Cleaning Therapy for Clinical Depression
Although facing housecleaning is a prospect to get anyone depressed, cleaning can help those with clinical depression in many ways. Cleaning therapy is also good for those with chronic pain who have some mobility. I’m not talking about the scrubbing the house from roof to basement every day — I mean just looking at one chore and taking that on when you feel down or even when you don’t feel so down. Lord knows, my home isn’t exactly spic and span, but you can walk around in it easily enough.
What are some of the benefits of cleaning therapy for clinical depression? Glad you asked.
Raises Self-Esteem
For me, this is the biggest benefit to cleaning something. I can see immediate results to my actions. It’s quite satisfying. All I have to do is organize the mail on the desk, or wash the dishes or clean the kitty litter and I feel a little better about myself. (Well, maybe not after dealing with the kitty litter.) I walk in to a mess and –tada!– I manage to fix it. I have power.
Gives You Exercise
I don’t know about you, but I find doing exercises or working out incredibly boring. I tend to cringe whenever I hear the word “exercise”. But there are many activities we do that counts as excerise. Doing the laundry, walking the dog, sweeping the floor — they all take bending and lifting and all that ofther good stuff.
One of the reasons that regular exercise is so good for people with clinical depression is that the exercise helps the body keep a regular sleep routine. When your body is physically tired, you have a tendency to be able to fall asleep easier and stay asleep. Oddly enough, it also makes it easier for you to get up when you have to, just because you’ve had a decent night’s sleep.
Being groggy can intensify feelings of helplessness, grief, confusion and desolation. These fellings that people with clinical depression already have an aboundance of and don’t need any more. Getting regular sleep can help keep the emotions on a more even keel.
Gets Stuff Clean
Oh, yeah, there’s that, too.
November 14th, 2008 at 11:53 am
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