Is My Messy House Causing My Depression?

These days, chances are either you or someone you know has taken antidepressants to combat varying degrees of depression. In 1993, a controversial book penned by Peter D. Kramer entitled, "Listening to Prozac" described Kramer's ethical concerns over the use of the drug, Prozac. In 1993, only those committed to psychiatric institutions were regular users of Prozac. In the twenty or so years since Kramer's book questioned the ethical impact of administering anti-depressants, the use of these, "happy pills" has risen by 400%. Yes! 400%. Today, we are not reading about Prozac, we are reaching for it in our medicine cabinets! Which leads to the question of WHY? Has our level of contentment and life satisfaction dropped that significantly that we now need chemicals just to survive our day to day life strife's? One recently published survey suggests that only 1 in 3 people define their lives as happy ones. Certainly, our live's have become more hectic, our employers are less flexible and stress has become our way of life, but the findings are still astonishing. So, let me ask you - are YOU feeling sad right now? Is you bed not made? Is your kitchen a greasy mess? Does your toilet downright stink, ladies and gentlemen? You might not believe this, but revealing new research has found a direct link between a messy house and depression! Yes!!! I kid you not! David Neubauer MD, a mental health expert and researcher expressed that, "stressful life situations are known to trigger depression episodes in those individuals who are genetically predisposed to have depressive tendencies." He continued that a messy chaotic home will almost always lead to a stressful home environment and thus can directly result in depression in some people. When depressed, the last thing a person WANTS to do is clean. However, research has shown that tackling a seemingly overwhelming tasks in small increments will not only improve the physical appearance of your home, but will also lead to feelings of productivity and fulfillment in the depressed individual. Here is a list of four things that you can start TODAY to combat BOTH your cluttered, messy house AND restore a sense of happiness to your life!

• 1. Make a party of de-cluttering! Research has shown that asking for help will lessen the likelihood of procrastination and will help ease your work load!
• 2. Organize your home by designating spaces for frequently used items and supplies. Take it from me, it will completely eliminate those panic attacks that one experiences when feverishly look for the car keys in the refrigerator and garbage can before work!
• 3. Make your cleaning and organizing fun by jamming to your favorite tunes! I personally love listening to Tone Loc's, "Funky Cold Medina" as it always provides me an instant rush of motivation. It gets me every time! :)
• 4. Don't set your expectations too high! If you set a goal of cleaning a little bit each day, you will end each day with a sense of productivity! And feeling productive makes everyone feel better! 

In closing, if you are feeling completely and utterly overwhelmed with the task of taming your unruly home, give me a call today! Put your mental sanity first once and for all!