Most people do. Could be a family member or a friend. Just like an alcoholic, you can’t help them until they’re ready for help. They have to be the one asking for help and it may even be an eviction situation.
Hoarding can be debilitating to the person with the problem but especially to their loved ones. It’s frustrating enough to know a hoarder but to live with one can be devastating. I’ve seen couples break up over it and I’ve seen hoarders that can’t have relationships and friendships due to the insurmountable piles that they can’t control. To put it in a nutshell, a hoarder can’t distinguish trash from treasures. Everything is usable, collectable, and might be used someday. Some people pull things out of the trash, others buy too much without a clue as to how they will use it.
A collection is usually nicely displayed, taken care of, added to thoughtfully, and in an honored place for friends to admire and enjoy. A hoarder’s collection will be so huge and overwhelming that it can’t be displayed, they really don’t even know what they have, and there’s not much joy in it. There’s a difference between collecting and amassing.
We’ll talk more about hoarding later.
For more information on hoarding visit: http://www.ocfoundation.org/1005/index.html
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Monday, December 22, 2008
Hoarders
Most people think of hoarders as people that just collect junk, but that’s not always the case. There are animal hoarders, information hoarders, article hoarders, newspaper, magazine, T-shirt, shoe, and even wrapping paper hoarders.
Sometimes they’re just as frustrated with it as their loved ones are but they don’t want to do anything about it because it’s a part of them. How would you feel if someone came in and just took your computer away? You’d feel cut off and like you’d lost a friend. That’s why others can’t just come in and remove all their stuff. Every little thing is extremely important and valuable to them. They can’t lose that contact with their stuff without therapy and an accompanying drug regimen. If you clean out a hoarder’s stuff and they’re not getting help for it, it will all come back again.
When I work with hoarders, I help them figure out a system for finding all their stuff. It’s too much stuff to just tuck into closets and cabinets so we contain, label, and inventory everything so they know where it is. I haven’t met one yet that wanted to “just get rid of it all” since it’s all so important to them.
You can’t take a hoarder lightly and just take it all away because for them, it’s like ripping off their skin. Tread carefully and have some respect.
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Sometimes they’re just as frustrated with it as their loved ones are but they don’t want to do anything about it because it’s a part of them. How would you feel if someone came in and just took your computer away? You’d feel cut off and like you’d lost a friend. That’s why others can’t just come in and remove all their stuff. Every little thing is extremely important and valuable to them. They can’t lose that contact with their stuff without therapy and an accompanying drug regimen. If you clean out a hoarder’s stuff and they’re not getting help for it, it will all come back again.
When I work with hoarders, I help them figure out a system for finding all their stuff. It’s too much stuff to just tuck into closets and cabinets so we contain, label, and inventory everything so they know where it is. I haven’t met one yet that wanted to “just get rid of it all” since it’s all so important to them.
You can’t take a hoarder lightly and just take it all away because for them, it’s like ripping off their skin. Tread carefully and have some respect.
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
When You Get a Little Behind
I feel a little naughty writing that title! We all get behind. Life happens. Death and illness happen. Divorce, marriage, whatever happens, it can put you off track. You can spend your whole life being an organized person, then BAM. Your father falls ill, you’re going through a divorce, and your employer has downsized so much that you’re doing the job of 3 people.
Opening mail, filing, processing the mundane things of everyday life have to take a back seat to your sanity! Most of it can pile up as long as you’re paying your bills on time. Late charges can eat into your budget and your credit rating.
I recommend that you set up as many online automatic payments as possible. It’s liberating, allows you to be gone for long periods of time, and takes that weight off your mind. Check with your bank to see just how simple it is. If you need some handholding, I can help with that as we get you set up. I’m happy to provide some referrals from other people I have helped with that. Besides, I’m not smart enough to figure out how to siphon off your money!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Opening mail, filing, processing the mundane things of everyday life have to take a back seat to your sanity! Most of it can pile up as long as you’re paying your bills on time. Late charges can eat into your budget and your credit rating.
I recommend that you set up as many online automatic payments as possible. It’s liberating, allows you to be gone for long periods of time, and takes that weight off your mind. Check with your bank to see just how simple it is. If you need some handholding, I can help with that as we get you set up. I’m happy to provide some referrals from other people I have helped with that. Besides, I’m not smart enough to figure out how to siphon off your money!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
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