Tips to Stop Hoarding in its Tracks

All You Need to Know About the Quick Tips to Stop Hoarding in Its Tracks

Are you a hoarder? Did you know that hoarding is sometimes hereditary? It can actually get passed through generations like a disease. Hoarding is not about being lazy or stubborn or too attached to worldly possessions. This article should give you some real insight and good advice for your own issues.

 

1. Recognizing hoarding: Hoarding is a disorder as categorized in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-5). It is closely related to OCD. Hoarding is a disorder that focusses on having difficulty parting with physical possessions. This is not linked to value, just the mere possession of the object. If you feel like you have a serious disorder, make sure you contact a therapist for help. Hoarding creates a heap of active clutter in the living home areas or the workplace of the person. The items are rarely used but the individual still feels the need to retain them. The main symptom of hoarding is significant distress for self and also for others. Therefore, you might not be a hoarder but you might have the tendencies. Make sure you evaluate yourself and know where you lie.
2. Slow down: Do not impulsively throw away everything. Take your time and analyze why you are have chosen to keep something. If you throw everything away, this may lead to feelings of anxiety and regret.
3. Limit the number of times you handle items: Refrain from handling things one at a time. Make sure that you make decisions immediately instead of setting aside to go through again later. This is a common practice for people who hoard emails.
4. Scale down: Most of us like to hang on to some of our childhood memorabilia. The best thing to do is group similar items and pick one to keep. Have your children choose two or three of their childhood artwork or collections and discard of the rest. You may miss these things right off the bat but in the long run, they won’t mean much to you either way.
5. Box them: If you can’t throw it away, at least store it in a box. This’ll make it easier to find things and get around your home as well as get rid of things when you realize that you haven’t opened a certain box since you put the items in there.
6. Toss the items that are not regularly used: We all have general things that we keep around in the hopes of using it some day. If it’s not something you’re sure you’ll use, you might as well just get rid of it. Once your area is clean, the best thing you can do for yourself is keep it that way.