Overcoming Hoarding: 12 Tips

8/22/2017 (Permalink)

There’s obviously the assault on your eyes of the quantity of the clutter, then there’s the appreciation of what a mishmash the clutter is. -WebMD

Compulsive hoarding, also known as hoarding disorder, is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them, according to MayoClinic.org. Excessive accumulation of items, regardless of value, occurs.

People with compulsive hoarding may not see it as a problem, and this makes treatment challenging. Below are some tips to overcoming hoarding, pulled from Oprah.com:

1. Just because you can think of a use for an object, doesn't mean you need to keep it. If you haven't used an object in over a year, if you didn't know you had it until you found it, you can probably live without it.
2. More is not necessarily better. Try to get rid of the extras.
3. Categorize items into piles. A pile of things to keep, to donate, to sell or give away, and to throw away, but don't make too many piles and stress yourself out.
4. Don't overthink. If the decision takes you more than a couple of minutes for a particular object, you're making it too complicated.
5. Learn to get past the imperfections- you don't have to do a perfect job, just a good enough job.
6. Only Handle It Once (OHIO). If you pick something up, make a decision and put it where it belongs.
7. Be brave. The people who gain the most are usually those who are willing to risk the most.
8. Understand what you're afraid of, and recognize when your fears are irrational. Ask yourself, what's the worst that can happen if I throw this out? How bad would that really be? Then discard it and watch for whether or not that bad thing happened.
9. Be patient. No one overcomes compulsive hoarding overnight. Take it one room at a time.
10. Keep the ball rolling. Clean things as they come along before they become overwhelming problems. Once you start, don't stop. Create a pattern, 5 minutes a day, 30 minutes...
11. Be strict with yourself. Promise yourself a reward for doing it.
12. Know when to ask for help. Compulsive hoarding is a potentially serious mental health issue. If you can overcome it on your own, great. If you can't, get help from someone who has experienced it.

For further information, visit WebMD.