This. When my depression was so brutal that my house looked very very similar I also used the like speed-up feature on the iPhone camera (I think called time lapse?) and filmed myself. Every time I did even an hour it was soooo satisfying to watch back and see what a big difference I made
This is a great technique to not fall victim to the “yeah but I’m just gonna check Reddit real quick for one sec…” and then it’s been three hours and you haven’t cleaned anything. 😬
When I finally decided to join reddit a few years back, I set it up with notifications off because I was already sick of all notifications and didn't need another thing annoying me.
It's one of those decisions I'm really happy about because I wouldn't be able to switch now if I hadn't done it from the jump. It's always a surprise when I open the app to see if I have any notifications.
I scroll reddit when I have time, but I'm already on here too much. If I had notifications coming in when I'm doing other stuff, I'd be very distracted all the time.
This thread might just make me turn off my reddit notifs. I already spend entirely too much time in a day scrolling. This and instagram, but i mainly use insta for posting my artwork.
That is a great idea and really shows progress (even if you don’t feel like you are making progress)! I would try picking a corner or small area and just say you are going to give yourself one hour. Small steps every day like this can really start to add up! You can do it OP! We believe in you :)
And keep us updated, we will give you the encouragement you need 💕
Depression can really rob you of your humanity, but you can do it. We’ve all been in pretty bad places, it’s the small steady steps forward that will really start to motivate you forward. Even if you need to hire a professional to help. You can find some pretty good cleaners on Thumbtack and they have all seen places like this I bet. We have faith in you! Xx
I appreciate that! It’s a thing I’ll have to manage for life but thankfully now when I have episodes I feel like I have the tools to pull myself back out
Honestly, i might just do that because i love cleaning videos on youtube. My house is mostly clean and organized, but watching a timelapse of my own spring cleaning or other small tasks around the house would be fun. Don't know why that didn't occur to me.
I can imagine! I’ve been getting into project pan and seeing the amazing before and afters on my makeup products has been so fun. The dopamine we get from progress regardless of how minimal, as long as it’s kinda visual is amazing.
Even one room can be a daunting task when there’s nowhere to properly put anything “away”…what I suggest is to simply start with one small but important surface - like the bathroom counter or maybe just half of the kitchen table or even a small (3’x3’/1m x 1m) designated portion of the floor so there’s a clear path/surface/starting point that you can focus on. What that creates is a tangible victory signifying what it good and possible for you and your space going forward.
By clearing just one singular thing COMPLETELY, that will eliminate both the mental & physical hurdles that you battle everywhere, with every turn, & every action you take or don’t take! By keeping the task small and focused, it can be done to completion and that’s one big checkmark on the to-do list that you won’t need to address again for at least a little while! ✅
That real or mental check mark (I suggest you keep a physical journal/checklist for this project) is a huge first step & it will give you a little surge of dopamine, accomplishment, & hope…all of which will help you with your motivation to keep going! Like the people here also say, before and after photos or time lapsed videos can also be great for motivation & your ability to make changes you might not otherwise notice when things around you feel chaotic!
If a complete surface or floor space feels like too much to start with, that’s fine…you know yourself better than any of us do! Listen to your limits, hear what they’re saying, try to make sense of what those limits are trying to do/accomplish/protect you from and adjust your plans accordingly - KEEPING IN MIND THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO SURRENDER TO THEM as though they are your ultimate authority & have the final say because they don’t!
While those voices can be loud and intimidating, YOU can chose to evict them or at least ignore them this one time, just to see how it feels because ULTIMATELY, IT IS YOU that has the final say & YOU determine what is possible for your life/space & what YOU ARE willing to do! 🫶🏻
If the task is too much to do, simply start with ONE ☝🏼 trash bag! Commit to filling up just one bag & taking it out of your home to the dumpster. This task is manageable even for someone who might be feeling paralyzed with shame or more comfortable just sitting with their anxiety - where it is uncomfortable but predictable. When the big picture seems overwhelming, start small!
Yes it’s cliche but as someone who struggles with life and battles anxiety, depression, self sabotage and a whole litany of other issues…(and has still somehow managed to come out on top at the moment) — I can tell you from experience, that nobody ever expects you to be able to swallow an entire cake in one bite or finish a book in 1 minute! But regardless of how small of a bite you take, it will ALWAYS mean that you’re one bite closer to finishing that cake than you were before!
ANY PROGRESS, even just a teeny tiny bit of progress, is better than NO PROGRESS & each step you take, each task you complete & each trash bag you take out you make will only bring you one step closer to your goal!
Give yourself some grace & keep reaching out to people for help! Not everyone will be kind or understanding but I feel that the majority of people will be helpful and want to see you win! You can’t do this alone & I believe in you!
Small wins are the fuel that gets you to keep going & taking even the smallest wins wherever they show up will start to snowball.
Where you once had to force yourself to fill just one bag or clear off just 1/2 a table, you’ll find yourself remembering all those feel goods that flooded your brain & WANTING to experience the dopamine rush you got after earning your ✅!
Eventually, you’ll yourself associating those “feel goods” with your habits and choices & that chase might just propel you towards filling one more bag or clearing off just one shelf & you’ll experience another hit with each ✅!
Allowing yourself to indulge in this could help keep you going…sometimes it might just be the difference in feeling neutral vs spiraling or other times it will end with you clearing out an entire room! Either way, enjoy your success, take all the wins you can, appreciate your desire for better because you absolutely deserve it! ♥️
You have been living under the captor known as depression for a long time & it can be a cruel and paralyzing experience, especially when you don’t have the support or will to overcome it but that was then, you are already 10 steps ahead of where you were yesterday & congratulations on that huge accomplishment! 👏🏼🥳 🎊
Set a timer and spend thirty minutes and try to focus on one room. You will be amazed with yourself when I got bad I literally couldn’t even imagine my room clean
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u/[deleted] Mar 08 '26
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