How to clean a messy apartment when depressed and overwhelmed
Depression leaves people feeling entirely overwhelmed with no idea where or how to start cleaning their living space. This paralysis leads to filthy apartments, social isolation from never inviting people over, and a constant longing for a normal, comfortable home.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Cleaning in small bursts over a few days
- 2Pushing through the fatigue with external motivation
- 3telling myself 'this weekend i'll clean'
- 4taking five-minute breaks after every 15 minutes of work
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“my apartment is filthy. i never invite people over because it's so filthy.”source ↗
“i'm overwhelmed and don't know how or where i should start.”source ↗
“i'm tired of this, ready to have a normal clean apartment and actually feel like it's home.”source ↗
“I just managed a 15-ish hour clean over a few days. It's the cleanest it's been in years. It's helping push the depression aside.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 6How to clean your house when you get tired really fast
- 2How to clean your house in a rush before guests arrive
- 2How to sanitize a house for Giardia without bleach