How To Keep House While Drowning
How to Keep House While Drowning, written by KC Davis, LPC, is a book I often recommend to anyone struggling with depression, anxiety, or even ADHD. KC is a therapist who has personally experienced severe depression and understands the difficulty of maintaining both a home, health, and mental health during those seasons.
This is a gentle, accessible read filled with practical strategies for managing self-care and caring for your home — even when you don’t feel like it. Davis addresses the full spectrum of depression, offering support for someone who finds it hard to get off the couch as well as for someone who is so deeply struggling that even basic hygiene feels impossible.
What stands out most to me is her compassionate approach to self-talk. She acknowledges how harsh and critical our inner voice can become during difficult times and introduces a gentler, more healing alternative.
“I was not lazy. And neither are you.” — KC Davis
This short, honest phrase says so much. When I first read it, I felt seen. I felt relief. Someone who understood my struggle was telling me I wasn’t lazy — and, slowly, I began to believe it for myself.
When you’re struggling with your mental health and can’t get off the couch to take care of yourself, your body and mind may be asking for rest. But when negative self-talk is loud and relentless, you don’t actually get the rest you need. Instead, you remain stuck in a painful, self-perpetuating cycle of shame and exhaustion.
How to Keep House While Drowning offers small, realistic, and manageable strategies to interrupt that cycle. It gently helps you build momentum, quiet the shame, and begin moving back toward the life you want to live.
💙Marie Smith, PMHNP
If you are experiencing a medical or psychiatric emergency, or need immediate support, please do not wait for a response.
Instead, contact emergency services:
Call 911 for immediate assistance
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
#shameandmentalhealth #self-compassion #mentalhealthohio
