A WOMAN has shown the reality of what it’s like living in a small two-bedroom council house with four kids and trying to keep it clean.
Nicole Austin, from the UK, revealed she was sick of the state of her house but that mental health problems had gotten in the way of keeping it tidy.
The mum-of-four said: “It’s happened again. Our house looks like a bomb site.
“I don’t wanna be defined as the dirty council house family on benefits.
“This is far from who I am inside, but for some reason we just can’t get on top of this mess.”
In the clip, the mum took viewers around her two-bed council home and showed that their was laundry covering the entirety of the hallway and boxes of toys thrown across the front room.
The small kitchen had been over taken by tableware that needed to be washing up while the stairs was covered in rubbish such as paper and bits of tissue.
And upstairs wasn’t much better, the bathroom had piles of laundry covering the floor and the upstairs hallway was once again covered by clothes and toys.
The bedrooms were no different either as Nicole clearly struggled to fit all of the families belongings in a tidy order considering she was in a two-bed with size people living inside.
Nicole candidly opened up about her struggles with mental health, which many people can related to, which made it difficult for her to stay on top of keeping her house tidy.
She said: “I have big dreams, I have big goals, but I also have very poor mental health.
“And I do know this isn’t an excuse.
“I have had such bad anxiety over the past 2 days, I can barely get out of bed.”
While Nicole’s husband does help with the kids, he also works full time so it’s obviously difficult to stay on top of it all.
Because the couple live in a high-rent area, they also get benefits to help them with the cost of living.
The mum was waiting to get judged for her home but many praised her for showing the reality of parenthood.
Where to get help if you're struggling with your mental health
There’s no shame in struggling with your mental health, but the best thing you can do is talk to someone about what you’re going through.
If you feel you or someone else is in urgent danger call 999
You can also speak to the Samaritans on 116 123
Mental healthy charity Mind also provide support on 0300 123 3393 who can provide details on treatments near you
“Yes, we’re gonna get hate, yes, we’re gonna get judged,” she added.
“But do you know what?
“At least I’m being real and showing people that you can slip back.”
The mum then went on to film herself cleaning the house and thanked viewers for their support.
The clip posted to the families TikTok account @theaustins_1 has since gone viral with over 296k views and 6k likes.
While Nicole clearly was stressed about the mess in her house, many parents took to the comments to show their support and thanked her for sharing the reality of real life with kids and mental health concerns.
One person wrote: “Finally! A true video. It’s so refreshing to see a house how they actually get…. and not the whole come a clean this crumb off my kitchen side with me.”
Another commented: “People don’t understand how quick it gets like this when you’ve got kids!! Let alone struggling with MH! Please don’t feel bad you’re doing so well”
“Sometimes things get messy. You don’t have to explain to anyone. It’s your home,” penned a third.
Meanwhile a fourth said: “This makes me feel so much better, thought was just me but my anxiety gives me no motivation sometimes. You’re so brave showing this.”
“Honestly I get you, I don’t understand how people can keep up with it,” claimed a fifth.
Someone else added: “It’s so easily done when you’re struggling, it’s god damn hard. I’m exactly the same. Thank you for being so transparent.”
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