Overwhelmed by Mess in Kitchen

Speed clean for 15 or 20 minutes. Timer goes off, you stop. Do it multiple times over the next day or two.

^^^ i’m in that group too, and i definitely second that!!

I empathize hugely! I actually found a lot of empathy and good tips in a neurodivergent cleaning group on Facebook! It's called neurodivergent cleaning crew! Id definitely reccomend joining it. I usually don't like FB groups but this one is awesome.

What the above commenter said, the mountain can look very large when you try thinking about the journey to the top

if it helps at all, i usually clean my wreck of a kitchen in this order: throw out trash, then put away anything that can be put in the cupboards/pantry, then put anything that doesn’t belong in a bag to go elsewhere, then dishes, then counters. and i don’t always do that all at once! i take it one step at a time and stop if i need to. if even starting one step feels like too much right now, try to think even smaller—throw out one piece of trash, put one thing away, wash one dish, etc each time you walk through the kitchen. sometimes, when i don’t feel up to tidying, i’ll set a timer for just three minutes and do as much as i can in that time. that way i know it’ll be over soon, but i can still get some stuff done! i know how unmanageable a messy kitchen can feel, but i really do find it a bit easier when i break a chore up into more doable sections.

I know how that it completely!!! Your best bet is to just get it all done in one day. I know it'll be exhausting, but the sooner you get it done, the quicker you have the space to prepare your food and stop depriving yourself of nourishment. Being hungry will only make the frustration and anxiety worse!