Who has a depression room cleaning checklist?!

[jr331199]

I badly need one right now :( Anyone who can help out and tell me what I can do in order?

 

[wantingdignity]

Not an official one, but here's roughly what I've done so far:

- Pick an album to play as loudly as possible. If you want to go above and beyond, journal about what you want your environment to feel like.
- Put on tennis shoes, and something comfortable or athletic. Get your mind into work mode.
- Get rid of any bad smells (cat litter, anything moldy, anything that is repulsive)
- Take everything off of your bed and wash the bedding (I had to move my pile of doom onto my desk)
- Do a round of laundry - dishes - trash (do as many dishes as possible while clothes wash, take trash once they're in the dryer). Repeat as needed.
- Are you able to walk through your rooms? If not, clear a path. Corral the mess.

That's probably more than enough for a first day, depending on how bad it is.

Next time you clean, journal about what you see that's different and how you feel. Pick a new album that ties into what you want to feel about your environment.

List everything you would need to do to completely get to your perfect room and put how much time it would take for each task. List any costs.

Decide how much time you want to spend, and pick the most pressing items that you can complete in that time.

That's what I have been trying to do! My house was a complete depression shit hole. It's improved a lot, but is definitely a work in progress. I have seen some influencers use digital chore wheels for themselves if that is something you can make.

My laundry normally takes an hour and a half, so I try to clean during that cycle. It helps for me to have a cue.

I also am benefiting from taking before and after pictures when I clean. It feels less like a new ending string of awfulness when you see progress and you are really feeling the music.

I hope this makes sense and maybe helps!

Sincerely,
One of the Messiest People on the Planet

 

[nobody_oac]

When I did it, I was motivated to do it all at once, but that was over extending and it did not happen. I went at it like this:

1. Clean up all the trash. Anything that is definitely trash, get it in a bag and out of the way.

2. Get clothes, dishes, etc. to their respective locations. Put up clean things, dirty dishes in sink/dish washer, dirty clothes in hamper. If you have the energy, take on the dirty items.

3. Organize...put things up or if you aren't sure where you want them, sort items into piles near the desired location. Then you can start to plan how you want them placed and adjust as necessary.

3a. When you are organizing items, make sure to get rid of things you aren't really using. Either toss them in the trash bag or maybe consider donating.

3b. Things like tchotchkes, birthday cards, and other small personal items can build up too. Anything you like, display somewhere or find a place for it. Otherwise, clean those out as well. If it has sentimental value, I will snap a photo of it. Then I can look at the photo of the item without it taking up physical space. Can't keep it all.

4. Remainder of cleanup. Always work from the top to the bottom. Dusting and clearing out cobwebs, then wiping down flat surfaces, and once it is all on the floor, vacuum/mop/swiffer your floor.

All of this can be daunting with depression keeping you down. I just tried to work through it as best as I could. If it takes multiple days, try to keep up with what you've already done before moving on. Seeing the progress made me feel better and motivated me to keep going.

I'm not an expert and just made my way through it the best way I could. Hopefully this will help a little. Best of luck.

 

[wantingdignity]

Oh! Also, please do not beat yourself up at any point. Cleaning is hard. Cleaning with depression is stupid hard. Treat it like an injury - you would not beat yourself up for having trouble cleaning with a sprained ankle, you should not be at yourself up when you are struggling with functioning while having a spout of mental illness. It's like you are learning to use a muscle again.

Try to keep the focus on what you want your environment to feel like. You deserve to feel comfortable at home. You deserve to be able to be barefoot without feeling dust, dirt, or grime. You deserve to have clean sheets and breathe non dusty air. You deserve for a place to smell good, feel good, and look good. It does not have to be perfect, it just needs to feel good or feel like it's improving.

If all else fails, invite a friend over to entertain you while you do it. Or call someone to have in the background (someone on here recommended that to me and it helps).

Anyway, good luck!!

 

[2messdup]

I use an app called "the organised mum". For every day it lists a few things to do to keep things clean, and the time required is short, and not every day of the week. Often I don't manage to do even that, but if I do manage it I can tick the"done" box and I get a sense of achievement and release from thinking about it for that day.
If I can't bear the app and things have gone too far I think about it from a health and safety pov to prioritise. So bin full to overflowing with perishables and washing dirty crockery would be top of list. Etc.
I'm also, when I get better days, trying to make it much easier to keep cleaner so ruthless throwing stuff out decluttering. I'm lucky cos I have a tiny house with mostly hard floors so if (big if lol) the floors are clear, I can sweep round rather than hoover.

 

[J&L383]

Not an official one, but here's roughly what I've done so far:

- Pick an album to play as loudly as possible. If you want to go above and beyond, journal about what you want your environment to feel like.
- Put on tennis shoes, and something comfortable or athletic. Get your mind into work mode.
- Get rid of any bad smells (cat litter, anything moldy, anything that is repulsive)
- Take everything off of your bed and wash the bedding (I had to move my pile of doom onto my desk)
- Do a round of laundry - dishes - trash (do as many dishes as possible while clothes wash, take trash once they're in the dryer). Repeat as needed.
- Are you able to walk through your rooms? If not, clear a path. Corral the mess.

That's probably more than enough for a first day, depending on how bad it is.

Next time you clean, journal about what you see that's different and how you feel. Pick a new album that ties into what you want to feel about your environment.

List everything you would need to do to completely get to your perfect room and put how much time it would take for each task. List any costs.

Decide how much time you want to spend, and pick the most pressing items that you can complete in that time.

That's what I have been trying to do! My house was a complete depression shit hole. It's improved a lot, but is definitely a work in progress. I have seen some influencers use digital chore wheels for themselves if that is something you can make.

My laundry normally takes an hour and a half, so I try to clean during that cycle. It helps for me to have a cue.

I also am benefiting from taking before and after pictures when I clean. It feels less like a new ending string of awfulness when you see progress and you are really feeling the music.

I hope this makes sense and maybe helps!

Sincerely,
One of the Messiest People on the Planet

 

[2messdup]

Not an official one, but here's roughly what I've done so far:

- Pick an album to play as loudly as possible. If you want to go above and beyond, journal about what you want your environment to feel like.
- Put on tennis shoes, and something comfortable or athletic. Get your mind into work mode.
- Get rid of any bad smells (cat litter, anything moldy, anything that is repulsive)
- Take everything off of your bed and wash the bedding (I had to move my pile of doom onto my desk)
- Do a round of laundry - dishes - trash (do as many dishes as possible while clothes wash, take trash once they're in the dryer). Repeat as needed.
- Are you able to walk through your rooms? If not, clear a path. Corral the mess.

That's probably more than enough for a first day, depending on how bad it is.

Next time you clean, journal about what you see that's different and how you feel. Pick a new album that ties into what you want to feel about your environment.

List everything you would need to do to completely get to your perfect room and put how much time it would take for each task. List any costs.

Decide how much time you want to spend, and pick the most pressing items that you can complete in that time.

That's what I have been trying to do! My house was a complete depression shit hole. It's improved a lot, but is definitely a work in progress. I have seen some influencers use digital chore wheels for themselves if that is something you can make.

My laundry normally takes an hour and a half, so I try to clean during that cycle. It helps for me to have a cue.

I also am benefiting from taking before and after pictures when I clean. It feels less like a new ending string of awfulness when you see progress and you are really feeling the music.

I hope this makes sense and maybe helps!

Sincerely,
One of the Messiest People on the Planet

This is truly awesome. If you don't mind I'm going to pin this up somewhere

 

[wantingdignity]

This is truly awesome. If you don't mind I'm going to pin this up somewhere

Awww!! I'm glad it helps

 

[psp3000]

I don't know if this is helpful but when I make a cleaning or chores list instead of

listing things like this: (Big Picture)

-Clean Room
-Do Dishes


I break them down into small detailed steps like this: (Small Details)

-Sweep Room Floor
-Dust Room
-Throw Away Trash in Room
-Make Bed
-Gather Dirty Dishes to put in Sink
-Soak/Wash Dishes
-Dry Dishes
-Put Away Dishes

It may make it more satisfying or you will feel more accomplished and less overwhelmed because you know exactly what to do for each task (Big Picture Tasks -> Small Steps)

edit: similar to what was already commented a few comments up

 

[wantingdignity]

Oh! And if you have to clean up something rancid (cat litter, old trash, moldy food, etc), wash your hands and smell coffee beans/grounds immediately after. Coffee is an odor neutralizer and will reset your sense of smell. I have a salt shaker that I keep in my bag that I'm planning to fill with coffee beans for when I get overwhelmed. Just be careful not to inhale the grounds if you have ground coffee