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thinking about becoming a hoarder
crwth
THAT'S ITRegistered User regular
THAT'S ITRegistered User regular
trash can is too far away, easier to just throw my trash on the ground. i can just walk around it
crwth on
+2
Posts
uh
hmmm
no i need to do this on my own
worst ones are definitely where pets and kids are present.
What im trying to say is it takes time to become a true hoarder, but I believe in you
Best time to start would've been twenty years ago but second best time is today IMO
Just be sure to hide a large pile of bottle caps in perhaps a refrigerator or a crate you keep on the ground for this explicit purpose
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just fully going all-in on this bullshit
it's about time
nic are these ai gourds
that said, none of them have a weird number of fingers.
How many unfinished projects do you have next to you right now?
How many unstarted projects do you have nearby?
The board doesn't accept applicants all just willy-nilly, you understand?
The instant you start doing this you realize Hamilton will become your favorite thing of all time, every TV you ever see will be nothing but QVC, and whether you like it or not, you will greet and depart every conversation with "namaste".
I just love STUFF
Yes there is. Thats why I said I’m pre-hoarder. I could go full hoarder any day.
anyone want a hoard? free if you come pick it up
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but I don't need to justify that to you peons. my wealth and good looks speak for themselves
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Pumpkins did nothing wrong!
(it's allergies)
Gotta get those pre-hoarder bonuses
it was not good or cool and i felt very bad for her, having to live that way
This thread is a bit of fluff that, depending on flavor of engagement, offers self-reflection. I typically don't expect folks to be up on disorders or the DSM criteria unless that's a special interest / concern of theirs; knowing myself and how I learn, I hope that ignorance is not from apathy, judginess, or maliciousness on the part of those commenting -- I tend to assume, instead, poor mental health education. If there's insensitivity or offense here, I've parsed that as a result of the generally long time it takes for these things to filter into public awareness and allow better understanding. Or, a bit of self-deprecating or self-aware humor.
An opportunity for correction, regardless, and it's good that you brought it up.
Technical:
Hoarding is a distinct mental disorder, officially as of 2013. But as part of a spectrum, it often shares traits with OCD and other anxiety-related conditions, and can be comorbid with other disorders like depression. Thankfully, treatment is a possibility, but like most chronic conditions, it's a lot of exhausting effort, and not everyone has ready access to that help.
Observations:
I think this guy got recommended by the algorithm because he's autistic (& that's a theme in my recentish watch history), but he's got a really wonderful attitude towards understanding mental health as essential in the course of cleaning up folks' homes for them. It's his special interest, but he also used to run a cleaning business.
I listened to a video of his the other day in which he mentions being invited by Adult Protective Services to potentially clean hoarding spaces in a neighboring town, to help the people living in them. He refused & explained that --without the residents' buy-in-- it would be traumatizing if not fatally triggering for that person in multiple ways, and the place would quickly return to a hoarded state, anyway. He's trauma-informed in performing these services!
A semi-retired professional housecleaner has better working knowledge of mental health disorders and consequences than --well-meaning as they were-- local authorities who should be working closely with mental health providers. Whether that's inclination or opportunity, it's... not ideal.
But point being, we are still very much in self-advocating territory when it comes to spreading knowledge of mental health.
Anyway, my original post:
Troof. It can be hard to keep the line between 'maximalist' and 'unhealthy attachment'. Worth interrogating, tho!
Organization (mental, social, physical, etc) is an interest, one: because I like understanding systems (pretty sure this is partly autism for me), but also two: because ADHD messiness means I'm constantly trying to find a workable solution.
Or using possessions as a touchstone and to remind me of people, places, or times in my life because my memory is hazy (hello, trauma response? 'Just' ADHD?)
Or, less often, because it's what a person of my [insert demographic] should have; see: decorative pieces that add up to a lovely, cohesive but not showroomy interior decor that's totally unsatisfying to me because it's stylish but not my style. It's less aspirational, and more, masking to try to feel normal, an 'actual' adult, or playing dollhouse because interior design is also a special interest. After realizing I had started doing that, though, it's been easier to resist those impulses. I can do a collage a la Pinterest if something is inspirational but would fail to make my living spaces more functional or personally pleasing.
I also like a certain degree of visual abundance! I am still figuring out what I want to see lots of, and what jumbles into clutter and stresses me out. Tools and books are things I enjoy in general, so combine that with a lot of hobbies, and that's more to consider. Curation is an art!
But regardless, I sometimes have stuff that no longer suits my needs, lifestyle, or taste, or would literally be trash without a dropoff recycling facility.
For an example of the latter: I have a lot of guilt about throwing away things that could be recycled, and because styrofoam is accepted at our dropoff (versus the curbside single-stream recycling), I've got a small pile of clean takeaway containers that lives in our less-used, front bathroom. Because the facility is on the other side of downtown, it's an inconvenience, and not done very often -- meanwhile, we're literally storing trash.
Forget where I heard this phrasing, but I want my home to be an environment that enables activity and relaxation for the people in it, not as a storage facility for stuff. Literally, it should function as a place for doing things; too many possessions impede either movement in the physical sense, or take mental/emotional/bodily energy through sensory overload or by requiring maintenance.
When that's in my brain, it helps in being mindful of what and how much I'm keeping or acquiring, and centering that in my current needs and wants. And in validating my needs as important.
*Probably the most eye-opening but basic helpful organizational concept has been viewing spaces as containers, and inherently self-limiting. And as a process, articulating priorities.
The house is a container, and must allow room for me to easily exist, move around, and partake in various chores & pastimes -- items that take up room should earn it. Prioritizing restful spaces for people, not space for objects at rest.
(Slow progress to whittle down and find smaller containers to keep things manageable, but I'm getting there.)
One-in-one-out(ish) worked for a bit but books are over capacity, not helped by a renewed interest in manga. I'm currently going through non-fiction to make room in general. Legos, gunpla... Look, it'll get there, okay. I get more books sorted, I'll have room for display.
Also working on making a designated space for donations, and I have one for gifts that I need to refresh; I have a harder time limiting those and moving them out in a timely manner. But it's clearly one of my priorities, so I need to carve out spots to respect those values. It also supports the next bullet point.
The other important thing I struggle to remember (because Guess who internalized a lot of shit, but this is why I'm in therapy!)
*With organization in place, it's the result of a process when things pile up, not a failure of the system. Just means it's time to reset, or re-evaluate for something more workable.
If there's no organization, the lack thereof, or result, is not a moral failing or inherent inadequacy. Everyone needs some kind of scaffolding to succeed, and those requirements are likely to change throughout life.
Sigh. Be curious.
Sumup:
Spaces are containers. A house has limited space for people and objects, and the functionality for people decreases as stuff to store or caretake increases past fulfillment of needs. (Relaxation, rest, play, etc.. all needs.)