Ever been too depressed to clean your house? Cleaning when depressed is almost impossible because it’s just not a priority.
And if you’re too depressed to clean your house is easy to become overwhelmed, ashamed and desolate.
Depression cleaning is not always the answer either – just plowing through doesn’t solve the problem.
Listen: Too Depressed to Clean Your House
Watch: Too Depressed to Clean Your House
Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer. You can find this and 400 other answered questions in this series on our YouTube channel.
What to do if You’re Too Depressed to Clean
What do you do if you’re too depressed to clean? Many cleaners have depression. A common question among them is how to deal with it on the job. One house cleaner wrote in with this question.
“I have a depression problem, and I’m struggling very much with my home. I’m living alone. It’s a little flat, two rooms, and an entrance. I don’t know how to call them. English is not my first language. And I have a messy place.
Every day, I try to do something. I end up doing nothing. And I don’t know how to start on how to motivate myself. I have been watching your videos. They’re very nice. But I couldn’t start. And I am scared. I don’t know. I am not comfortable with myself.”
Depression is a Real Problem in House Cleaning
And I honor that because depression is a very real thing, and it catches a lot of people off guard. And there are very frustrating moments where you want to do more, and yet, you don’t.
So what is it that’s causing that? And I need to preface this by saying I’m not a healthcare professional. I’m not a licensed therapist. I’m just a house cleaner, and so this is coming from my perspective and experience in the industry. So that’s what I have to share with you today.
Do a Time Audit if You’re Too Depressed to Clean
All right, the very first thing that you should do is a time audit. And the reason that I do this is because we all have 24 hours a day, which means we have 168 hours a week.
If you work a 40-hour job, you have 128 hours left in your week. Granted, some of that is sleep time. Some of it is catching up on Facebook or watching TV.
But we can’t resolve how you’re spending your time until you know how you’re spending your time.
Many People Who Suffer from Depression are Rescuers
What I have found about people that suffer from depression, is they’re rescuers. And so if you put them in front of little animals, or they see a sick dog or something, they will rescue that animal.
They also rescue people. And so if they have other people in their lives or friends that need help, they’re the first to volunteer. They’re the first to reach out. They’re the first to help.
And so you will find that they’re are some of the kindest, most compassionate people on the planet. And I love that because it shows that you have a heart of gold and you want to give.
People Give to Others Because it Makes Them Feel Better
A lot of times, we give to other people because it makes us feel good. We think that when they thank us, that’s what makes us feel good.
But the reality is this, it’s the giving that makes you feel good, not people’s appreciation.
Yes, that feels good as well, but the real gift is in the giving itself.
When You’re Too Depressed You Have to Rescue Yourself
Now, when you’re too depressed to clean, we need you to help yourself. And a lot of times, we don’t give ourselves permission to rescue ourselves. We only give ourselves permission to rescue other people because they need it.
But if you were you were standing on the side, or you were looking at yourself in a mirror, you would see yourself as a person that needed some help.
You Can Use an App to Keep Track of Time
I want you to take a notepad and paper or your smartphone. There are different time apps where you can track where you’re spending your time.
How much time are you spending on social media? How much time are you spending sleeping? How much time are you spending watching TV? How much time are you spending working?
Once you have a very good grasp of how you’re spending your time, you can give a certain number of hours to focus on yourself.
Because right now you need your own help. And only you know what you need. You have to treat yourself as the agent that’s representing you.
Many House Cleaners are Too Afraid to Sell
A lot of house cleaners cannot sell because they’re so scared of the selling process when they get in front of other customers. And we say, “Okay, but if you are representing this person, and they had to go out and sell, what would you say about this person?“
“Well, I would say this, I would say they’re fantastic. They work fast. They’re efficient. They’re knowledgeable.” yet, they won’t say it about themselves.
Create a Third-Party Barrier Between Yourself
So, creating this third-party barrier between you and yourself let’s look at the whole picture objectively. Even though you might be suffering from a state of depression at this moment, this will pass.
This is a temporary situation along life’s journey. But if you get in the habit of thinking of yourself as talented, with all these different skills. Then that’s going to help channel where you spend your extra time.
Saving Everyone Else Doesn’t Help Your Depression
Because what’s lacking in most situations is this frustration of helping everyone else and not getting back what you need. You can’t help other people until you help yourself first.
Because we have a limited amount of time, you have to be aware of your time and where you’re spending it.
Then you have to think about what you need. Figure out what you need and rescue yourself.
You Can’t Fix Your Depression Overnight
Now, it’s not going to happen overnight. This is a process. But I want you to start thinking, “I’ve got this. I see this person that needs some help. I’m going to help this person. What does this person need?”
And then be very clinical about it. Don’t get the emotions involved. And don’t get wrapped up in it thinking, “Well, I could never do that,” or, “I’m not good enough to do that.“
Yes, you are. If you’re on the planet, you’re good enough, and you have the power to do it.
You Have the Knowledge to Help Your Depression
All of us already have the knowledge and the things we need to get from point A to point B.
But sometimes, we don’t tap into it because we think we are undeserving. And the truth is, you are deserving. You deserve an amazing life, to wake up every morning with a smile on your face because it’s all okay.
Stop what you’re doing. Stop thinking, “Well, I’m scared of myself and all these things.” The truth is, we’re all scared of ourselves. We’re all our own worst critics. I don’t know why we do that, but the reality is, you are good enough, and you do deserve an amazing life.
*** Resources From This Episode***
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