Image Credit: © cactusdude666
I hope you noted in this article’s title that I said “a treatment for” and not “a cure for”. In my opinion, there really is no cure for depression, but you can treat it and manage it. This article talks about one method that I have found extremely helpful in treating my depression.
The Insidious Monster
In this article, when I speak of “depression” or being “depressed”, I don’t mean the type of depression you feel when you find out your cat got run over by the mail man, or you feel like crap because you got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning. This happens to everyone and it is not depression. This is just you having a bad day. No, what I’m talking about here is the type of depression where a health care professional, such as your GP, has diagnosed you with. They might call it “clinical depression”. And depending on it’s severity, you may be on medication of some sort, and/or having counselling.
My depression can be such an insidious monster. Not only is it sole destroyingly debilitating, it feeds on itself. Just having depression can, and does, make you depressed. It’s a steep slippery slide, and there are razor blades stuck to the slide on the way down… just to add to the fun (sic). Razor blades with names like: “apathy”, “fear”, “control”, “negativity”.
Disorganised Mind
When you have depression your mind tends to be very disorganised and cluttered. You find it hard to concentrate and so your mind drifts from one thing to another and you never really get anything accomplished. Of course, that just makes you even more depressed (it feeds on itself, remember). There is something else. Something external that will cause chaos and clutter in your mind. If your surroundings are disorganised and messy, so too will your mind be. I don’t know which comes first, the disorganised mind, or the disorganised home, but I do know that you can’t take care of the former without first taking care of the latter
Just Start
Take the time and effort to tidy up your home (or wherever you spend the most time). Don’t think about how daunting a task it might be. Just begin. Perhaps tidy up a single room, or your desk (that’s where I started). It really doesn’t matter where you start. You just have to. Get one small area in order, and then stop.
I’m serious, stop!
Now look at what you have done and admire it. Pat yourself on your back for doing a great job. And I don’t care how small an area you just tidied up, sit there for a minute and soak it up. Tell yourself that you CAN get shit done! Now, while you are still feeling great, move on to the next area and tidy that up. When you’re done with that, take another break and soak up the awesomeness of your accomplishments. Keep repeating that process until you’ve done the whole house.
Oh, important thing to note here… Do not put any time constraints on this. It makes no difference if it takes you an hour, or a week to get it all done. Also, it is not the end of the world if you’ve planned to clean the kids room tomorrow, but when tomorrow comes you get called away from home all day and don’t get to it. I have some great news for you… there’ll be another tomorrow for you to do it. When you don’t sweat it and stress over it, you find that you’ll just get the thing done.
Just keep plugging at it a little at a time. Make sure you keep soaking up the good feelings by looking around at what you’ve achieved so far. This might sound a little weird, but lately I’ve taken to walking around the house when nobody’s here just to admire how tidy it is. I tell myself: holy shit! I did that!
Getting Into The Groove
Now that your home is spick and span lets talk about keeping it that way. One of the issues I had with housework was that it is so time consuming, so by the time you finish there is a whole new batch of it waiting for you that is just as big a pile as before you started. That told me that the first thing I needed to do was to find ways to get it done quicker. or at least smarter. To give you an idea of what I mean, this is how the mornings used to go here…
I’d get up at about half seven, to quarter to eight. In the next half hour to forty-five minutes I’d have to make the kids breakfast, make their lunches, and iron their uniforms. Consequently I’d be rushing about like a chook with its head chopped off and we’d invariably be late getting to school. I wouldn’t get my morning coffee until after taking them to school, and, as anyone who knows me can attest, a non-caffeinated Steve is not a happy Steve.
I changed one thing that has made an incredible difference. I now iron their uniforms the night before. Because of that one small thing I have far less stress in the mornings. When I get up I know that I don’t need to worry about uniforms so things somehow just run smoother. We haven’t been late one morning since I made that change, and I get my coffee first thing in the morning instead of having to wait.
Some other little things I’ve done that have helped are: I now do the dishes directly after each meal, instead of only when we run out of clean plates and cutlery; putting a load of washing on before going to bed (automatic washer, hang the clothes on the line first thing next morning). When I get back from the school run I do a quick whip around the house for a general tidy up. And when I say quick, I’m mean about 5 or 10 minutes. Before I got organised I used to look at the mess and think it’d take me a month of Sundays to get it all done (which just made me not want to do it).
Unexpected Results
When I got the place tidy and clean and I got myself into a good routine of keeping it that way, I noticed a couple of things…
- I could think more clearly. I was finding that I could concentrate on things for longer than I used to be able to. My mind was becoming just as tidy and organised as my surroundings. The strange thing is that I had devoted no conscious time or effort to this.
- I was beginning to be a happier person. The depression is still there, but I’m finding that I’m having more good days than bad days now. I’ve also noticed that when the depression does hit, that its intensity isn’t as severe and I’m able to pull myself out of it much easier.
- I’m getting more done and I seem to have more spare time. I’m not sure how that works, but I’m definitely doing more in less time.
Ultimate Proof
For me, the ultimate proof that getting organised has done wonders for helping me manage my depression is that you are reading this article. I’m writing again! And loving it!
Till next time…
Help me write more great articles like this, fuel my mojo with a coffee!
Previous 
Next 
Categories
Tag Cloud
Blog RSS
Comments RSS
Last 50 Posts
Back
Void 
Life 
Earth 
Wind 
Water 
Fire 
RSS
Twitter
Buzz
LinkedIn
Digg
YouTube
Delicious
I can relate to this Steve, I was severely depressed for 5 years between 19 and 24 years of age, requiring medication and hospital treatment. The good news is that I’m 56 now and believe I am a happier person having experienced depression. I can recognise the thought processes that lead to depression, and immediately stop them.
You are spot on with the tidy desk, tidy house project. I’m lucky, I don’t often have any mental issues, or if I do they are very short lived, but having an untidy desk leads me to unfocused, disjointed thinking, and we both know where that leads.
I tidied my bedroom yesterday and felt much better afterwards, today my desk and study will get a hammering. It’s amazing how it clears your mind.
John
John McNally wrote: 5 Topics for Blog Posts
Twitter: johnmcnally54
Hi John!
Welcome to one of my little bits of the Internet. It’s always a pleasure to see a new face in my comments section.
Yep, I can normally spot those thought patterns too, and I’m getting better at stopping them in their tracks. Don’t always get there, but I have more wins than not these days. Having that clear head helps.
Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment here, John. I find it very inspiring when I hear from people such as yourself who have been through the wringer, so to speak, and have lived to tell the tale.
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Great post, Steve! I’m glad you’re blogging again! Blogging really has helped me in my life. I’ve found that putting myself into my blog posts really helps clear my mind and easy my anxiety. It’s been extremely beneficial for me to have outlets in the form of blogs.
Now back to your post. Though I luckily haven’t suffered from clinical depression, I have experienced somewhat extended bouts of depression. I think your tips here are great. I don’t have kids’ uniforms to iron, but every night before bed I try to clean up my workspace and my room. It makes waking up in the morning not only much more pleasant, it also encourages me to get to work faster. I have nothing around me to distract me.
Thanks for sharing your personal experiences here, Steve. Keep up the good work, man!
Tristan wrote: Help Me Decide What Product to Come Out With on Blogging Bookshelf!
Twitter: tristanhigbee
Hey Tristan!
Welcome to my site, mate. It’s a pleasure to have you here.
Great idea to do a tidy up each night before going to bed. Waking up to everything in order lets your day run a hell of a lot smoother, doesn’t it? Now if I could just get my kids to pick up after themselves…
Thanks for dropping in and commenting, Tristan. I hope I’ll see you back here again soon, you’ll always be very welcome.
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
This is such a great post Steve, not just because it talks about depression as it is but because of your honestly and openness with it.
You have a great of putting things for other to learn from that it’s sad when you’re not around to do so.
Great to see you back writing again!
Hey Ben!
Thanks for your kind words, mate. It is good to be back, and it’s great to see you back here too!
And thanks also for the retweet. You rock, man!
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Getting organized is a good step to stop getting depressed. All the clutter just clouds your mind and doesnt let you think…good thoughts.
Edwin wrote: Increase Torrent Speed Download
Hey Edwin!
Yep, exactly! And it is amazing how simply having tidy surroundings lets your mind clear up, even without you trying.
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
I was once like that guy in the picture. Ok, not that bad! But close anyway. You’d think women are more organized, but we just like to leave that impression
Thing with order in your work/living place is it also induces order in thinking. Light wall colors or plants inside the room have similar effects.
I guess that room is like an exteriorization of your mind.
Maria Pavel@CNA Training wrote: Certified Nursing Assistant Practice Test
Hi Maria!
I just realised that I hadn’t replied to your comment here. I’m sorry for being so tardy.
Oh, and thanks so much for confirming my suspicions about women being organised (or lack thereof). LOL
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Ha ha, that’s at least i can do for you, to let you in on some secrets women have
And you don’t have to reply to every comment i make, really. I get enough satisfaction from your articles.
Maria Pavel@CNA Training wrote: Certified Nursing Assistant Practice Test
I’ll try to remember that. Oh, dammit! I’ve replied again. LOL
Twitter: SteveYoungs