Is your house drowning under piles of clutter? Do you find it nearly impossible to throw away things even though you haven't used them in years? Has anyone said you need to clear out some of the clutter? Do you never invite people over because there is too much 'stuff' everywhere?
If you have answered Yes to any of the above you may be suffering from what is sometimes called Hoard and Clutter syndrome, Packrat Syndrome, or Compulsive Hoarding. It may be a form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Hoard and Clutter Syndrome can affect our homes, lifestyles, finances, and safety. Frequently people who hoard possessions also are compulsive buyers. They have an inability to resist the urge to acquire an object, even though acquiring or possessing the object may create problems. This can extend to animal hoarding, which creates a whole different set of problems.
One study found that 80 percent of hoarders had grown up in a house with someone who hoarded. I grew up as the child of parents who had grown up during the Great Depression. They learned early to never waste anything and to never throw away anything that might be needed later. I took their lessons to heart and have had difficulty disposing of anything ever since.
My sister is the same. We both have homes full of 'stuff'. We can't seem to refrain from collecting more 'stuff'. It has gone far beyond keeping a good supply of needed items. At times our homes have become nearly impassable because there was so much stuff everywhere. There is even a name for that. It is called 'Tunnel living'.
No matter how many books we read on how to organize, they don't help because what we really need is do diminish the number of things we have. Most of us also have problems with organization, decision making, and frequently with compulsive buying and/or collecting of free things.
Recently I have begun to come to gripes with the problem, recognizing it for what it is. I have cleaned a great many things out and am working on clearing out more. What I have found is I have to do it slowly. If I feel pressure to get it done I fall apart and can't make a decision and stuff everything back into the closet, just stacked a little neater.
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