Living with depression is difficult on so many levels. It’s hard to accept. You’re constantly mending your mental state. It’s tough to find coping mechanisms. Your relationships suffer at times. Work is difficult to navigate. And your home responsibilities are neglected.
Depressive episodes can trigger a cycle of disorganization and discomfort that makes minor things overwhelming and unmanageable.
The depression-disorganization cycle may get the best of you at times, but it doesn’t have to be every time. Try these tips for keeping your home and mind uncluttered during a bout with depression.
Implement Tips for Making Things More Manageable
Creating a running list of tips and tricks to make things more manageable when the depression-disorganization cycle hits is a must for getting ahead of it. Winging it when this cycle hits creates more stress than anything. So instead, have ways to maneuver through it ready to go beforehand.
For example, know how to make the decluttering process easier and more fun so that it isn’t so overwhelming when you’re working through your depression. Start with one room and take as much time as you need to complete it. Take lots of breaks. And experiment with checklists and specific decluttering methods to see your progress.
Here are a few additional tips for making things more manageable:
● Use organizational accessories
● Implement regular mental health checks
● Learn what triggers your depressive episodes
● Stay on top of housekeeping when you’re feeling good
● Stay organized as much as possible before the cycle starts
Designing a room to recharge in is a smart move, too.
Design a Room to Recharge In
It’s a brilliant idea to design a room to recharge in when working through an active depressive episode.
Turn a spare bedroom or extra closet space into a glam room. Your “glam” room doesn’t have to have anything to do with beauty essentials. It could be a room where you do your mindfulness exercises. A place to regroup when disorganization gets overwhelming. Or where you go to read and rest during a depressive episode.
Put your spin on the room, make sure the lighting is right, consider soundproofing the walls, and use space-saving tools to keep it tidy.
It’s also essential to always keep this space clean and organized. You want this to be the room you can escape to. Even if the rest of the house is a mess, you can count on this room not to be.
Your friends and family can also help you keep your home and mind uncluttered.
Ask Your Family and Friends for Support
Breaking up the relationship between clutter and depression in your life is more painless with friends and family by your side. They can step in when you need help keeping up with household duties. They can also offer emotional support when your depression gets tough.
It’s up to you to choose which friends and family members you trust to lean on during the depression-disorganization cycle. When you’re feeling up to it, reach out to them. Chat about your needs and ask them to be a part of your immediate support system.
Your family and friends can be incredible accountability partners as well, keeping you engaged in mindfulness exercises and activities that help you cope with your cycle.
Explore Mindfulness Exercises and Activities
One of the most popular coping mechanisms for people living with depression is participating in mindfulness exercises and activities. They inspire gratitude and compassion. Mindfulness also aids centeredness, calms your nervous system, and helps you tap into the more peaceful state of mind and being needed to get and stay organized.
Explore mindfulness exercises like yoga or spiritual meditation. Make activities like nature walks and creative projects a regular part of your day. In addition, implement these exercises and activities during breaks when the decluttering and organization process gets overwhelming.
Mindfulness exercises and activities can also help you navigate the shame attached to having depression.
Get Rid of Shame
Many people living with depression find themselves feeling ashamed about their diagnosis. Unfortunately, shame can amplify symptoms and make staying on top of things while fighting a depressive episode even more challenging.
Work on not feeling shameful about your depression. Also, work on not being ashamed when you fall behind on household duties and other obligations. Accepting your diagnosis and what comes with it will positively impact your battles with disorganization and clutter and your ability to thrive.
Recite positive affirmations daily to train your mind to be inherently positive. Learn to ask for help when you’re unable to carry out specific tasks. And learn to love yourself unconditionally.
Enlist the Help of Professionals
Wanting or needing extra support from professionals is also nothing to be ashamed of. The goal is to keep your home and health intact even when depression strikes. If you need a professional to do that, please connect with one.
Enlist the help of mental health specialists to develop a plan to cope with your depression and, hopefully, relieve your symptoms entirely someday. You’ll also be able to talk through how your depression manifests as disorganization and ways to break the cycle.
Don’t discount working with a professional organizer either. They can help get your home organized when you can’t. In addition, they can offer you tools for staying organized. If you can find one specializing in working with people living with depression, even better.
You can ask for referrals from family and friends for suitable professionals. An internet search for professionals in your area can get you started too.
Conclusion
The best way to overcome the depression-disorganization cycle is to get ahead of it. Know when to bring in reinforcements and design a plan of attack you can refer to when depression rears its ugly head.