It’s no secret, the first thing that starts to go when I’m depressed is housework. My body feels like lead, I just want to sleep, and I have no motivation. It’s a chore to get myself showered, let alone get the house cleaned. However, after years of struggling, I’ve found a few tips that help me beat the depression messes.
1. Do Cleaning Sprints: By this, I mean setting a timer. Just tonight while writing this I’m setting 20-minute timers for myself to get things picked up. 20-minute breaks, 20-minute cleaning sprints. Get as much done as you can in 20 minutes and then take another break. This helps with getting overwhelmed and breaking big tasks into smaller goals. If you need to do less time, do less time! A little progress will help build you up, no matter how much time it takes.
2. Break It Down By Tasks: If time doesn’t work, try small tasks! I get to watch an episode of my favorite show if I can do even a small task like cleaning my dresser off. Reward yourself for the small tasks. Make a goal of getting just one load of laundry complete from washing to putting away. Whatever you need to do to break things down, do it! As I said, even the smallest tasks will help build you up when completed.
3. Having a Cleaning Pal: Since being with Mike I haven’t had to do this but my house used to get way out of hand, I’d lay in bed just crying because I knew my house needed to be cleaned but I was struggling with even having the will to live. So I’d invite a friend or two over to help me get caught up or even just sit with me while I cleaned so I didn’t have to be alone and had some accountability. Friends who love you won’t think twice about it and will do whatever they can to support you.
4. Don’t Beat Yourself Up: No one wants to admit it but even neuro-normal people have had issues with keeping their house in order, the trick is asking for help or breaking it up to be able to get ahead of it. If you don’t have support, find a small task to get done today and realize that you not only survived a brain trying to kill itself, you completed a task!
The biggest thing is to have grace for yourself. We may have bodies that want to live but it’s fighting a mind that wants to die. If your house gets messy while battling that, don’t beat yourself up.
Thanks for reading,
M
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