Look Around You

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Recently someone asked me how to find the motivation to clean and straighten up her house. She said that she would spend the day looking at all she had to do and yet not doing any of it.

I know I can relate to that; can you?

I’m afraid that the answer I gave her wasn’t very good.

At the time, I told her to just begin. It didn’t matter where – any positive change was a start.

And while what I said was true, it wasn’t the answer she needed.

Here is what she needed to hear:

Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world.

If your mind is scattered and unfocused, is it any wonder that your home is cluttered?

If you’re depressed, is it any surprise that your house looks sad and neglected?

If you can relate to any of this, maybe it’s time you started looking within yourself to see what’s going on.

If you think you’re depressed, start with a visit to the doctor.

If you’re already being treated for depression, maybe you should reconsider whether the treatment is working for you. And remember that even with proper treatment, it’s still possible to fall into that depression pit now and then.

Here are some other things that might help:

Add vitamin D3 to your diet. You’ll need a supplement; food alone isn’t enough. Aim for 2,000-5,000 IUs a day.

Get outside more while you still can. Here in the Midwest, we start getting ready for winter and it’s gray days, so take advantage of the sunshine while you can. Sunlight can help with depression, but you’ve got to be outside to get it.

Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. On the other hand, if you find yourself sleeping excessively, that could be a symptom of depression and might be worth checking in with your doctor about.

Get out of the house and interact with human beings. The tendency with depression is to isolate yourself. That’s not good for you, and if your house looks as depressed as you are, it’s not helping. Get out. Go to the mall. Go have a cup of coffee or go to the movies. Talk to people. Call a friend. Just get out.

Pay attention to what you’re putting into your brain. How much negative stuff do you feed it every day? And I don’t mean the negative self talk, although that’s not helping. Do you watch the news excessively? Watch depressing shows?

My family enjoys shows like The First 48 and Intervention, but really, these are very depressing shows. Turn on a comedy instead. Choose to read something uplifting instead of the newspaper.

Take care of yourself first. When you take good care of yourself, you’ll naturally start to feel better. And when that happens, your home will start to reflect it.

Take a look around you. What does your house say about you?

Picture of Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle is the writer of Lacyestelle.com and the Podcast host for An ADD Woman.

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