Top tips for helping a hoarder

Hoarding isn’t necessarily a conscious decision but can happen and become a problem before you know it.

What is hoarding?

Hoarding is a human behaviour which involves saving and collecting possessions, ranging from normal behaviour to excessive.

According to Fugen Neziroglu, clinical director and co-founder of the Bio-Behavioral Institute in New York, it is the compulsive purchasing, acquiring, searching and saving of items that have little or no value.

Common hoarded items are newspapers, magazines, paper and plastic bags, cardboard boxes, photographs, household supplies, food and clothing.

Someone who hoards:

• Avoids throwing away possessions.
• Experiences severe anxiety about discarding possessions.
• Has trouble making decisions about organising possessions.
• Feels overwhelmed or embarrassed by possessions.
• Is suspicious of other people touching possessions.
• Has obsessive thoughts about possessions.

Read how you can help, below.

Here are some top tips if you are a confessed hoarder or if you know a hoarder:

• Acknowledge and identify the problem.

• Tell people about your problem and ask for help.

There are various organisations and experts to give advice.

• Identify an area in your home you want to clear.

This could be a box, a cupboard, your car or even a whole room.

• Work on that one area consistently.

At least once every day for a minimum of 15 minutes and gradually increase the frequency and the time.

• Make a decision about whether or not to keep an item within 10 to 20 seconds.

Looking at, touching and thinking about an item is likely to increase your attachment to it and result in keeping possessions that you could otherwise have let go of.

• Create a timetable, and commit to it.

Schedule your clearing sessions for regular times each week and if you have particular goals, for example, to invite friends over once the living room is cleared, set a date for it, and stick to it.

• Recognise what you have achieved.

Take “before and after” photographs which will give you a real sense of pride as you progress, and reward yourself with something you enjoy, but does not contribute to your hoarding, such as a massage or a slice of cake.

Sources: https://www.helpforhoarders.co.uk/self-help/

https://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/