Does cleaning your room ever feel impossible?

Spring can be an encouraging time. The weather warms up, winter begins to melt away, and a sense of hope and excitement emerges. It’s a time of renewal and rebirth. 

Just because winter is over doesn’t mean that depression just magically goes away. But we know of something that can help you feel refreshed, concentrated, and less anxious… a fresh space. 

Doing a deep clean this spring can help you feel more connected to the season, help you feel a sense of control over your well-being, and provide a dopamine boost from completing a task. 

When we spoke to therapist Simone Saunders and asked her "What is wellness, truly?”, she cited cleaning your space even when you don’t want to as a key part of wellness. Cleaning is an act of self-care that isn’t as luxurious as a spa day or hot pilates, but is a crucial factor in feeling good. 

We want to help. We know that sometimes taking care of yourself can feel impossible. The thing is, we want you to feel amazing, because you are amazing. Let us help you tidy up, so we can embrace the fresh start that spring brings together. 

Reminder: You’re not just “lazy”

“Grace, like water, flows to the lowest parts” - Philip Yancey

Healing doesn’t always look like our IG feeds

As much as we love the clean girl aesthetic, we all know that life simply just doesn’t look like that all the time, or ever. 

Even though social media can be a great source of inspiration and motivation, the last thing we’d want is for you to feel like you’re lazy because you’re comparing yourself to influencers who have a perfectly curated space that’s always tidy. 

Remember, social media is a highlight reel. And even influencers have bad days, weeks, and months, just like us. 

Do I really have to clean?

No, you don’t have to do anything. But, we highly encourage you to. Because cleaning actually has some pretty major mental health benefits. 

There are a surprising amount of mental health benefits to a clean room, like:

• Increased focus
• A sense of control
• A sense of satisfaction 
• Lower stress and anxiety 
• Reduced fatigue 

Ref: Cleveland Clinic 

How do I clean my depression room?

Before we dive into the step-by-step guide to cleaning your depression room, we want to remind you of a few things:

Make a plan. Set a day ahead of time that you will clean your room. Clear your schedule, buy any cleaning products you may need, and set your mind to prepare yourself for your cleaning day. 

Do what you can. It’s okay if you can’t accomplish this whole list in one day. The fact that you want to get started is so encouraging. 

Take breaks. Try to complete the step you’re working on before taking a break. This way, if you’re done for the day, you have a task completed and out of the way and don’t have to pick up where you left off tomorrow. 

Don’t feel ashamed.  Everyone has different capacities and struggles that they carry. If cleaning your room has become overwhelming, there is no shame in that. It might be hard to understand why something seemingly basic is hard to do, but experts know that self-care can be tough for those struggling with depression. 

Phone a friend. Some people would rather spring clean solo, while others could use an accountability partner or support. Either way, don’t forget that your community is there for you. By asking for help, you send the message that you value your friend, and that you would do the same thing for them if they asked. 

A step-by-step guide to spring cleaning your depression room:

The key to success: Compartmentalize 

The mess in your room likely falls into one of five categories:

Step 1: Trash

Take a garbage bag and go around your room gathering all of the trash into the trash bag. Use as many trash bags as you need until this task is done. Secure the bags and dispose of them.

Step 2: Dishes

Check to see if your dishwasher is already full. Empty it before gathering the dishes in your room.

Then, gather all plates, cups, or other dishes from your room and put them in the dishwasher or sink.

If you have the energy to do them in the moment, that’s great. If not, that’s okay. Soak the dishes that need extra attention. The good thing is that you got the dishes outside of your room and into the kitchen. 

Step 3: Laundry

We all know that pile of sort-of clean clothes we keep in a chair or corner of our room. For this step, instead of washing and drying all your dirty clothes in one day (which would be a big task for anyone) 

Let’s focus on two things:

Making your space less visually cluttered by dirty clothes.

Making sure you have clean sheets, a towel, and a comfy outfit ready to go. 

Take any dirty clothes and put them in a laundry basket. Take any of those sort-of clean clothes and decide if they can be folded and put away. 

Tip: If you have a mountain of clean clothes to fold and put away, this is a great time to make it an activity. Putting on your comfort show or favorite music makes this task somewhat enjoyable, you can even turn it into a weekly laundry ritual.

Finally, after putting any loose laundry away, start a load of laundry that’s just sheets, a towel, and an easy-to-wear outfit so that you can end your spring cleaning with fresh sheets, a fresh towel, and a warm set of clothes to put on afterward. 

Step 4: Things that have a home

By now, your space is free of trash, dishes, and laundry. It is now easier to visualize how your space looks and what needs to go where. For this step, take a look at everything that is out of its usual place. 

Books that need to go on shelves, displaced makeup or toiletries that need to be returned to the bathroom, and any other errant items will be returned to their homes for this step. You’re so close!!

Step 5: Things that need a home

What do you do with that vision board from 2022? Or your old journals?

This step is a great time to honor your intuition. Listen to your gut as to what you wish to keep, what you wish to donate, and what you wish to discard.  

And bestie… you did it!! You cleaned your room. We are so, so proud of you!

Bonus step: Reward yourself <3

You deserve a reward for all your hard work. Some ideas are:

• Going out for an iced coffee, matcha, or other drink you love 
• Ordering yourself a special meal
• Ceremoniously lighting a candle or incense
• Buying flowers for your new clean space
• Booking a massage, or taking yourself to see a movie
• Buying something you’ve had your eye on for a while

You did it! Some takeaways from this journey:

Give yourself some major recognition. Self-care can’t be congratulated enough. On a serious note, we want to acknowledge that feeling down or depressed happens more often than we think, and if you are struggling, you aren’t alone. 

We wanted to link the National Network of Depression Centers (Resource Link page), a comprehensive list of resources you can access if you ever need it. 

Also, we want to say again that there’s no shame in needing help, in your space getting messy, in feeling down, or struggling with self-care. 

Healing isn’t always pretty, and it isn’t easy. But it is possible, and we believe that with all our hearts. 

We hope you have a beautiful spring season, and that you blossom and flourish. 

All our love,

ITO.