People who have suffered from depression understand that the condition can make even the most routine task feel like such a struggle. That is exactly how Jonna Rusland from Sweden felt, but she took to social media to reveal how she was able to overcome her struggle by cleaning her room.
Rusland posted two photos of her bedroom in a post titled "Me-1 - Depression 0!" The first was a striking photo of a messy room with dozens of empty soda bottles scattered across the floor. Lying in the bed was a lone teddy bear surrounded by what appears to be unwashed laundry, papers, and tons of unidentified junk.
Rusland revealed that depression made it difficult for her to clean and do other household chores.
"My room have been this messy for several months because I can't push myself to take care of it," she said. She also revealed that getting out of bed was a struggle. "It makes other things that other, healthy people do, so overwhelming. It's like trying to run a marathon when you've been in a coma for years" she explained to Upworthy.
But one Friday, Rusland was finally able to win over her condition. The second photo revealed how her room looked like as a result of a three-day cleanup.
Rusland's blog post has inspired a lot of people and managed to garner 300,000 likes in less than 24 hours.
One person commented "I have been suffering from bouts of depression and dealing with an eating disorder and my place is in disarray. This in inspiring."
There is still a large stigma surrounding depression, and people suffering from any mental illness in general. People often equate depression to sadness and assume that it will go away after a few days. Rusland's photos are proof that depression is a serious condition, but more importantly, it shows that accomplishing a simple task can make a depressed person feel victorious.