Tips for Decluttering When Depressed

Living with depression can make even the simplest tasks feel overwhelming, and decluttering your space may seem like an impossible feat. However, creating a tidy and organized environment can have a positive impact on your mental well-being. In this blog post, we’ll explore some practical tips for decluttering when depressed, offering guidance on how to make the process more manageable.

Welcome to my Year Long Thorough Declutter Series. We declutter 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Each day we do a daily task based on the room we are working on. Today, our task is to start decluttering your clutter in your living room. If you prefer watching videos, check out my youtube channel here. Today, we’ll look at some tips for decluttering any worn out or broken furniture in your living room.

The best way to develop a new habit is by slowly and daily application. We will begin a new daily declutter habit starting with the 2nd bathroom. In the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series, we will declutter 30 minutes a day, five days a week on weekdays. Sign up to receive daily encouragement and motivation.

Plus, you’ll learn your specific daily task to work toward completing the goal of a Year Long Thorough Declutter where you will declutter every space and learn how to start to purge your house. Are you ready to finally get organized? If so, will you join us? Leave a comment below to subscribe.

If you are new to the blog, welcome! I blog about cleaning, decluttering, and organizing. You can find my free printables to help you get organized in the drop down menu under the Printables category.

Currently we are working on how to unclutter the Living Room. The daily task for today, Dec. 22, 2023, is to begin to declutter any worn out or broken furniture in your living room. Remember, we are focusing on just the living room area, so don’t declutter your whole house. We will cover each room separately.

Navigating the Cluttered Mind: Tips for Decluttering When Depressed

Start Small: When facing a cluttered living space and a cluttered mind, the thought of tackling everything at once can be paralyzing. Begin with small, manageable tasks. Choose one room or even one corner to start decluttering. If you are decluttering when depressed, breaking down the process into smaller steps can make it feel less daunting and more achievable.
Set Realistic Goals: Establishing realistic goals is crucial when decluttering with depression. Instead of aiming to transform your entire living space in a day, set achievable daily or weekly goals. For example, focus on clearing out one drawer, organizing a shelf, or sorting through a pile of papers. Celebrate small victories to build momentum.
Enlist Support: If you find yourself decluttering when depressed, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or professional organizer, having someone by your side can provide both emotional support and practical assistance. They can offer a fresh perspective and help you make decisions about what to keep, donate, or discard.
Create a Decluttering Routine: If you find yourself decluttering when depressed, establishing a routine can provide structure and help combat the inertia that often accompanies depression. Set aside dedicated time each day or week for decluttering. Consistency is key, and having a routine can make the process feel more manageable and less overwhelming.
Focus on Mindfulness: Mindfulness can be a powerful tool when decluttering with depression. Approach each task with a sense of awareness and stay present in the moment. Mindful decluttering involves paying attention to your thoughts and feelings without judgment, allowing you to make intentional decisions about your belongings.
Prioritize Self-Care: Taking care of your mental health is essential during the decluttering process, especially if you are decluttering when depressed. Schedule breaks, practice self-compassion, and be mindful of your energy levels. It’s okay to step back and regroup when needed. Integrating self-care into your routine can help prevent burnout and make the decluttering process more sustainable.
Use the Four-Box Method: When sorting through items, use the four-box method: one box for items to keep, one for donations, one for trash, and one for items to relocate. This method simplifies decision-making and keeps the process organized. Focus on the items that bring you joy and serve a purpose in your life.
Celebrate Progress: Recognize and celebrate the progress you make along the way. Whether it’s completing a small decluttering task or achieving a larger goal, acknowledge your efforts. Positive reinforcement can boost your motivation and reinforce the idea that decluttering is a worthwhile endeavor.

Decluttering when depressed may pose challenges, but with a thoughtful and patient approach, it is possible to create a more organized and uplifting living space. By starting small, setting realistic goals, enlisting support, and prioritizing self-care, you can gradually transform your environment and, in turn, positively impact your mental well-being. Remember, the journey to a clutter-free space is a personal one, and every small step forward is a victory worth celebrating.

Guide to Decluttering

1.Only spend time on your specific daily task.

2.Do not get side-tracked or distracted.

3.Work within a time of day that you have the most energy and stamina. This is one of the most useful declutter motivation tips. Listen to your body and work at decluttering when you feel the most alert and energized.

4.Avoid thinking too long about whether to keep or discard an item. This is one specific way for How to Be Ruthless When Decluttering.

5.Avoid cleaning during your declutter. The goal is to purge the dead weight. Getting rid of the clutter is your priority. Cleaning can be accomplished later. Read on for more declutter motivation tips and my room specific deep clean checklist, though, as you will begin cleaning after your declutter.

Hacks for Decluttering

Supplies Needed:

1. boxes -preferably ones you can donate (Avoid plastic storage bins because you may be tempted to just store the items and not part with them.)1. boxes -preferably ones you can donate (Avoid plastic storage bins because you may be tempted to just store the items and not part with them.)

2. sturdy trash bags

3. marker/pen to label boxes

Decluttering Tip: Avoid using storage bins to declutter. Storage bins tend to tell your brain to “store” the items for later. That is just delaying decisions. If you aren’t getting rid of items when you declutter, you are not truly decluttering. This is why I recommend a trash bag, also. A trash bag tells your brain to “trash” the item.

Obviously, recycle if you have that option. The boxes you use should be ones you are willing to part with, so I recommend sturdy cardboard boxes. As to donations, there are many charities that will come pick up your items for you at your home.

I use one in particular where you can book an appointment for pick-up online. This is so convenient, as it saves you the hassle of hauling stuff away yourself. Scheduling that pick-up also motivates you to declutter by a certain date.

Steps for Decluttering

1. Start by eliminating trash first- use a sturdy trash bag

2. Sort items by category if needed so you can see what you have

3.Get rid of items that don’t work or that work poorly, expired items, anything you don’t love, anything that you’ll never use again

4. Box up the donations and trash/recycle the rest

5.Select a charity to donate your items and schedule the pick-up if that is an option

How Do You Declutter Your Entire House (and get it deep clean?): Need to deep clean?

First, My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.

Second, My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.

Third, My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.

Fourth, My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.

Fifth, My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.

You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Deep Cleaning Your House Schedule here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. What Does a Deep Clean Include? It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Check out the link above to see a sample page of what you’ll get in my printable set designed to help you create your personal Homemaking Checklist.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.

New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:

Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. If you don’t have a calendar, you can grab my free weekly printable calendar page here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free, so you won’t be prompted to put in any payment information. It is a free download and will be delivered straight to your email.

Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.

Step 3: How do you remove clutter? How Do You Declutter Your Home?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.

Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered.

Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.