though, because FIL used to get his mom angry on purpose so she would clean. And even though she’s an awful and lazy person I get secondhand feminist rage about it. 

[popmom]

I rage clean and rage declutter. But the rage has to be specific to the condition of the house. So if I'm angry with a person, I do not rage clean. 

dd really hates when I do this late at night. I'll make the mistake of going upstairs where the teenager lives. Disgust and vacuuming and banging things around ensues which disturbs her (((peace))). 

[strawberries]

I rage scrub the bathroom. In the cooler months I rage hike. There are trails behind my house. Can't do that when it's warmer, though, due to the risk of my rage blinding me to a copperhead in my path. Also heat exhaustion is not a great stress reliever.

I would love to be able to rage nap. Or nap at all - it seems like my body has forgotten how.

[easypeasy]

Omgosh, yes. 
 

That’s when i get the toothbrush out, pull the refrigerator out, etc. lol DEEP cleaning time!

[Elizabeth86]

10 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

I hormonal cycle clean. I have a ton of energy before my cycle so I try to get a lot done that week. 

When I have cycles, I do too.

[Brittany1116]

Absofreakinlutely do. And I can only tolerate handwashing dishes when I am angry. 

[Starr]

I have a relative that rage cleans and throws stuff away. It’s really awful and not pretty. I always feel bad for her kids. 

[El...]

Do you guys think of cleaning as separate from "picking up"? I do. Cleaning, to me, is dirt removal, not organizing. Rage cleaning involves chemicals and scrub brushes. Or do you tackle it all at once? 

[SKL]

The evil part of me could see some housemates purposely pushing some of y'all into a rage just to get a cleaner house.  😛

[SKL]

Actually this thread is fascinating to me.  Does everyone rage to the point of having to do something physical?

I've had maybe 5x in my life when I was so p'd off that I threw or broke something on purpose.  Several of those times were during puberty.

That said, the one time I threw a book in front of my kids will never stop being brought up.  Psycho mom here because I threw one book at the wall instead of whacking somebody.  😛

[Kassia]

5 minutes ago, SKL said:

Actually this thread is fascinating to me.  Does everyone rage to the point of having to do something physical?

I've had maybe 5x in my life when I was so p'd off that I threw or broke something on purpose.  Several of those times were during puberty.

That said, the one time I threw a book in front of my kids will never stop being brought up.  Psycho mom here because I threw one book at the wall instead of whacking somebody.  😛

I don't rage, but I will stew over something.  Mostly if my MIL irritates or upsets me and gets under my skin.  So definitely nothing *ragey* but I will hit my heavy bag harder if I'm doing that for a workout or I'll eat to soothe myself.  

[cintinative]

@SKL  I suspect all of us will be different.  I very rarely get angry but when I do the best antidote is exercise.  Sometimes I just get highly stressed about something outside of my control and exercise is the best antidote for that as well.  

I try not to get the point of what is referred to as emotional "flooding" but the best thing I can do in that circumstance is to exercise to build up my serotonin and allow the stress a path to escape my body. (WebMD: "Desires to escape, retreat, or withdraw from a circumstance are typical of emotional flooding. You may feel the need to get out of the emotional situation by any means. Alternatively, you may respond emotionally to shut down the situation. You’re trying to end the overwhelming emotions as soon as possible."

[marbel]

7 minutes ago, SKL said:

Actually this thread is fascinating to me.  Does everyone rage to the point of having to do something physical?

I've had maybe 5x in my life when I was so p'd off that I threw or broke something on purpose.  Several of those times were during puberty.

That said, the one time I threw a book in front of my kids will never stop being brought up.  Psycho mom here because I threw one book at the wall instead of whacking somebody.  😛

Speaking only for myself... I don't actually get enraged very often. But I do get angry and frustrated. Exercise relieves stress, and cleaning (pulling weeds, gardening) are forms of exercise that are also productive beyond the physical benefits. I find it helps me calm down and redirects my attention.  I could go for a walk but there's nothing there for me to focus on except the things I'm angry about.  Going for a hike in the woods would be more calming than a walk around my neighborhood, but that's not always practical, and the weeds are there ready to be pulled *right now.*

[Annie G]

My house has never been cleaner or more organized than the couple of  years that dh’s sister made our lives miserable.  I don’t often get angry so having a long period of anger and frustration was something I didn’t know how to deal with. Cleaning and organizing was a better choice than strangling her. 

[BeachGal]

Rage gardener here but I’m rarely that angry. I need to be outside a lot as it is. Staying inside makes me go stir crazy.

Back when my kids were living at home and there were more…trying…times, I would lie on the floor with my feet on the couch and listen to binaural beats or Marconi Union which would help me calm down. This sometimes lasted a few hours. I did this often while dealing with two sons in their teens.

If something unexpectedly occurs that makes me sad, I will clean all the things. I can’t relax so might as well have a clean house.

[Indigo Blue]

I usually feel hurt more often than rage. I’ve only felt true rage a few times in my life. One of those times is the only one where I actually wanted to punch that person. 

I sometimes get angry, but rarely rage. 

My mom (you all know) doesn’t even cause me to rage. It’s either hurt or just anger that I keep to myself. Rage exercising for me is really just me being angry/hurt and letting out frustration. 
 

I also let out a lot of frustration here. So, I “rage” post, lol. 

[Soror]

I stress clean because if I'm stressed and overwhelmed I can't think if things are messy. When I'm mad I usually walk/pace and vent in the phone. 

[Pam in CT]

re stress v rage

52 minutes ago, Soror said:

I stress clean because if I'm stressed and overwhelmed I can't think if things are messy. When I'm mad I usually walk/pace and vent in the phone. 

Yes.

Depending on the stressor, I definitely do stress clean.  And ambient mess is one of my stressors, so, cleaning is directly adaptive, directly easing one of the stressors.

 

Rage is different.  When enraged, I am... (erm)... extremely disinclined to do anything at all that would in any way benefit anyone at whom I am enraged.  In my case, that would not be adaptive in the least; it would add fuel to my simmering monkeymind resentment.

 

I'm not the least bit PROUD of this distinction, but my ability to manage both stress (frequent) and rage (fortunately, less so) has improved since I've recognized and accepted it.

 

[-----]

nm

Edited September 1 by kathyl

[Pawz4me]

7 hours ago, El... said:

Do you guys think of cleaning as separate from "picking up"? I do. Cleaning, to me, is dirt removal, not organizing. Rage cleaning involves chemicals and scrub brushes. Or do you tackle it all at once? 

They're separate. We're an all adult household (me, DH, DS24) and everyone picks up as they go. Cleaning gets done mostly on a schedule, a little something every day. I'm too old and arthritic to tackle it all at once.

 

7 hours ago, SKL said:

Actually this thread is fascinating to me.  Does everyone rage to the point of having to do something physical?

I've had maybe 5x in my life when I was so p'd off that I threw or broke something on purpose.  Several of those times were during puberty.

 

Other than puberty and peri-menopause hormone driven emotion I only remember feeling rage one time. That was a few years ago and I hope I never feel that way again. 

[Lady Marmalade]

Yes.

When something DH says or does really tickes me off, I rage clean.  Usually the dishes, followed by cleaning the rest of the kitchen.  I have also been known to rage clean at work.   

[Melissa Louise]

8 hours ago, cintinative said:

@SKL  I suspect all of us will be different.  I very rarely get angry but when I do the best antidote is exercise.  Sometimes I just get highly stressed about something outside of my control and exercise is the best antidote for that as well.  

I try not to get the point of what is referred to as emotional "flooding" but the best thing I can do in that circumstance is to exercise to build up my serotonin and allow the stress a path to escape my body. (WebMD: "Desires to escape, retreat, or withdraw from a circumstance are typical of emotional flooding. You may feel the need to get out of the emotional situation by any means. Alternatively, you may respond emotionally to shut down the situation. You’re trying to end the overwhelming emotions as soon as possible."

This.

And honestly, sweeping is a pretty good choice and a whole heck of a lot better than my mother's choices aka get physical. 

I wouldn't really describe it as rage, for me, but being flooded with adrenaline. And not being able to leave the adrenaline causing situation. 

Physical movement that is not directed at others is a good coping strategy. 

 

[Eos]

On 8/16/2023 at 10:36 AM, Indigo Blue said:

Have you?

Yes.  I also sorrow-clean.  Expecting a bout of this to appear any day now.

[Kassia]

50 minutes ago, Eos said:

Yes.  I also sorrow-clean.  Expecting a bout of this to appear any day now.

I'm sorry.  

[Farrar]

I rage clean. It's rare, but when I'm super mad at dh and additionally in a bad place emotionally, sometimes that's how it comes out. So maybe like every couple of years. I usually get some sort of crazy house project at least started out of it. But in the moment, it's miserable.

[Indigo Blue]

I sorrow cleaned once. Years ago, when my grandmother passed, I didn’t go to be with my whole extended family where they were gathered. I went to my mom’s house and spent several hours deep cleaning it instead. I wanted to be alone, and I thought I would surprise my mom and it would make her feel better. I thought it would be meaningful. It wasn’t. She never acknowledged it or said a word about that. Those were the days when I still did things to try to make her happy and to see that I was trying to have a good relationship with her. Also, my grandmother had given me her amethyst ring years before. I bought one for my mom when grandma passed so she would have a ring from me like grandma had. She seemed nonplussed when I gave it to her. She put it in a box and never wore it. She later gave it away to her favorite granddaughter. 

[Scarlett]

On 8/17/2023 at 9:07 AM, BeachGal said:

Rage gardener here but I’m rarely that angry. I need to be outside a lot as it is. Staying inside makes me go stir crazy.

Back when my kids were living at home and there were more…trying…times, I would lie on the floor with my feet on the couch and listen to binaural beats or Marconi Union which would help me calm down. This sometimes lasted a few hours. I did this often while dealing with two sons in their teens.

If something unexpectedly occurs that makes me sad, I will clean all the things. I can’t relax so might as well have a clean house.

Yes this is more like what I do….not really rage but just being upset and cleaning instead of sacking someone.

[pitterpatter]

I don't really get angry, so no. But, I do stress/depress clean when I need to process something pretty significant. I've also done localized cleaning when I need to make some adjustments so I can move on from something. It provides me a bit if control over something I have little control over at the moment.

[popmom]

On 8/17/2023 at 9:24 AM, Indigo Blue said:

I usually feel hurt more often than rage. I’ve only felt true rage a few times in my life. One of those times is the only one where I actually wanted to punch that person. 

I sometimes get angry, but rarely rage. 

My mom (you all know) doesn’t even cause me to rage. It’s either hurt or just anger that I keep to myself. Rage exercising for me is really just me being angry/hurt and letting out frustration. 
 

I also let out a lot of frustration here. So, I “rage” post, lol. 

I can relate to this very much. Even when I “rage” clean, it’s really not actual rage—it’s frustration or hurt. I think the term rage is used pretty loosely here.