Clutter

Physical Clutter

Does your house look like a hurricane just hit it?  Piles of clothing, paper, projects, laundry, you-name-it on the floor, on the tables, on the chairs?  Feel overwhelmed just thinking about it?  

Have you ever hid in your house while someone knocked on your door?  Embarrassed to have anyone over, even your children's friends?

If you answer 'yes' to any of these questions, clutter is affecting your life, and yes, it will make your depression worse.  Clutter contributes to your feeling overwhelmed, of the fogginess in your mind, and the inertia in your body.  You will feel better if you are not surrounded by stuff and chaos.

I  know it is overwhelming to even think about.  Take a deep breath.  You don't have to do it in a day.  Check out ,www.flylady.net she will help you get your household clutter under control.  It won't happen in a day, but (as she says) it didn't get dirty in a day.

Flylady's system is very well suited to people with depression.  Baby steps.

Mental Clutter

Do you worry every time a family member is late?  Do you fantasize that something terrible has happened?  Are you reliving bad memories over and over?  

Are you creating dramatic situations in your family?  Creating arguments, yelling, or throwing things?

Do you feel guilty about everything?

These kinds of mental clutter are both a product of our depression, and a hindrance to our recovery.  

And they are probably the most difficult to deal with.

Depression inhibits our ability to make decisions (that is why you go around and around in your mind and are never able to decide on what to do--it's called 'circular thinking').  Depression also often means that the endorphins in your brain are low.  Fantasizing about disaster, creating dramas/crisis, and re-living terrible events are all ways to spike the endorphins in your brain for a brief period.  Awareness, and gentle endorphin raisers, will help combat this thinking. 

Financial Clutter

Afraid to open your bills because you can't remember the last time you paid them?  Afraid to answer your phone because it might be a collection agency?  Can't find your bills even if you did remember to pay them?

Not facing your financial situation is very common in people who are depressed.  Often we face a change in our financial status due to our depression, and often we over-spend on credit cards to try to make ourselves feel better.

Worry over money is interfering with your recovery from depression.  The fear and anxiety can be overwhelming.  It is important to face your financial situation.  Chances are that it is not as terrible as you think, and if it is that bad, you need to know.  See our page on finances and depression for more information. 

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