♥ Saturday, July 26, 2008
I Think I Am A Hoarder
Spring cleaning means cleaning up a place and throw away things which are no longer of any use right? Often it'll result a cleaner and a more spacious space right? Each time I attempt to have that, I'll fail! Be it clearing my locker when I was a student, in the office during my DP days - both mission failed! My rooms - from Simei to Pasir Ris - failed and still failing! Why so? Simply because I find it hard to throw things. There's always excuses reasons to why I 'need' to keep them. Reasons could be 'sentimental values' or 'for future use'.
I managed to catch the last half an hour of Oprah yesterday. It was about 2 ladies being compulsive hoarders. I didn't know such OCD exists and what was aired were really the extreme cases. It was quite scary. Their beds were covered with mountain high unfold clothes. A room full of 'junks' that one had forgotten that she actually had stored cans of pastas and those cans melted and absorbed the room's carpet due to heat. It was a disgusting sight! They haven't had guests for years and the youngest grandchild has not even been to his grandparents' house cause it was just too full of stuffs and simply no space! It's that bad! It took the professionals weeks to clear those mess and there were occasions where the ladies parted with those junks with emotions. I was surprised it could be that bad!
Watching that was like watching my reflection. I wanted to know more about it so I surfed the net and I think I am a hoarder indeed! Not a compulsive one but I'm getting there! Not something that I'm proud of but I have to work on-NOW!
Is your apartment cluttered with stacks of newspapers up to your chin and towers of unread magazines?.......do you have to tiptoe over Christmas wrapping paper from the 1980s, junk mail from your college days? I have clutters all over my room and yes I do have to tip-toe sometimes!
You might call yourself a "collector" ........for the psychologists who study people like you, they'd probably label you a "hoarder." I do call myself a collector sometimes!
When it comes to hoarding, one man's junk is another man's treasure. "Most of us are attached to things we inherited from our parents or grandparents, or we're attached to photographs or special items that we've bought," says Steketee. "But people with hoarding problems often become emotionally attached to items that strike the rest of us as junk, or to pieces of paper that aren't particularly interesting." I have lots of papers on the floor of my room!
Hoarders may become anxious and angry at the mere suggestion of getting rid of items that they've held onto for years. They often say that if they throw something away, they may need it someday when it will be impossible to retrieve. Last year Aid tried to clean my room and that was exactly how I responded to him. We even ended up arguing! Nevertheless, he managed to throw 3 bags of junks! Chet!
So they collect scraps of paper with shopping lists from years ago. They may hold on to old clothing, extra furniture, used envelopes, clothing price tags, soda cans, string....I have receipts which has lost its prints - keeping it cause of the dates. I do have old clothings. Not much but I do have it and I do keep used envelopes and strings!
...hoarders often claim that it isn't a problem at all. At the same time, they are often embarrassed to have visitors to their home. I didn't think keeping things with 'values' could be a problem. Though I'm not that embarrassed, I stopped having friends hanging out in my room!
.... people having difficulty with decision making, procrastination, and staying on task long enough to organize their surroundings. "Try to give hoarders an assignment to throw something out, and they won't do it....I've blogged about my room more than once so yeah I do take forever to organise my surroundings and I hate throwing things!
In most cases, hoarders rarely look at the possessions they've saved....Nevertheless, they feel some sense of security knowing that these items are there "just in case." That's so true - I don't look and as mentioned I keep my 'junks' for 'future use'.
...people who have refused to part with old sales slips "because they represent a day in their lives, even though they have no idea what they bought. Somehow, the fact that it has a date on it, and that it belonged to them, it becomes important." I mentioned that already didn't I?
Need I say more?! I'm freaking out already!!!
Things happen for a reason
Blogged @ 12:55 PM
