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Fight depression with cleaning

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anthony

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You may have heard that exercise makes you feel better and is a great way to combat depression. But what about those times when you are too depressed to get in your car and drive to the gym? And what if you hate exercise and the exercise culture, and the last thing you want to do is to get out of bed, fight traffic, park and then deal with people at the gym?

There's good news: you can fight depression right at home without having to deal with another soul. By engaging in common household chores, you can fight depression. Lets use the kitchen as our example.

Start by doing the dishes
Those suffering from depression may be a little messy -- and the kitchen in the tempest of the disorder. The sinks are full of dirty dishes. The counter space packed with clutter. Trash and half-eaten food. Bottle caps divorced from bottles. Tupperware containers and lids that don't fit -- loosely scattered.

It's all so overwhelming that you don't know where to start.

Going back to bed and hiding under the covers seems wonderful in contrast.

Here's the secret: break this task down into manageable pieces. Start be emptying the dishwasher and putting away the dishes. Don't worry if you don't sort them perfectly; just put them away. Once the dishwasher is clean and free of contents, take a step back and congratulate yourself. Let the feeling of accomplishment wash over you, along with its accompanying good feelings.

Now fill the pots and pans with soapy water and set them aside to soak, letting the soap do the work. Like a test where you answer the questions you know first, scrub the easy ones first. Then reload the dishwasher. It doesn't have to be done perfectly; it just has to be done.

Smile, laugh, rinse and repeat
Once all the easy dishes, silverware and stemware are loaded, return to the soapy water and stubborn pots and pans. Scrub until you get one clean and loaded into the dishwasher and then move to the next. Soon, you'll have a full load of dishes. It will feel especially good when you fill the compartment with dishwashing liquid, close the door and press the start button.

As you do each of these chores, you'll feel the same rush of endorphins -- feelings of happiness that you could have felt on the treadmill. The difference is that you are getting the benefits of activity while getting something done at home. Why not expel energy and improve your living conditions at home at the same time?

Now clean the counter
While the dishwasher does its handiwork, move on to the countertops. Pick a section of counter and clear it of everything. Move items to the sink or other kitchen areas as you get one section of counter clean. Now take a cloth and rid the countertop of crumbs and small pieces of trash. Throw away the trash and move the pieces of food to either your compost bin or garbage disposal. Once you have that section of counter ready, spray the cleaner and wipe clean. Get it so clean it shines. Admire your work and then repeat until you get another section clean.

Next, sweep it up
Sweep up the trash. Put the recyclables and compostable items into their respective containers. Run a vacuum on the floor. The sound of that marvelous machine is therapeutic because you know you are getting an area clean, no matter how small it is. Some semblance of order is happening.

Finally, take a break
Take a break and return when the first load of dishes are done. Now repeat what you did before and keep repeating until the kitchen is clean. A dirty kitchen is the enemy of depression. Congratulate yourself and smile -- you now have a clean kitchen. Praise yourself for a job well done.

Now move on to the next room, and continue one room at a time, progressing with the rest of your house.
 
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