Housewife's disease, the identity of the name
Last Wednesday, I think it was mid-January.
Before 7: 00 in the morning, while reheating the miso soup in the kitchen, my hand suddenly stopped.
"Hmm, what was I trying to do..."
The gas is low and the pot is boiling.
However, my head was blank and I stood still for a few seconds.
At that time, my husband said casually while folding the newspaper.
"Have you been a little dazed lately?"
With that word, the back of my chest tingled.
Oh, maybe this.
The one my friend said was called "housewife disease."
Last autumn, I think it was October.
I met my mom friend Yumi (48 years old) in front of the cash register at a local supermarket.
She was sighing while looking at her smartphone,
"I haven't been to the hospital lately, but it's been tough all the time."
"There's no fever, and there's nothing wrong with the test. But I don't feel like doing anything."
At that moment, I laughed lightly,
"Menopause? I have days like that too."
What did you say? Now that I think about it, I think it was sloppy.
But a few months later, that "nothing bad" gradually came to me.
Forget to turn the washing machine.
Go shopping and forget to buy onions.
In the middle of writing a reply on LINE, I leave it alone for some reason.
December 23, the busy time of the end of the year.
I had a reservation for a cake, but I misunderstood the pick-up date by one day.
To the clerk
Yesterday was the reservation day.
I was so embarrassed and pathetic that I almost cried on the way home.
"What am I doing?"
"Housewife's disease" is not an official name.
Maybe no one will diagnose me.
But wake up at the same time every day, do the same housework, have the same conversation.
When you are called by "mother" or "wife" more than your own name,
I think my heart is worn out little by little.
Yumi-chan said something the other day.
"I'm not told what my favorite color is right away."
That word remained strangely.
I couldn't answer right away.
I think I used to like blue... Well, it doesn't matter now.
January 5 of the year.
I tried a small experiment.
At 10 o'clock in the morning, I stopped washing and cleaning halfway and entered a nearby coffee shop.
Blended coffee for 420 yen.
Time to not explain why to anyone.
I wrote today's mood in a notebook.
"Tired" "Lazy" "But calm down a little"
That just made me feel like I was breathing a little deeper.
There s probably no way to be perfectly healthy.
But, uh,
Stop doing housework on the way.
Go out for no reason.
Say, "I'm tired."
This alone makes the housewife's disease a little quieter.
Well, there are days when everything is done.
Housewife disease is neither lazy nor spoiled.
I think it's the mental fatigue of people who have done their best every day.
It's just not named, it's definitely there.
This morning, I was a little dazed while reheating the miso soup.
But I don't blame myself as much as before.
"Well, there are days like this."
Just being able to say that makes it a little easier today.
If you've been feeling unwell lately that you can't express well.
It may not be just my imagination.
主婦病とは正式な病名ではないものの、日々同じルーティンを繰り返す中で感じる心の疲れや体調不良を指す言葉として使われています。実際に私も、日常の中でふとした瞬間に「あれ、何をしていたんだろう？」と手が止まってしまう経験があります。これは単なるうっかりではなく、精神的な疲労が積み重なっている証拠かもしれません。 主婦という立場は、家庭での役割が多岐にわたり、家事や育児、場合によっては仕事との両立も求められます。毎日同じ家事をこなしながら、“お母さん”や“奥さん”という役割名で呼ばれる時間が増えると、自分自身という存在が薄れてしまい、心の疲弊につながることがあります。実際に、友人が「好きな色をすぐに言えなくなった」と話したことがとても印象的でした。自分のことを見失いかけているのかもしれません。 私が試した小さな対策として、家事を途中でやめてカフェで一人時間を持つことがあります。このような理由のない外出は心のリフレッシュになり、気分を整理する助けにもなります。その際、ノートにその日の気分を書き出すだけでも、呼吸が深くなり気持ちが落ち着くのを感じました。また、「疲れた」という言葉を口に出すことも、自分の状態を認めることに繋がり、ストレス軽減に効果的です。 主婦病は怠けや甘えではなく、長く続く心の疲労からくるものです。日々の努力を続ける中で、多くの主婦が抱える見えない問題に対し、ひとりで悩まず、時には周囲に相談したり、休息を取ったりすることが重要です。もし、最近なんとなく調子が悪い、気分が落ち込みやすいと感じているなら、それは“主婦病”かもしれません。自分を責めず、「まあ、こんな日もある」と受け入れて少しずつケアをしてみてはいかがでしょうか。
