Are you a hoarder? Do you know someone in your life who is a hoarder? Hoarding does not come from being lazy or having bad habits, but it’s getting too attached to your possessions to let go. Overcoming hoarding is not a one-day thing. If you managed to rearrange and tidy up your possessions, that doesn’t mean you have stopped being a hoarder. In fact, hoarding can take years to overcome. Here are some tips that will help you start overcoming hoarding.
Tips on How to Stop Being a Hoarder
- Recognise what hoarding is.
- Learn to navigate your emotions, trauma and imperfection.
- More is not necessary
- Understand that not being able to decide the use of something doesn’t mean you need to keep it.
- Categorise your items.
- Don’t overthink.
Recognize What Hoarding Is
It’s not easy to deal with a problem when you don’t know much about it. The first step to dealing with hoarding is recognising what is hoarding and what is not. Hoarding has been studied and categorized as a mental disorder. By recognising it, you will be better prepared to seek the correct help to overcome it.
Learn to Get Over Emotions, Trauma, and Imperfection
You don’t have to deal with everything that comes your way on your own. Learn how to deal with your emotions. Don’t be afraid to open up and talk to someone you trust. Know that you don’t need to do a perfect job or make perfect decisions.
More is Not Necessary
There is really no need for you to have too many things. You don’t need old magazines, two microwaves or more than one bicycle. Try to get rid of the extras you don’t need.
Not Being Able to Decide the Use of Something Doesn’t Mean You Need to Keep It
You need to ask yourself questions about the things you have. Do you really use them or how likely are you to use them in the future? If there are items you have not used for years or you don’t know what they are used for, you probably can live without them.
Categorize Your Items
Start by making a pile of things that can be used and one for things that cannot be used. Take the pile of things that cannot be used and throw them away. Separate the pile of things that can be used into two: one you need and one for items you can either resell or donate. You might need to make more piles, but make sure you only keep the most important things you need in your home.
Don’t Overthink
It’s daunting to go through the de-cluttering process. You do not need to make your decisions complicated by overthinking about them. If you take more than minutes to make a decision about one item, you might be overthinking and complicating your decision. Stop, refocus and move on to another object.
These tips might help you recognize there is a solution. Accepting that you have a hoarding problem is the first step to moving forward. You don’t have to go through the cleaning process alone; the expert technicians are here to help. We’ve been helping British Columbians like yourself with decluttering and organizing your space with great compassion for your unique situation. Contact 1st Hoarding Clean Up today to reclaim your space and move forward from hoarding.
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